‘What struck me was how compassionate they were’

The Prince and Princess of Wales found out about the impact of the cost of living crisis as they were given a tour of the Rainbow Centre during their visit to Scarborough.

Rainbow Centre CEO Kerry Hillier said: “We’d known that they were coming for about three weeks, but it was under embargo.

"We weren’t allowed to share it with the staff or the trustees as we were concerned that if it did get leaked we might miss out.

"They were interested in the cost of living crisis and wanted to know how we deal with that and how it’s impacting our clients.

"The rising cost of food is having a huge impact, and the cost of heating and lighting is also hitting us as a charity.

While at the centre, the royal couple were given a tour of the food bank and spent time at the centre’s Mucktubs Nursery.

Naomi Forbes, who runs Mucktubs, said: “It was amazing, the whole day. The thing that struck me was how compassionate they were.

"They were really interested in what we had to say and they were wonderful with the clients. They have a natural ability to make people feel at ease.

"Kate is so much more beautiful in real life than when you see her on the telly!

"She got down straight away to play with the children and even they were looking at her in awe.

“The children knew who they were from when we did the jubilee event, they knew they were royal, but they passed them the Play-Doh not worried about their clothes or anything.”

Photos on this page by Bruce Rollinson A wave for the children and staff of Mucktubs Nursery as the Prince and Princess of Wales leave the centre.

There was a crowd at each side of the centre’s entrance; William greeted those at one side and Kate at the other.

The Princess of Wales is given a picture by Jasmin, aged 3, as the couple dropped in on Mucktubs Nursery.

The Prince and Princess of Wales met staff, volunteers and service users at the Rainbow Centre.

William and Kate met the Mucktubs children, who were keen to show them their work.