Prince William today promised to ‘look after’ the Princess of Wales as he made his first public appearance since her cancer announcement one month ago.
The Prince of Wales, 41, gave a helping hand loading food and cooking in the kitchen at food distribution charity Surplus to Supper in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey.
Volunteer Rachel Candappa, 71, handed two get well soon cards to William, addressed to the King and Kate. The Prince, who looked visibly moved, told her: ‘Oh some cards, oh, you’re very kind. Thank you very much, that’s very kind of you.’
The Prince touched the shoulder of Ms Candappa after she handed over the cards and then quickly moved on the subject – pointing at some food, and saying: ‘You’ve got some spaghetti hoops? I’ve got children, I love spaghetti hoops.’ William was also seen chopping up celery sticks as he helped a chef prepare bolognaise sauce.
The Prince spoke to the volunteers as he returned to public duties for the first time since Kate revealed on March 22 that she was undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
One fan hoping to meet William outside told BBC News: ‘I’m here to pass on regards and best wishes.’ Another said they ‘just want to support his first engagement’ since Kate’s announcement. And a third praised his work as a ‘great thing he’s doing’.
The 41-year-old, who lives in nearby Windsor, later travelled in a van to a youth centre at Feltham in West London which benefits from Surplus to Supper’s deliveries.
William has spent the past three-and-a-half weeks with his wife and children for the Easter holidays, as the family took time away to process the Princess’s diagnosis.
The Prince last attended a public engagement at an event tackling homelessness in Sheffield on March 19 – three days before Kate’s cancer revelation.
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Prince William is given cards for his wife Kate and father King Charles by volunteer Rachel Candappa during a visit to Surplus to Supper in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, this afternoon
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Prince William makes bolognaise sauce at Surplus to Supper in Sunbury-on-Thames today
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William sits in a delivery van during a visit to Surplus to Supper in Sunbury-on-Thames today
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The Prince delivers supplies to the Hanworth Centre Hub in Feltham, West London, today
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Prince William cuts celery today during a visit to Surplus to Supper in Sunbury-on-Thames
Prince William helps out food charity during visit in Surrey
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The Prince of Wales during a visit to the Hanworth Centre Hub youth centre in Feltham today
When Ms Candappa told William to look after Kate, he placed his left hand on her shoulder and promised ‘I will’.
Speaking afterwards, Ms Candappa, of Sunbury-on-Thames, said: ‘I said take care of her and he said ‘I will’.
‘I was at home at 8.30 last night and I thought I had to do something. This is a chance to give a card directly to the palace officials. I didn’t think I’d be able to give the cards to William. I said: ‘Can I shake your hand?’. I loved it, he was very down to earth.
‘I’m never washing my hand again. He pointed at the food and said ‘that’s spaghetti hoops’ and I asked ‘how do you know about spaghetti hoops’ and he said ‘I’ve got children’.
When William arrived at the site, which is based at Sunbury Cricket Club, he told his hosts that his son Prince Louis ‘loves’ cricket while being introduced to them.
Inside, the Prince witnessed volunteers sorting out goodies including soaps, hand wash and make-up and was surprised to see a rose collagen mist spray.
He told host Claire Hopkins, operations director of Surplus to Supper, he was surprised ‘how much we throw away’ as he witnessed all goodies being reused.
The Prince also helped out in the kitchen with chef Mario Colfait who was making bolognese, sausage casserole and chilli con carne.
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Prince William watches as toiletries are packed during a visit to Surplus to Supper today
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Prince William helps to loads trays of food into vans in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, today
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Some of the bags that the Prince of Wales delivered from Surplus to Supper in Feltham today
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Prince William makes bolognaise sauce at Surplus to Supper in Sunbury-on-Thames today
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William sits in a delivery van during a visit to Surplus to Supper in Sunbury-on-Thames today
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Prince William carries food with Surplus to Supper operations director Claire Hopkins today
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Prince William arrives for a visit to Surplus to Supper in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, today
Prince William rides in a van with Surplus To Supper
He pulled on an apron and called out: ‘It smells good in here, Mario.’
William was then handed a massive knife and asked to slice celery for the pot in the kitchen, which cooks ‘culturally-appropriate’ food that is then delivered to families in the area.
William joked he was worried about slicing his off fingers. He said: ‘It’s the biggest knife, hope for the best. I don’t want to mess up everyone’s lunch. I hope I haven’t ruined your lunch, but you can blame me.’
Watching volunteers pack up food for the needy, he said: ‘It’s amazing the amount of food and variety.’
Speaking about his cooking skills, William told volunteers: ‘Mario took one look at my chopping and said ‘move on’.
‘I’m never normally trusted with a knife I’d cut my finger off. You all do a fantastic job and all this food is making my tummy rumble.’
The Prince had privately given the charity a box of unused food pilfered from the kitchen cupboards at Adelaide Cottage.
William and Kate donated a crate of pasta, potatoes and tinned soup.
Prince William resumes official duties after Kate’s cancer diagnosis
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The Prince delivers supplies to the Hanworth Centre Hub in Feltham, West London, today
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Prince William meets workers during a visit to Surplus to Supper in Sunbury-on-Thames today
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Prince William helps to loads trays of food into vans in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, today
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Prince William is shown items by Surplus to Supper operations director Claire Hopkins today
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William sits in a delivery van during a visit to Surplus to Supper in Sunbury-on-Thames today
The food, which he gave as a gesture of support to the charity, is set to be delivered to the Hampton Hub which has a food bank.
Today, William mingled with volunteers who described how they sort through food and non-perishable items before they are packed up and sent off in the back of a delivery van.
He also loaded food on the back of a van and jumped in the passenger seat to help out with a local delivery.
Afterwards, Ms Candappa said she only finished writing her get well soon cards at 1am this morning.
She also revealed the text she had written inside the card said: ‘Nation’s hearts were broken when you very courageously went on the global stage on your own to talk about your personal health issues.
‘With no trimmings or flowering around issues, you gave the chance just few chosen words to assure anyone who cares to listen that you will fight this dreadful ‘C’ disease. You must have had a lot of steel in you to hold it together.
‘Your Royal Highness you are going to beat this with the support of your dutiful and loving husband, caring parents and very close siblings.
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William talks to van drivers during a visit to Surplus to Supper in Sunbury-on-Thames today
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Prince William cuts celery today during a visit to Surplus to Supper in Sunbury-on-Thames
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The Prince delivers supplies to the Hanworth Centre Hub in Feltham, West London, today
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The Prince of Wales visits the surplus food redistribution charity in Surrey this afternoon
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Prince William makes bolognaise sauce at Surplus to Supper in Sunbury-on-Thames today
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Prince William meets workers during a visit to Surplus to Supper in Sunbury-on-Thames today
‘It’s no miracle not only His Majesty the King but the whole world is proud how you are focusing on to keep healthy and protect your children through this difficult times.
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‘You have not stepped a foot wrong to date and don’t let anyone say otherwise. The whole nation will be behind you.’
Surplus to Supper redistributes three tonnes of surplus food a day to hundreds of food banks, charities and community groups.
The charity delivers surplus food to homes in a five-mile radius including frozen meals to care homes.
The Prince’s visit today was designed to shine a spotlight on organisations delivering impact in their communities- focusing on reducing food waste and food poverty.
Surplus to Supper is a volunteer-led charity which redistributes surplus food from large organisations to smaller community organisations, all within a five-mile radius.
With an ethos of ‘in bellies not bins’, the charity’s work chimes with William’s work on The Earthshot Prize which has a category focused on building a waste-free world.
Surplus to Supper operates seven days a week redistributing more than three tonnes of surplus food a day with its network of 200 local volunteers – including Duke of Edinburgh Award students.
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Prince William cuts celery today during a visit to Surplus to Supper in Sunbury-on-Thames
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Prince William makes bolognaise sauce at Surplus to Supper in Sunbury-on-Thames today
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Prince William helps sort out food for distribution during a visit to Surplus to Supper today
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Prince William makes bolognaise sauce at Surplus to Supper in Sunbury-on-Thames today
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Prince William is greeted as he arrives at Sunbury Cricket Club in Surrey for a royal visit today
The Prince helped volunteers sorting and repacking orders, as well as in the kitchen where the charity prepares 25,000 meals a year which are then distributed to those in need.
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William then travelled in one of the Surplus to Supper vans and make a delivery to one of their recipients – The Hanworth Centre Hub – a youth club in Feltham.
He helped unload the van before speaking to staff and young people about their work to support young people in the area and the difference the deliveries from Surplus to Supper makes.
A team of 200 volunteers collect food from shops, restaurants, wholesalers and manufacturers, which would otherwise go to landfill.
This month the charity will hit a landmark three million meals that would have gone in the bin.
The charity also prepares and freezes its own 25,000 meals a year handed to those in need.
BBC royal correspondent Jonny Dymond said: ‘No word from the Prince about his wife’s condition in this, his first engagement since Kate made her video statement.
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Prince William cuts celery today during a visit to Surplus to Supper in Sunbury-on-Thames
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William arrives today at Sunbury Cricket Club in Surrey, headquarters of Surplus to Supper
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William speaks during a visit to surplus food distribution charity Surplus to Supper today
‘Her condition was on the minds of many who waited outside for his arrival and departure – and inside he was handed ‘get well’ cards for his wife and for the King.
‘But he left without drawing back the curtain on how his wife’s treatment is going.’
Founded in 2017, Surplus to Supper sources and distributes an average of 10 tons of food per week to food banks, schools, care homes, religious organisations and youth centres.
William began the day by attending Sunbury Cricket Club, the charity’s headquarters, to meet volunteers who aim to bridge the gap between food waste and food poverty across Surrey and London.
The Prince then joined volunteers in a van as they drove the ten-minute journey to the Hanworth Centre Hub in Feltham, which gets deliveries from Supper to Supper three times each week.
The organisation then serves these to young people – many of whom have faced adversity – attending sessions which aim to help them to build confidence and learn skills.
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April 11 — Prince William and Prince George watch Aston Villa v Lille at Villa Park last Thursday
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March 22 — Kate reveals in a video that she is undergoing preventative chemotherapy
‘I have cancer’: Emotional Kate delivers a brave message of hope
Staff and volunteers run various projects, including a mental health drop-in session for 16 to 24-year-olds.
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The hub also aims to help young who ‘face challenges within mainstream education’, according to Kensington Palace, as well as ‘sessions for younger children to help keep them safe and learn new skills’.
The centre is based in the same building as a family-run mixed martial arts club, and attendees can also access the club’s training area.
During his visit, William assisted in sorting a delivery from Surplus to Supper before meeting staff and volunteers to hear about the impact the food has on the services they are able to provide.
Surplus to Supper also delivers larger food packages to local families.
A Kensington Palace spokesman said: ‘Reducing food waste has a considerable number of environmental benefits, including reducing emissions from landfill that contribute to climate change.
‘Protecting the environment for future generations is one of The Prince of Wales’s key priorities and in 2020 he launched The Earthshot Prize, a global environmental prize and platform to discover, award, celebrate and scale ground-breaking solutions to repair and regenerate the planet.
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March 19 — Prince William on a visit to Sheffield, which was his last public royal appearance
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March 11 — William and Kate are seen leaving Windsor together as they are driven in a car
‘In 2021, The City of Milan won an Earthshot Prize in the ‘Build a Waste-Free World’ category for its innovative Food Hubs that collect excess food and distribute it to the communities who need it.’
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Kensington Palace previously said that William would resume public engagements after the school holidays, on a reduced timetable as he continues to support Kate through her treatment.
It comes after William and his son Prince George attended an Aston Villa match together last Thursday in their first public outing since Kate’s cancer announcement.
The Prince was seen smiling and applauding in the Villa Park stands during the club’s 2-1 win against Lille in the first leg of the Europa Conference League quarter-final.
William also posted a message congratulating the Lionesses’ Rachel Daly on her retirement on the Prince and Princess of Wales social media accounts last week.
Yesterday, William expressed his support for families bereaved by suicide in the armed forces community, telling them: ‘Please know that you are not alone’.
The heir to the throne wrote a foreword for a series of guides for military veterans and their loved ones published by Suicide Bereavement UK.
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March 10 — A Mother’s Day photo of Kate with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, which was released by Kensington Palace. Kate later apologised for editing the image
The prince described how he and Kate had met many bereaved families over the years and understood the ‘power that comes from sharing experiences’.
READ MORE Scouts CEO praises ‘charming’ Princess of Wales’ ability to ‘put people at ease’ and reveals ‘what you see is what you get with Kate’
On March 22, the Princess of Wales, 42, revealed she is undergoing treatment for cancer in an emotional video message.
She, the Prince of Wales and their three children, all missed the Easter Sunday service at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, following the announcement, despite attending last year.
The family spent the Easter holiday together as they adjusted to Kate’s diagnosis, which was discovered in post-operative tests after major abdominal surgery.
In the message revealing the diagnosis last month, Kate said: ‘This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. As you can imagine, this has taken time.
‘It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment.
‘But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be OK.’
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December 25, 2023 — Kate was last seen at a royal event attending church at Sandringham
Since revealing the diagnosis, the Prince and Princess of Wales are said to be ‘enormously touched’ and ‘extremely moved’ by the public’s warmth and support.
The King, who has been carrying out low-key official duties behind palace walls, made his most significant public appearance at the Easter Sunday service since his own cancer diagnosis was announced at the start of February.
He was described by the palace as being ‘so proud’ of the princess for her courage in speaking out and is said to be in ‘the closest contact with his beloved daughter-in-law’.
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