Royal couple call in as train tour reaches city
The Duke and Duchess stopped off in the West on Tuesday as part of their UK train tour to thank front-line workers during the Covid crisis.
William and Kate arrived at Bath Spa station and went on to visit Cleeve Court Residential Care in Twerton to meet staff and residents.
At the station they took time out to chat with eight-year-old Otto Warner, who only came out of cancer treatment on Monday.
Otto went to the station with his family, including his two sisters Jasmine and Poppy, and his mum Georgie, in the hope of meeting the royal couple.
Later at Cleeve Court, which cares for older adults with dementia, the royal couple were greeted with Christmas carols sung by Bath Abbey choir led by Huw Williams, who invited them to join in with Jingle Bells.
The couple did not go into the building but chatted outside with resident Ted Hogg and senior support worker Lorraine Perdicchia, as well as meeting another resident, Carol le Mare, and admin worker Franchesca Sands.
After leaving the home they strolled over to the hordes of waiting schoolchildren to have a chat about what they had asked Santa for before heading back to the station and continuing their trip to Reading.
The couple’s whistle-stop tour of the country has provoked criticism in some quarters, with some claiming that they should not be travel
ling far and wide during the pandemic.
Concerns about the tour have been raised by Welsh and Scottish ministers at a time when many parts of the UK are subject to strict rules to control the spread of Covid-19.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said the tour was a “matter for the palace”.
Challenged on whether the royal couple had complied with the rules, the spokesman said: “I’m making the general point that we have set out the regionalised tier system that is now in place and the guidance that we are asking people to abide by.”
But a No 10 spokesman later said: “The PM is delighted to see the warm reception the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have received on their hugely valuable train tour of England, Scotland and Wales.
“The tour will be a welcome morale boost to frontline workers who have done so much during the pandemic.”
The clarification of No 10’s position came after Welsh Health Minister Vaughan Gething said he would
prefer it if “no one was having unnecessary visits”.
Mr Gething said he was not “particularly bothered or interested” when asked during BBC Radio 4’s Today programme if he thought the couple should still travel to Wales.
But he said the visit should not be used by people as an “excuse” to say they are “confused” about coronavirus regulations.
Mr Gething echoed the sentiment of Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who suggested the duke and duchess travelled to Edinburgh on Monday despite their office being made aware of restrictions for those wanting to cross the border.
The couple began their trip to Wales on Monday by visiting Cardiff Castle, where they met university students and heard about the mental health challenges they faced.
As they chatted, William and Kate admitted they were struggling with Christmas plans, suggesting they had yet to decide who to spend the festive period with.
“It is so difficult, we are still trying to make plans. It’s difficult to know what to do for the best,” said the duke.