Kate not amused as Wills gets a soaking at the marathon
THEY were always going to make a splash by appearing at the London Marathon but the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge got more of a soaking yesterday.
Cheeky runners squirted them with water as the royal couple and Prince Harry handed out water at the 22- mile point in Shadwell, east London.
As some runners took a few gulps and then threw their bottles down, jets of water started heading back towards the royal couple – and some runners seemed to deliberately target them as a joke. William, 34, saw the funny side of it but Kate, 35, seemed less than impressed when water landed on her fl eece.
Harry, 32, managed to avoid the spray and jokingly shied away from one especially sweaty runner who wanted to hug him for a selfi e. “Keep going, come on, come on,” he shouted at the runners.
Cheered
The royal trio, who had earlier joined hands to start the race, were mobbed by runners who stopped to high-five them and pose for selfies as they cheered on the record 40,000 competitors.
Their mental health campaign, Heads Together, was the event’s offi cial charity.
Hundreds of police were on duty to keep about 800,000 spectators and runners safe, many in fancy dress as they crossed into central London at Tower Bridge, barely a month after the Westminster terror attack.
At the fi nishing line Swansea athlete Matthew Rees, 29, sacrifi ced his own race time to shoulder the weight of rival David Wyeth and carry him across.
Also competing were a couple beginning an unconventional honeymoon. Jackie Scully, who has just completed treatment for breast cancer, married Duncan Sloan on the historic Cutty Sark in Greenwich just before running the race.
Jackie raced in her wedding dress, crossing the fi nishing line in just under six hours.