On 26th February, The Prince and Princess of Wales visited Pontypridd in South Wales, ahead of St. David’s Day. It was the couple’s first joint visit to Wales since the Princess announced last March she had begun her treatment for cancer.
Their visit aimed to engage with local communities affected by severe flooding caused by Storm Bert and Storm Darragh in late 2024.
The royal couple commenced their day at Pontypridd Market, a historic hub since 1805. There, they interacted with local traders and donned aprons to prepare traditional Welsh cakes at The Welsh Cake Shop.
The Princess expressed admiration for her husband’s baking skills, to which Prince William humorously credited lessons from Mary Berry, stating ‘my stunning baker skills, Mary Berry taught me everything I need to know’. The royal couple’s skills were honed when they appeared with Mary Berry on A Berry Royal Christmas show in 2019.
After cooking their Welsh cakes on a hot plate, William and Catherine’s cakes received the royal seal of approval, stating ‘they’re perfect, they’re great’. Prince William jestingly suggested their creations might be sold at half price.
William and Catherine then headed to the market’s Fountain Cafe, where they met a number of locals who had been affected by the flooding caused by Storm Bert and Storm Darragh in late 2024. They spoke to business owners to hear about how the flooding had affected them.
Outside the market, hundreds of people had lined the streets hoping to catch a glimpse of the Their Royal Highnesses. The couple spoke to the children about their plans for the half-term holiday, whilst some of the adults spoke to William about his previous visit to Wales over 20 years ago.
Following their visit to the market, the couple headed to the Meadow Street Community Garden and Woodland, an area which had only been recently restored by volunteers following the flooding.
The Prince and Princess engaged with community members, discussing the challenges faced during the recovery process. The couple were given a a tour of the woodland walks and saw the home-grown produce being grown.
The Princess spoke to a group of young volunteers where she heard how they were growing plums in the community garden and turning them into jam. In turn, Catherine promised them that she would send her recipe for plum jam. William added that his wife’s jam was ‘amazing’.
Catherine also revealed how she is also learning to forage in Norfolk, stating that her three children thought it was ‘fascinating’ that she had found a ‘huge’ puffball mushroom near their home on the Sandringham estate. The royal couple also saw the funny side as they were shown ‘Bug-inham Palace’ (an insect conservation area), and later joined a group round a fire to make balms out of plants.
The day’s engagements underscored the Prince and Princess of Wales’s commitment to supporting communities in need and highlighted their deep-rooted connection to Wales.
