The Prince of Wales has said that his daughter, Princess Charlotte, might try to claim a gift he received while on tour in Estonia. Prince William is currently on a two-day tour in the Baltic state in his role as colonel-in-chief of the Mercian Regiment, soldiers of which he is set to meet today as they take over NATO defence duties in Estonia from The Royal Dragoon Guards.
On Thursday, the future King had a private meeting with the country’s president, Alar Karis, in the capital Tallinn, while he also visited a school founded to educate Ukrainians in Estonia and an event to learn about renewable energy start-ups. During his visit to The Freedom School, student counsellor Yelyzaveta Lukiianchuk, 18, asked if she could give the prince a friendship bracelet made by the pupils in the Ukrainian colours of blue and yellow. William replied: “That’s brilliant, my daughter will try and probably poach it off me later. She loves these friendship bracelets.”
The Prince of Wales also tried his hand at playing basketball but failed to score a point.
He described refugees who have fled Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “very smiley and very strong and very spiritual people” after meeting students and their teachers.
William said: “It’s been a very difficult few years for you guys. Everyone sees that.
“What I love is (that) the Ukrainian resilience is everywhere. You all are very smiley and very strong and very spiritual people. And honestly that comes across everywhere.
“Even the Ukrainians I’ve met in the UK are like that – very resilient and very strong about things.
“You have a very good spirit, very good souls, it’s very important.”
At the school, the future King was taught to say good afternoon in Estonian and Ukrainian and then chatted with a group of 16 to 18-year-old students during a Ukrainian language lesson.