Prince William couldn’t resist snapping up the South West’s most famous savoury snack as his tour of the Scilly Isles continued on Friday – and took some edible souvenirs home for his family.
William, 41, who is known locally as the Duke of Cornwall, arrived at St Mary’s Harbour by boat, having travelled from Tresco, one of the smaller islands this morning.
Clearly in good spirits, and sharing that he’d already enjoyed a morning swim, the Prince was seen disembarking a boat called The Pegasus, which bore the Duke of Cornwall flag, as he arrived at the maritime harbour.
A small cheer went up from a throng of onlookers on the harbour as he stepped quayside for the final day of his visit to the South West region.
Prince William, known as the Duke of Cornwall in the South West, looked sorely tempted by the traditional Cornish pasties on sale in The Quay cafe in St Mary’s Harbour on Friday as his tour of the Scilly Isles continued
The royal, 41, stumped up £27.50 for five of the pasties, one for each family member as he chatted to cafe workers Joely Dearman, 22, and Zachariah Fox, 28
Wearing a pair of sunglasses, the Prince donned a brown blazer with matching brogues and his favourite navy chino trousers as he made his way along the water’s edge.
He hailed the ‘glorious’ weather before strolling to the On the Quay cafe, where he bought five traditional pasties for £5.50 each.
He was served by Joely Dearman, 22, and Zachariah Fox, 28, both seasonal workers from north Devon.
‘What’s selling quickest this morning?’ he asked. Told it was the pasties, he added: ‘They smell Delicious. Makes your mouth water.’
Outside, he told tourists lined up to greet him that he wished he could stay. ‘My family are very upset I’m here without them,’ he laughed. ‘The children will kill me if I don’t go home later.’
He asked them if they were waiting to catch a boat. ‘We’re waiting for you!’ One woman said. ‘I’m never sure,’ William laughed.
The Prince of Wales looked in good spirits as he chatted to local business people during a visit to St. Mary’s Harbour, the maritime gateway to the Isles of Scilly
The Prince was due to meet representatives from local businesses on the harbour front on St Mary’s, the largest of the Scilly islands.
The harbour is run by the Duchy of Cornwall and is considered the maritime gateway to the islands – a crucial part of the community, which relies on the tourism industry.
It handles passengers and vessels travelling to the Isles of Scilly from ‘Tripper Boats’ and sail training vessels to fishing boats and those carrying special cargo deliveries.
Wearing a pair of sunglasses, the Prince donned a brown blazer with matching brogues and his favourite navy chino trousers for the visit
Smile! An onlooker takes a photo of the royal as he makes his way into the quayside area of St Mary’s
The Duke of Cornwall also shared that he’d enjoyed a morning dip before making the boat trip from neighbouring isle Tresco
Meanwhile, on another continent, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle began their 72-hour tour of Nigeria today, as the Duke evoked memories of his suffering after his mother Princess Diana’s death.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex met officials and children at the Wuse Lightway Academy this morning, hours after their arrival in Abuja in the early hours.
Harry spoke to a group of pupils at the school, which is supported by the couple’s Archewell Foundation, about mental health and referenced when someone has ‘lost a loved one in your family and you don’t know who to turn to or who to speak to’.
The Duke – who was 12 and his brother William 15 when Diana died in Paris in 1997 – added that there was ‘no shame to be able to acknowledge that today is a bad day’,
He also told the children: ‘You can have it, she (Meghan) can have it, I can have it. They can have it. Every single one of us is likely to have it on any given day.’
The couple flew in together just before 5am following a secret reunion at London Heathrow’s VIP Windsor Suite yesterday after the Duchess arrived from Los Angeles.
They both boarded the British Airways overnight flight to Abuja, which was slightly delayed after the scheduled pilot went sick and a replacement had to be scrambled.
The Sussexes, visiting Nigeria together for the first time, were seated in the first class section of the Boeing 777 and were kept apart from other passengers by a curtain.
It comes after Harry said it was ‘great’ to be back in the UK this week to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. The Duke had been in London since Tuesday to attend events relating to the competition including a thanksgiving service.
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