Cambridge children pit their wits against brains of GCHQ

THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have said they are looking forward to helping their children solve GCHQ’S new Puzzles for Spies book, aimed at testing the ingenuity of young readers who aspire to be the next James Bond.

The book, produced by the “brilliant minds” of Britain’s intelligence services, contains brain-teasers for children, with the younger members of the Royal family ready to try their hand.

GCHQ’S share of the advance and royalties for this book, estimated to be at least £20,000 in the first year of sales, will go to the Cambridges’s Royal Foundation to support its work on mental health.

Writing a foreword to the book, which follows two puzzle books for adults, the Duke and Duchess said: “We are delighted that the brilliant minds at GCHQ have been busy working on a third puzzle book, and that this edition is designed for younger readers.

“Hopefully this might mean we find them easier to solve…!”

They added their hopes that parents and children working together on solving the puzzles would also open up conversations about their emotions.

“We look forward to helping our children solve these puzzles, and hope that this book brings friends and families together to start rich conversations. Talking openly about mental health can be the first step in removing stigma, fear and isolation,” they said.

“Just like at GCHQ, bringing different perspectives together can often be the key to unlocking a solution you can’t quite find on your own.”

It is not known whether Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four, have received a copy of the book yet.

They are in the process of settling into their new home at Adelaide Cottage on the Windsor Castle estate, ahead of school starting next week.

The Royal family has close connections with GCHQ, with the Duke himself spending three weeks at its headquarters and with MI5 and MI6 as part of a secret “work experience” to understand its work on the ground in 2019.

Puzzles for Spies will be published on Sept 22.