The Prince and Princess of Wales hosted a Buckingham Palace garden party on Friday, with Prince William confessing to having “bags under the eyes” following a late night celebrating Aston Villa’s football triumph.
The heir to the throne had attended Villa Park the previous evening to witness his beloved team demolish Nottingham Forest 4-0, securing their place in the Europa League final in Istanbul.
Catherine revealed that their three children had been permitted to stay up past bedtime to watch the match at home.
“They all make so much noise, even Louis,” she laughed. “They wanted to go to the match but we let them stay up and watch it.”
Catherine revealed that their three children had been permitted to stay up past bedtime to watch the match at home.
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Prince William also reconnected with Rhian Mannings, a mental health campaigner whom he had visited at her Cardiff home last year, at the Buckingham Palace party.
Ms Mannings experienced unimaginable tragedy in 2012 when her youngest child, one-year-old George, died suddenly from an undetected illness, followed by her husband Paul taking his own life just five days later.
Her relationship with Prince William began in 2017 when they participated in a filmed conversation marking World Mental Health Day.
The heir to the throne had attended Villa Park the previous evening to witness his beloved team demolish Nottingham Forest 4-0, securing their place in the Europa League final in Istanbul.
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Ms Mannings informed the Prince of Wales that “so many people reached out” to her following the broadcast of their recent exchange.
Prince William offered an apology to her daughter for “invading” the family home, remarking: “It was a surprise for everyone I think.”
The Princess of Wales spoke enthusiastically about her love of padel during conversations with Lawn Tennis Association representatives.
“Have you adopted padel? I love padel, it’s such a good game, such a great leveller for those who don’t play tennis,” she asked them.
The Prince and Princess of Wales hosted a Buckingham Palace garden party on Friday.
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PA
Catherine acknowledged that tennis remained her true sporting passion but praised padel’s accessibility across generations, noting she enjoys playing with her parents.
“It’s so sociable and all generations can play,” she said.
The Princess of Wales also shared details about the family’s one-year-old puppy Otto, admitting he had “unfortunately” been “chewing quite a lot the other day”.
“You have to keep them busy,” she explained. “The first thing we do in the morning is check, ‘has anyone taken Otto out?'”