Prince William has added a new role to his royal resume amid the coronavirus pandemic, and the special way it was announced marked a first for the regal family.
The Duke of Cambridge has clearly set up a comfortable home office from his country residence Anmer Hall, which is where he is remaining in isolation with his wife Duchess Catherine and their three young children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
And royal watchers got a pleasant surprise come Easter Sunday when the father-of-three’s brand new role was announced via a candid video chat inside his family home – with a very special person paged in to the call.
In the video, the Prince is seen chatting to Natalie Webster, who operates Welsh community farm Dal Dy Dir.
Together, the pair discuss how vulnerable people near Natalie’s farm in Wales are being helped.
“Thank goodness you’re there, Natalie,” the Prince told her.
“It’s got to be reassuring for everyone when so much is changing around them to know that you’re still there and your team are still looking out for them.”
And in a very special addition, the Palace added some context to the origins of the video call, with official Instagram account Kensington Royal announcing the Duke has been appointed as the Patron of the National Emergencies trust.
“Following the launch of #NETCoronavirusAppeal last month, newly announced Patron of @national_emergenciestrust (NET), The Duke of Cambridge called in to check on some grassroots charities who are recipients of the NET’s Coronavirus Appeal,” the statement read.
The Prince chatted to the leader of Welsh community farm Dal Dy Dir as his new patronage was announced.
(Kensington Royal)Natalie discussed the sense of community spirit spurred in times of crisis, telling William: “We’ve really tried to encourage people to think about communities working together… We’re lucky in Wales, we have a really good community spirit.”
Always the relatable royal, William didn’t doubt Natalie’s words for a second, using his own knowledge of a particular sport to back her up.
“I’ve always felt that. The Welsh are always really good at coming together and looking after each other. You see that always in the rugby matches, there’s always a good Welsh national vibe going on there. I love it.”
Fans were thrilled to see the video appear on Instagram, with many commenting their thoughts on the discussion and the Duke’s brand new role.
“Such a lovely man. He really listens,” wrote one fan.
Another said: “The Duke is doing an amazing job!! 👏 and these video meetings are super sweet. He (and Duchess Catherine) looks so at ease and he genuinely enjoys speaking with people about what they do and how they serve their communities.”
There’s no denying that – last week the Duke and Duchess appeared in a video call together speaking to a primary school in Lancashire, where a number of their students had parents working on the frontline during the pandemic.
Catherine and William shared a video call with school students last week ahead of Easter.
(Kensington Royal)In the video, children were seen showing off some of their personal creations they made to celebrate Easter.
Wearing a chic orange jumper, the bright and bubbly Duchess Catherine promised she would visit their school in person when the pandemic was over, telling them: “We are seriously impressed by all your hard work and volunteering.”
There’s no denying this candid new way of working for the royals is giving us another unique insight into their dedication and passion for their work.
