Celebrity
Kate Middleton Prince William tour medieval forest with children during final day of Scottish Isles wedding anniversary tour Isle of Mull and Iona: Princess of Wales holds hand of girl who wanted to see real life princess
The Prince and Princess of Wales have held hands with young children and explored a forest dating back to medieval times on their final day in the Scottish Isles.
The royal couple spent the morning with the youngsters and rangers taking part in outdoor learning, a visit that focused on the importance of protecting and championing the natural environment.
Kate has spoken of the regenerating powers of the outdoors since being diagnosed with cancer last year.
READ MORE: William and Kate celebrate wedding anniversary on rugged island
She described how “nature has been our sanctuary” and said she experiences a “very spiritual and very intense emotional reconnection” when spending time in the natural world.
When talking about her chemotherapy treatment during a visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital in January Kate appeared to compare herself to a plant, laughing as she said she had needed “loads of water and loads of sunlight” to get through the gruelling side effects.
Their two-day visit to the region began on the couple’s wedding anniversary – April 29 – and it marked the first time Kate has been on an overnight stay during an official engagement since her cancer diagnosis.
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She and Prince William began their final day in the Scottish Isles with a tour of the Ardura Community Forest, on the Isle of Mull, where the couple’s Royal Foundation funds the ranger service.
The princess was introduced to four-year-old Rosie-Mae, whose mother Sally Maccoll said her daughter was excited to see Kate.
“She’s obsessed with Princess Kate so as soon as Kate came walking down I felt her grab my arm and she was like – she’s here, there’s a real-life princess,” she told the BBC.
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“She dragged Kate around, down to the river and they threw some sticks in. I kept my distance and let her do her thing. She is a very confident young lady. It was really special, she’ll remember it for a long time.”
Joining a toddler playgroup on the island, Kate said children should get “outdoors as much as they can”.
“It’s the small things that are important,” she said.
Kate was asked by one small child where she lived.
The princess replied: “I live in Windsor. All the way down south. Near London. Have you seen any birdies today? We have been having a lovely time, it’s so important having this environment for families.”
Kate was also overheard telling a child that she had accidentally swallowed a fly last night. She and William spent their wedding anniversary inside a self-catering cottage on Mull.
At one point while playing with the children, Kate picked up a pretend pair of binoculars made out of two toilet rolls and looked through them.
Prince William said of the setup: “For a family you really couldn’t get any better than this.”
He later added: “The thing is, in the cities we have lost the ability to come together and know our neighbours.”
Following the tour of the forest, which dates to medieval times, the couple caught a ferry from Mull to the nearby smaller island of Iona for their final stop of the two-day tour.
While there, they met UK comedian Ruby Wax who spends a lot of time on the island.
She told the gathered media: “It’s funny because I’m on a retreat there. And I thought, why are they interrupting my silent retreat?
“I mean, you could break the silent retreat for this.”
She added of meeting Prince William: “I didn’t realise he was so good looking. He looks like his mother.”
Meaning behind poignant photo from Will, Kate on special day
Prince William and Kate are known by their other titles, the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, when in Scotland.
They also hold the Scottish titles of the Lord and Lady of the Isles. Mull and Iona are part of lands once ruled by the Lord of the Isles – one of a number of Scottish titles Prince William inherited from his father when Charles became King.
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