Princess of Smiles
Kate and Wills stun picnicking families with a walkabout, high fives and hugs
THE picnic on Windsor’s Long Walk had started out with the jolly feel of a village fete.
Out of sight of the Castle, the grass still muddy from Saturday’s rain, folk were gently peeling back the film from sausage roll cartons and settling in to celebrate the Coronation with a knees-up.
And then, quite suddenly, the Coronation came to them.
Just as the sun broke out, so did a hefty sprinkle of stardust fresh from the pomp of Westminster Abbey.
The Prince and Princess of Wales turned up for a surprise 40-minute walkabout at the town’s Big Lunch. It was such a shock it reduced one little girl to tears.
As a beaming Kate walked towards her across the mud in pristine white trainers, the youngster’s face began to quiver along with the bobbing Union Jack flags on the side of her head.
Concerned Kate asked: “Do you want a hug?” The overwhelmed child, nodding vigorously, answered: “Yes!”
The royal couple, probably still overwhelmed from Saturday’s ceremony, possibly knew exactly how she felt.
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Another little girl was rendered almost speechless to meet the pair. “I feel so happy,” said nine-year-old Florence Rispoli-Hall, her smiling face painted with glitter.
“William shook her hand twice by mistake,” laughed mum Nicola, a teacher.
“They were so personable, and brave too, to just come and get in with the crowd. It makes you feel they are one of you. It’s a million miles from the pageantry of yesterday.”
William and Kate’s walkabout came as a surprise to most, even police officers who had rushed to staff the route.
Picnickers leapt from their rugs and surged forwards, flinging children on to shoulders for a better view and holding camera phones aloft.
Engulfed in a sea of wellwishers, the pair took the mayhem in their stride, grinning broadly and waving. Kate cuddled child after child.
Sue Watson and her friends offered them a cup of their homemade gin cocktail called Purple Rain. She said: “They thought it was very nice.”
William also told Caroline Mulvihill, from a local rock choir, how son Prince George, nine, is a big rock music fan.
“Will was telling us George is very much into AC/DC and Led Zeppelin,” she said. Choirmate Sam Leckenby added: “They were just really lovely.”