The Princess of Wales has impressed royal fans with her ability to walk on grass in high heels so 'effortlessly'. Catherine, 44, and Prince William hosted a royal garden party at Buckingham Palace last Friday on behalf of the King, supported by William's cousin, Zara Tindall, and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
The mother-of-three wore a pretty black and white hat with a matching Self Portrait dress and heels, a bracelet that belonged to Princess Diana and a pair of earrings belonging to the late Queen Elizabeth. But it was her elegant stride through the grass that left members of the public in awe after a video surfaced on social media showing the Princess strolling alongside William.
Fans took to social media to share their thoughts, with one writing: 'Walking on grass in stilettos is not for the weak… but Princess Catherine makes it look effortless.' A second said: 'It can be done but takes practice, Catherine is a master of it,' while a third added: 'She makes it look so easy.' 'I am always amazed! My daughter was married on a grass field; I barely got down the aisle, and the soil wasn't even squishy,' said another.
Some 8,000 guests - many from charities the couple supports and people they have met during their roles as working royals - enjoyed tea and cakes on the lawn of the King's London residence in brilliant sunshine. After standing for the National Anthem, the Waleses were reunited with Southport dance teacher Leanne Lucas, who shielded children during the July 2024 knife attack. Ms Lucas was critically injured in the attack in which three children, Alice da Silva Aguiar, Bebe King and Elsie Dot Stancombe lost their lives.
The couple met Ms Lucas last February during a visit to the town. Prince William told her: 'It takes a lot of courage to push forwards. You were so brave, you have got so much support.' Ms Lucas told the Princess: 'I was in such a dark place last time we met.' She said afterwards of their conversation: 'It was like meeting old friends again. We had such personal conversations last time we met. William wanted to keep an eye on my wellbeing, as well as chat about all the knife crime campaigning we're doing. We have a campaign called Let's Be Blunt looking at reducing knife harm. So he was really keen to know about what we're doing there, but then checking in on how I am, how Heidi is, the other teacher, and things like that. So it was a nice conversation.'
She added: 'Today is just magical. It's a once in a lifetime experience, so I'm really honoured to even be invited, let alone get to see them again. Last time I met (the Princess), I was quite down, so she just said she was so happy to see me full of energy and passion and enthusiasm again and it's so nice to see you back to the way that you should be and the way that you were before. It was nice.'
The Prince also caught up with Rhian Mannings, who welcomed him into her Cardiff home last year for an emotional conversation about the impact of suicide. In 2012, Ms Mannings suddenly lost the youngest of her three children, one-year-old George, to a hidden illness and then her husband, Paul, to suicide five days later. She first met Prince William in 2017 when they were recorded in conversation for a short film to mark World Mental Health Day. Ms Mannings told him that 'so many people reached out' to her after their most recent conversation was broadcast. The Prince apologised to her daughter for 'invading' her home, adding: 'It was a surprise for everyone I think.'
Their Royal Highnesses also met guests from a number of both their patronages, military affiliations and passion projects including William's Homewards campaign to end homelessness and tenants across Duchy of Cornwall sites. Also invited was Sam Stables, founder of We Are Farming Minds who works to break down the stigma surrounding mental health in the farming community. The Three Flying Fish - Rowan, Anna and Harry, a team of three young Air Cadets who became the youngest trio to tackle the 3,000-mile 'World's Toughest Row' in January, were also invited.
The Prince and Princess of Wales moved through the crowd greeting some of those in attendance - with William even pausing to kiss one blushing guest on the cheek. Elsewhere, the Princess spoke passionately about how much she enjoyed playing padel, although she admitted that tennis was her real love. Chatting to representatives from the Lawn Tennis Association, she asked: '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 told another guest: 'It's so sociable and all generations can play- I play with my parents.'
She also chatted to one lady about the family's one-year-old puppy Otto, revealing that 'unfortunately' he had 'chewed quite a lot the other day'. 'You have to keep them busy,' she said. 'The first thing we do in the morning is check 'has anyone taken Otto out?''
