The Princess of Wales joined an elderly lunch group in Pulborough, West Sussex, for its 60th anniversary, asking for crisps and helping passengers board a volunteer minibus.
A 60-year tradition
The weekly lunch, which has been running for 60 years, took place in Pulborough village hall on Wednesday. Around 50 people enjoyed red pepper and sweet potato soup with hunks of bread, cheese and crisps on the side.
Kate arrived at the venue on the West Sussex Minibus Service, a volunteer-led community transport organisation that has been operating for 50 years. She helped collect some of the diners from neighbouring streets before the meal.
Chatting at the table
During the lunch, Kate said: “What a lovely way to make friends” as she chatted with diners. Regular Lynda Jones, 74, handed over a snack after telling Kate the event “makes a lot of difference if you’ve lost your partner”.
Mrs Jones said: “She asked for some crisps, and I let her (have some). She said she liked it, they were ready salted, crinkle cut.”
“Kate was a natural.”
Helping hands and a kerb-jumping game
Earlier, the princess was hands-on when the minibus collected Stella Drewett, 94, for the lunch. Kate put a comforting hand on her arm as she left home using a walking frame, and offered a steadying hand as she climbed into the vehicle. When the princess asked about her trips out for lunch, Ms Drewett quipped that they meant “one day of not cooking”.
Word had spread about the royal visitor in the village, and her route to the car taking her home was lined with charity workers, mothers with toddlers and passers-by. Kate played a jumping game with two little boys, Arthur, aged three, and his one-year-old brother Albie, who extravagantly jumped off the kerb as their mother Thea Botley, 25, watched.
Kate held Albie’s hand as he repeatedly jumped, and Ms Botley said afterwards: “He doesn’t really like people holding his hand so I was quite shocked when he took her hand.”
“He doesn’t always like to hold mine.”
“She was lovely, I didn’t expect her to be playing with my children.”
