Prince William ‘regrets not learning how to breakdance’

The Prince of Wales has revealed that one of his ‘greatest regrets’ was not learning to breakdance when he was younger. 

Speaking to young people in creative industries during a trip to the jewellery quarter in Birmingham with the Princess of Wales today, William, 40, announced he wished he had got into the form of street dancing.

Today’s outing marks the royal couple’s first official engagement since their Easter break, which they spent with their children Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, five. 

Birmingham has a vibrant creative industries sector, with various thriving trades including the historic artisan jewellery sector to filmmaking and gaming. 

The jewellery quarter is a hub for artistic businesses in the city which produces up to 40 per cent of all jewellery made in the UK.

William and Kate met designers, artists, playwrights, filmmakers and tech experts to hear more about how the creative sector is growing and their experiences of opening and running their businesses in the city. 

Among them was a dance teacher who teaches in the West Midlands city. Hearing how it offers ballet and modern dance, he told her: ‘I still wish I’d learned to breakdance. It’s one of my greatest regrets, not learning to breakdance when I was young.’ 

The father-of-three also met Kelvin Osondu, 30, a budding writer and head of the Bootcamp Media marketing agency, who told William how his passion was writing books. ‘How old were you when you wrote your first book?’ William asked. 

Hearing how Osondu wrote his first fantasy fiction book aged 16, William, who got an A in geography, a B in art and a C in biology at A Level, laughed and said: ‘Kelvin, I need to bottle some of your discipline. 

William told a dance teacher: ‘I still wish I’d learned to breakdance. It’s one of my greatest regrets, not learning to breakdance when I was young’. Pictured: William as a student in 2001

‘There was a moment when I really should have done more work when I was younger – read more books, watched less TV. I’m watching The Recruit on Netflix at the moment.’

Kate, 41, looked effortlessly elegant as she stepped out in Britain’s second city in a £229 burgundy pleated midi dress from Karen Millen, while William appeared typically dapper in a stylish blazer and trouser combo. 

One of the highlights of the day was a hilarious moment where William tried out his customer service skills when he took a table booking over the phone at an Indian restaurant.

William beamed as he  spoke to adoring members of the public and shook their hands 

Kate, 41, looked effortlessly elegant as she stepped out in Britain’s second city in a £229 burgundy pleated midi dress from Karen Millen

The Prince beamed as he chatted to the diner and, after going back and forth, the pair eventually decided on 2.15pm for the booking, at Indian Streatery.

The whole restaurant chuckled as he ended the call with ‘see you at quarter past two. Okay, Bye bye,’ before hanging up.

Mr Aggarwal, a software engineer, said he had ‘no idea’ that William took the call. He said: ‘It’s pretty amazing and a surprise. I didn’t know at that moment, but it’s a very nice surprise. Obviously (I will be telling everyone), it’s not something that happens often.

‘I didn’t recognise his voice at all, this is the first time I was listening to him on the phone, so I genuinely thought someone was taking the booking for me.’

There was also a moment in the day where William tried out his customer service skills when he took a table booking over the phone at an Indian restaurant

The Prince beaming as he chatted to the diner and after going back and fourth, the pair eventually decided on 2.15pm for the booking, at Indian Streatery 

Princess of Wales tries her hands making Indian street food. She said she loves spice, but William said he preferred milder food, adding: ‘I’m a masala man’

William also met Josh Billingham, a local street artist known as ‘Gent 48’, who sported several tattoos. Telling William that he specialised in graffiti, the prince replied: ‘I should have guessed from the tatts.’ 

Billingham told William that he’d ‘like to be known around the world,’ to which William replied: ‘We’ll start the rumours, Josh, and tell the world you’re just like Banksy.’

Zoe Smith, a young Birmingham-based website designer and Aston Villa fan like William, told him how she came to the city as ‘a beginner’ in tech, but had seen the city’s tech industry boom in recent years. ‘What’s great is hearing from all your generation is that you think things are buzzing here,’ William said. 

‘It feels like there’s a lot of growth here. So often, with lots of young people, there’s this thing, of ‘oh, we’ve got to get to London,’ but with Birmingham as the second city, we’ve got to try and reverse that.’ 

He also asked her: ‘Zoe, are you a season ticket holder? I’ve watched all the games this season, I haven’t missed one yet.’ She laughed, telling him: ‘I wish!’

A star-studded selfie! The This Morning presenter beamed as she managed to nab the royal couple for a photo

William appeared typically dapper in a stylish blazer and trouser combo as he greeted fans in Birmingham 

William and Kate were greeted with many waves and cheers as they arrived in Birmingham

Today’s outing marks the royal couple’s first official engagement since their Easter break, which they spent with their children Prince George , nine, Princess Charlotte , seven, and Prince Louis , five

Next, he met with a group of film students and young film-makers, telling them that in his role as BAFTA president, he enjoyed watching a lot of films. ‘When I can fight the children off the TV, I’ll have a go at watching more films. My favourite film I’ve watched was Top Gun: Maverick. It’s one of the best films I’ve ever seen – for a long time. 

‘I’m always surprised that the big feature films that do really well at the box office, never get any awards. It’s always the small arty films. We’ve got to make sure there are categories for them all.’

William was then joined by the ITV This Morning presenter, Alison Hammond, who is from Birmingham and did much of this year’s BAFTA red carpet coverage. After hugging, she told him: ‘Next time, you need to come to my house so I can cook you a big Jamaican dinner.’ 

William and Kate then joined the guests for a game of interactive darts downstairs in the Rectory’s 180 Club

The Princess of Wales with Alison Hammond during a visit to The Rectory, Birmingham, to meet future leaders and local business owners from Birmingham’s creative industries sector

Playing at separate boards, William played against Hammond and several other guests

William and Kate then joined the guests for a game of interactive darts downstairs in the Rectory’s 180 Club. Playing at separate boards, William played against Hammond and several other guests. 

‘This is how I spent university,’ he laughed. 

Asked whether Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were as enthusiastic as him about Aston Villa, he said: ‘George is generally very happy with Villa, Louis will hopefully choose his own team and Charlotte’s just getting into football, so we’ll see.’

After playing darts, the couple went outside to meet some of the hundreds of well-wishers who turned out to meet them in St Paul’s Square, many of whom asked for selfies with them. 

One woman asked Kate: ‘How do you feel being here? And may I ask how who won the game?’ 

Kate told her: ‘It’s a wonderful vibe. Thankfully we weren’t up against each other, which was a relief.’ 

Another woman in the crowd, said: ‘I’m in awe of you in those heels. How did you play darts?’ 

Looking down at her burgundy stilettos, she laughed: ‘I am tottering a bit.’

One local well-wisher, Sarah Fletcher, FaceTimed her grandmother, Mary Fletcher, in her Stourbridge care home, so that William could wish her a belated happy 90th birthday. 

‘Happy birthday, Mary, I hear it was a couple of weeks ago,’ he said into the phone screen. ‘I hope you get to 100.’ Mary, an ardent Villa fan, replied: ‘Up the Villa!’ William laughed, replying: ‘We’re going up.’

One local well-wisher, Sarah Fletcher, FaceTimed her grandmother, Mary Fletcher, in her Stourbridge care home, so that William could wish her a belated happy 90th birthday

Also among the crowd was John Parsons, 76, a retired teacher, who taught Kate drama and Maths at her St Andrew’s prep school in Pangbourne. ‘I produced her as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady,’ he said. 

‘She was a good actress, but quite quiet. I would have never thought she would have ended up where she was.’ Asked what her maths skills were like, he replied: ‘Not that great, she needed extra tuition.’

Earlier, on arriving at the Rectory from a previous engagement at The Eatery, a family-run Indian restaurant where the prince had taken a customer’s call for a booking, William said the curry he tried had ‘nearly blew my head off’. 

Speaking to the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Maureen Cornish, he said: ‘I’m not very good with spicy curry and they gave me the spiciest curry ever, it nearly blew my head off. I tried not to let on in front of the cameras. I took a call from someone, so let’s see if they turn up at the right place.’