Prince William met with amateur boxers at a charity in Swindon this afternoon – but he stopped short of getting in the ring.
The Prince of Wales, 41, toured Swindon based charity BEST – Be A Better You, which was set up in 2020 by a local father Don Bryden, after his daughter became exposed to criminal exploitation.
Don set up the charity to provide a positive experience for young people with different social, emotional, and mental health barriers, in order to help them take the necessary steps to lead a successful life.
During the visit, he met Don’s daughter Jess, to hear about her personal story and how the charity has helped her turn her life around.
He chatted to Jess, who was demonstrating a sparring session – and although he didn’t put the gloves on himself, the Prince of Wales said her work was ‘really impressive’.
The Prince of Wales described a women’s aspire programme run by a youth charity in Swindon as ‘really impressive’ during a visit this afternoon
Elsewhere during the visit, William chatted with young people who, like Jess, have been supported by BEST.
Finally, the royal heard from volunteers and staff about the programmes they deliver at the charity and the positive impact it has on children in the local community.
On Thursday, the Prince and Princes of Wales welcomed Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, to Windsor Castle to discuss ‘the environment, mental health, and other issues’.
Cook, who took over as the boss of the tech giant in 2011 when its founder Steve Jobs stepped down, posted two photographs from the meeting to X, formerly Twitter, today.
During his visit, the Prince of Wales met young people who have been helped by the charity, plus staff and volunteers
Prince William said Jess was ‘impressive’ as he got to know her at the charity’s hub in Swindon
Jess took part in a sparring session to show how she has benefitted from the charity’s one-to-one coaching programmes
The Prince of Wales posed for selfies while visiting the charity which provides mental health support to young people
The Prince of Wales happily posed for photos with a volunteer at the charity, which is based in Swindon
Meeting Jess, a young female boxer who has been helped by the charity, Prince William said she was ‘very impressive’
Team photo! William took centre stage in a snap of staff and volunteers at BEST – Be a Better You
The charity was founded by Don Bryden (right) in 2020 after his daughter was exposed to criminal exploitation
The businessman, 62, proudly stood beside Prince William and Kate, both 41, in one of the images, with the Princess looking smart in a navy pinstriped £549 Holland Cooper blazer and a cream turtleneck jumper.
‘It was a true honor to meet with the Prince and Princess of Wales. We had a wonderful and wide-ranging discussion about the environment, mental health, and other issues that mean a great deal to all of us,’ Cook wrote in his post.
William, dressed in a navy suit with a light blue shirt, appeared to be deep in conversation with the CEO in another photo from their meeting. Two bags that appeared to have the Apple logo printed on them were also spotted in the snap.
William previously teamed up with Apple Fitness+ to record an episode of Time to Walk in December 2021.
Palace aides said it was William’s idea to take part in the series after hearing previous episodes. Other guests have included country singer Dolly Parton, model Naomi Campbell and boxer Anthony Joshua.
For the episode, Apple made a six-figure donation to three charities chosen by William: Shout in the UK, Crisis Text Line in the US and Lifeline in Australia. All offer confidential mental health support helplines. The British charity runs a free text service on 85258.
The series was designed to encourage users of Apple Watches to get outside and walk while listening. At William’s request, his episode was made available for free online to everyone without the need for a subscription.
Today’s outing comes after it was reported that the Princess of Wales will not attend Prince William’s Earthshot Awards, in what has been dubbed a ‘huge blow’ to organisers.
Kate will reportedly not travel to Singapore with her husband in November and instead stay at home with Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five.
It’s believed the royal doesn’t want to disturb the children’s education during term time and is instead working to have a ‘stable home life in preparation for their royal careers’, according to the Mirror.
The mother-of-three attended the previous two Earthshot Awards in Boston and London.
MailOnline has contacted Kensington Palace for comment.
Prince William founded the awards in 2020, saying he wanted to turn ‘current pessimism surrounding environmental issues into optimism by celebrating the people and places driving change’.
Every year between 2021 and 2030, an awards ceremony will honour winners in the prize’s five categories who are creating innovations which tackle environmental issues. Each winner is given £1million to support and scale their work.
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