Queen’s success in a ‘man’s world’ helped inspire me, Duke tells Berry
Prince William praises his grandmother’s charity work as he cooks a festive feast with former Bake Off star
THE Duke of Cambridge has paid tribute to the Queen’s incredible success in making a difference in “a man’s world”.
He was speaking to Mary Berry for a one-hour BBC Christmas special in which the 84-year-old former star of The Great British Bake Off is taken along to some of the Duke and Duchess’s royal engagements.
The trio then rustle up a festive feast to thank some of the volunteers who give up precious family time to work through the festive period.
As the Duke shows Berry around the Passage, a homeless charity of which he is patron, she asks where his motivation for such work came from.
“Growing up, both of my parents were hugely charitable,” he says.
“My father set up The Prince’s Trust. He’s involved in so many different organisations.
“My mother has done her work with homelessness and ... Aids and other charities.
“And I think I’ve grown up in a household which has been very much a case of, ‘Well, we’re very lucky – you must give back.’
“And you know, my grandmother becoming Queen at a very young age, in the days when it was a man’s world, it was very difficult for her to … make a difference. And she’s done it. In her own very unique, distinct way.
“And, you know, my grandmother and my grandfather together are the epitome of public service.”
The Duke adds: “I personally get a lot out of helping people.
“I find that you hear and you understand and you learn so much more by giving a bit of your time, a bit of your day, to just be around.”
He was taken to the Passage, in central London, by his mother as a child and has previously spoken about how the visits “left a deep and lasting impression”.
The one-off special, called A Berry Royal Christmas, will see the Duchess, 37, and Berry travel to Liverpool to visit the Brink, the UK’s first dry bar set up by Action on Addiction, which provides a safe space for people who are suffering from addiction.
The pair also join forces at RHS Garden Wisley, where Berry learns more about the Duchess’s focus on early years provision and her determination to help raise a new generation of happy, healthy children.
She is given a tour of the Duchess’s new Wisley play garden, which was inspired by the Back to Nature garden that she co-designed at the Chelsea Flower Show.
The pair are understood to have struck up a warm friendship after meeting through their charity work.
They share a keen love of gardening and were seen laughing uproariously together at the launch of the garden in September.
Berry is an ambassador for the Royal Horticultural Society and the president of the National Garden Scheme, while the Duchess was lauded for her carefully designed garden at Chelsea.
It remains to be seen whether the young member of the Royal family is an avid baker or has picked up any tips from the cookery queen.
During the programme, Berry will show viewers how to cook some of her favourite Christmas recipes as she helps prepare food for the royal event.
Bake Off
The show will culminate in a Christmas party, hosted by the Duke and Duchess, with guests including Nadiya Hussain, the 2015 Bake Off winner who is now a television cook and author.
Berry said: “I am honoured that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have invited me to join them on four of their royal charity engagements this Christmas.
“It will be truly special to see the causes so close to their hearts, as well as to hear all about the amazing support these charities provide.”
A Berry Royal Christmas airs on Monday Dec 16 at 8.30pm on BBC One.