Prince Charles fulfils SA girl’s dream in Oz
WHEN 10-year-old Cayla Govender received an invite to attend Prince Charles’s 67th birthday celebration in Australia last week, she could barely believe her eyes.
The South African-born Cayla — who shares a birthday with the heir to the British throne, on November 14 — had always dreamt of meeting a real prince.
Cayla, who relocated with her family from Durban to Perth about eight years ago, was randomly selected with 23 other children — all of whom have the same birthday — by the office of the premier of Western Australia to spend their birthday with Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, last Saturday.
The royal couple, who were on a sixday tour down under, were chief guests at a beachside barbecue hosted at Perth’s iconic Cottesloe Beach.
It was the same spot where a bikiniclad model, Jane Priest, cheekily stole a kiss from the prince in 1979.
After receiving her invite in the mail, Cayla immediately cancelled her birthday party. She would rather be in the presence of royalty, she told her family, who were equally surprised by the invitation.
Speaking from her home in Perth this week, Cayla said: “I felt so excited and special when I first saw the invite. I also felt very lucky because only a few children were invited and nobody else I know was invited.”
Mother Amsha Govender said the family were initially in “disbelief”.
“It eventually turned into sheer excitement.”
Cayla chose a “special white summer dress” for the occasion, which was attended by 600 guests.
“When we walked through the gates, we were greeted by fairies and people dressed as flowers. There were icecream carts and huge pink candyfloss machines.
I was so excited. I felt like I was in a fairytale with a real prince
“I was so excited. I felt like I was in a fairytale with a real prince,” said Cayla. Although she did not have a one-onone meeting with the prince, she hung on to his every word when he addressed guests. The prince requested a minute’s silence in remembrance of those who died in the Paris attacks the previous night.
Cayla said if she did have an audience with the prince she would have asked him: “Why did you choose to celebrate your birthday in Australia?”
BONNY: Cayla Govender at Prince Charles’s birthday bash