PRINCE WILLIAM AND PRINCESS CHARLOTTE LOOK ON AS PRINCE GEORGE PLAYS WITH A BUBBLE GUN AT A CHILDREN’S PARTY IN VICTORIA ON THURSDAY
VICTORIA • With a few steps of little legs, Princess Charlotte took her first strides into the world of royal duties Thursday, making a star appearance at a children’s tea party in Victoria.
And while organizers provided every bit of entertainment a child could wish for, it was the balloons that first grabbed the attention of 16-month-old Charlotte and her three-year-old brother, George.
So excited was the princess that she uttered what appeared to be her first words in public, exclaiming “pop” before summoning her father with a lively “Dada!”
The outing, on the lawn at Government House in Victoria, saw the children and their parents, Prince William and Kate, join 24 military families as part of their weeklong tour of B.C. and Yukon.
While the princess spent most of the morning with her mother, George was entertained by his father at a bubble-blowing station. After laying his hands on a fishshaped bubble gun, he made his parents laugh after squirting bubbles over his family.
Charlotte was dressed in a blue Pepa & Co. dress, which will likely prove a boon to the Spanish clothing company.
Barely 24 hours after the Duchess of Cambridge appeared in a coat by Toronto designer Bojana Sentaler on Wednesday, the grey alpaca garment and many others from the Sentaler brand sold out online, with orders coming in from around the world.
“It was incredible,” said Sentaler, 31. “The Kate effect, for my brand, was an instant brand awareness around the entire world.”