Duke dishes up pasta for homeless as Kate praised for education work
THE DUKE of Cambridge began his duties as patron of a homeless charity yesterday by serving lunch to its clients.
Wearing an apron, William ladled spaghetti bolognese on to the plates of men and women who had queued for the free lunch made by staff and volunteers.
The Duke has become the figurehead of The Passage, an organisation which has helped more than 130,000 people in crisis over almost 40 years.
His mother, Diana, Princess of Wales had taken him and his brother, Harry, there in December 1993, and as a young man the Duke has made numerous public and private trips to the organisation.
“I feel Mary Berry is going to pop out in a minute and tell us we’re too slow,” he said as he chopped carrots for yesterday’s meal.
“We’re giving him a trial,” said Mick Clarke, chief executive of the charity, as he joined his Royal guest in the kitchen.
First in the queue for lunch was Taffy, who had been sleeping rough for almost 25 years before getting permanent accommodation five years ago. He still returns to The Passage for some meals.
“I’m from Cambridge, too,” he had told the Duke.
Meanwhile, William’s wife admitted during a discussion on mental health to having little knowledge as a parent of the importance to a child’s future of its early development.
“I was very naive myself as a parent, of really just how important particularly the early years are for children’s futures.
“And how critical it is, everyone looking after children at a critical time, teachers, parents, and everyone who’s caring for them, how important it is that we get it right,” Kate said.
The Duchess, wearing a boucle tweed Dolce and Gabbana skirt suit, was introduced by host and broadcaster Kate Silverton, who praised “all the work” Kate has done in the field of education.
She had been “a great driving force behind The Royal Foundation’s work supporting children in their earliest years,” she said.
In an impromptu speech, the Duchess said: “The scientific and other evidence is clear, the first few years of a child’s life are more pivotal for development, and for future health and happiness, than any other single moment in our lifetime.”