A sweet moment during Prince William’s trip to sunny Cornwall saw him reflect on seaside family holidays there as a child – which he enjoyed with Princess Diana and brother Prince Harry
Prince William took a moment to reminisce about childhood holidays with his family and brother Prince Harry on his latest royal visit.
The Prince of Wales spent some time in the glorious sun on Thursday as he began his two-day trip to Cornwall with a visit to Newquay. Also known as the Duke of Cornwall when in the county, William stopped by the site of new homes for people experiencing homelessness, before meeting members of local lifesaving society on the beach later in the day.
But it wasn’t all business, as William found time for a game of beach volleyball with local youths and even got to check out displays of their impressive surfing skills. In one sweet moment, he cast his mind back to the Royal Family’s visits to the picturesque coast himself as a young boy.
The Prince, who holidayed there with his brother, Harry, in Cornwall when they were younger and is known to be a surfer, said as he looked around the beach: “It brings it all back. I want to put on a wetsuit and get out there now!”. Another encounter saw him break the royal household’s rule on not giving autographs by signing a boy’s plaster cast, and he joked: “Shhh, don’t tell anyone. I’m not meant to do that!”. The Prince also met representatives from local organisations who are working to promote safety in the sea and across the beach ahead of the busy summer months.
William will tomorrow head over to the Isles of Scilly, where he is expected to meet workers at St Mary’s harbour and staff from the only hospital on the islands. It will surely bring back memories of the time he visited in 1989, when he was taken with Harry as a young boy to Tresco by Princess Diana and the then-Prince Charles.
His official trip to Nansledan in Newquay on Thursday saw him visit he site where the Duchy of Cornwall’s first ever innovative housing project to help address homelessness will be built. The centre will be run in co-operation with local charity St Petrocs. Kensington Palace explained: “The homes are designed to be in keeping with the quality and character of Nansledan, to provide residents with dignity and help them settle into their new community from day one. Construction is set to begin in September 2024 and the first homes are due for completion in autumn 2025.”
