Wales is welcoming itsnew Prince and Princess.
Kate MiddletonandPrince Williamvisited the country for the first time with their new titles on Tuesday to see some of the causes close to their hearts.
They began in Anglesey, in the northwest of Wales,where they lived together as newlyweds in 2010and as new parents after the birth ofPrince Georgewhile William worked as a search and rescue helicopter pilot with the Royal Air Force.
The lifeboat station — which is just miles from where the couple once lived — has received 70 awards for gallantry as crews battle the often-stormy seas to help the stricken. It echoed Kate’s first official royal duty with William whenshe helped launch a new lifeboaton the island two months before they wed in 2011.
After the lifeboat station visit, the couple took a short walk to the Holyhead Marine and Café Bar to meet people from small businesses and organizations like the Coastguard and Sea Cadets.
Prince William and Kate Middleton visit Wales.PA Images/INSTARimages.com
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Welcoming William and Kate were a group of children from the Swansea 1st Eastside Boys Brigade and Girls' Association.
Shortly before the couple arrived at St. Thomas’s Church, the church bells rang to the tune of “God Save the King” and several of the 300 well-wishers crammed along the narrow street sang along.
“It’s wonderful that Charles bestowed the title on them,” local Sarah East, 65, tells PEOPLE. “He was always known as William of Wales as a boy. They’re so well-suited to it as they’ve lived in Anglesey and know all about Wales.”
PAUL ELLIS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Pauline Bushrod, 80, who was also in the crowd, says: “It’s brilliant they’re here. Our future King and Queen. It could not be better that it’s them.”
The former St. Thomas’s church also helps bring homeless people some much-needed food — homelessness is a cause close toWilliam’s heart, and he used his40th birthday in June to highlight it.
Prince William and Kate Middleton visit Wales.PAUL ELLIS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
There is also a not-for-profit café, a community training kitchen and a surplus food distribution network, which collects food from supermarkets at the end of each day and distributes it to prevent food waste.
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It was a particularly poignant visit. Those who know the couple have likened their time there in the early years of their marriage to the time the lateQueen Elizabethand Prince Philip enjoyed in Malta.
Those close to William and Kate also say Wales has a special place in the couple’s hearts — rooted in their first home where they lived whenPrince Georgewas born and reflected in their decision to take George andPrincess Charlotteto Cardiff during the weekend celebrating the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
As Tuesday’s visits took place, any plans for a large-scale investiture like William’s father Charles had in July 1969 were far from their minds. The royal couple is more interested in continuing to deepen their bonds with the Welsh people and representing, and celebrating, the modern nation of Wales. They also plan to return to Wales before the end of the year.
William and Kate visit Wales.PA Images/INSTARimages.com
The day was especially poignant for George, who is set to become the next Prince of Wales after his father. The visit mirroredPrince William’s first official trip to Wales when he was around the same age. In March 1991,Prince Williamjoined his parents, Princess Diana andCharles, in Cardiff. The excited crowds handed the young prince daffodils — the Welsh national flower — as he went on a walkabout outside Llandaff Cathedral.
source: people.com
