Shirlie Kemp has admitted she still hasn't opened a jar of homemade honey gifted to her family by Catherine, Princess of Wales, describing the present as "so special." The revelation came during an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, where the singer and her daughter Harley Moon Kemp discussed their recent Mediterranean cruise and their bond.
A Royal Gift Kept Safe
The Princess of Wales visited Shirlie's family home in 2023 after teaming up with her son Roman for a short film about mental wellbeing, following the launch of Kate's early years development campaign. During that visit, Kate gave the Kemps a jar of her homemade honey.
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Shirlie remarked, "Sadly, no. I haven't even opened her jar of honey yet because it looks so special."
In return, the 80s legend gave Kate some of her homegrown apple juice. However, this year's harvest was poor. Shirlie explained, "But we didn't have any apples this year. It was a disaster because last year was called a mast year where it was so hot and dry that the apples would produce twice the amount and then it takes all the goodness out. So this year the apples dropped off the trees so quickly before they could grow because there was no rain."
She added, "So the sun apparently makes them sweet and the rain makes them big. So it wasn't a good idea. Really, the whole [Wales] family must be missing my apple juice."
A Memorable Cruise Getaway
The mother-daughter duo recently sailed on Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Viva for a Mediterranean getaway, taking the Rome to Istanbul route with stops at Salerno, Catania, Valetta, Athens and Santorini.
For Harley Moon, 37, it was a welcome change after her budget trip on Celebrity Race Across The World. "I absolutely had one of the best holidays I've had for a really long time," she gushed. "The thing that I loved so much about the cruise, and doing it with my mum, was how much pressure it takes off her as the organiser of the holidays. All of a sudden, all of that holiday organisation was taken away. And we were just there as best friends."
Shirlie, 64, who shares daughter Harley Moon and son Roman, 33, with husband Martin Kemp, agreed: "I love any opportunity to have time with my children, either Harley or Roman. So for me, it's so special having that time together. As Harley said, away from everything, away from me going, 'Where are the dogs?' It's like I do spin a lot of plates. So just to be on the sea, sailing the Mediterranean. It's just so calm and beautiful."
Activities and Future Plans
The pair enjoyed the spa, paddle court, live music and several restaurants aboard the cruise ship. They also took an Amalfi cooking tour, picked out ingredients from a garden overlooking the sea, and explored ports independently. Harley commented, "I was quite blown away with was just the options of how much there was to do. When we wanted a girly day, like mum said, we went to the gym, we went to the spa and it felt like a completely different holiday. We went shopping in Malta and we went for cocktails and we went for a nice dinner. And then the next day we were doing something completely different. We were playing some games on the roof. We went in the race cars. And the next day we went for a cooking class in Salerno. And it felt like 10 holidays in one holiday."
Looking ahead, Harley has more upcoming gigs and has filmed Celebrity Mastermind, set to air this Christmas. Shirlie has been recording two Christmas songs for the D-Day Darlings album, which releases next month. Both expressed interest in appearing on Strictly Come Dancing if approached, replying in unison, "Oh yes."
The duo teamed up with Norwegian Cruise Line for a multigenerational voyage with NCL's 'More at Sea' package, which includes speciality dining, WiFi credits, discounts towards shore excursions and unlimited beverages.
