Prince William and Princess Kate made an unannounced visit to Borough Market in London. Kate revealed she has cut back on alcohol since her cancer diagnosis. Kate was diagnosed with cancer in 2024 and is now in remission.
Prince William, the Duke of Cornwall, visited Cornwall on St Piran's Day, Thursday, March 5. William was visiting to celebrate St Piran's Day and support communities after Storm Goretti. Storm Goretti caused widespread damage in Cornwall in January.
The storm caused widespread devastation across Cornwall, including uprooted or broken trees. South West Water said 11,000 people were disconnected from the water supply after a large tree was uprooted. A man in his 50s was found dead in Helston after a tree fell on a caravan he was in during the storm. The storm also claimed the life of a resident in nearby Mawgan.
The Government's response was called into question when no national emergency was declared for Cornwall but was for East Grinstead in West Sussex. King Charles and Prince William were criticised for their silence and absence after the storm. Part of William's visit included discussions on lessons learned from the storm and ways to future-proof Cornish communities.
During his visit, William took a pasty order over the phone at Gear Farm Pasty Company in Helston. The customer was Josie Trounson. William misheard the customer's name as 'Juicy' instead of 'Josie'. William tried pasty-making and found it difficult.
Prince William visited Gear Farm Pasty Company, an award-winning family-run organic farm and bakery. During the storm, Gear Farm experienced prolonged power and water outages and was cut off by fallen trees. Thanks to a generator, the family were able to continue baking and supporting local residents without essential services. Prince William met members of the Webb family and local people who worked together to clear roads and check on neighbours.
Prince William toured the bakery to see pasty production and took part in pasty-making. Prince William planted a tree in a new woodland area on the farm. Prince William helped take orders over the phone at Gear Farm. Gear Farm has maintained its organic certification for more than three decades and sits on land with an 18-acre Iron Age hill fort. Prince William's visit included a stop at the farm's vegetable stall. Firefighters in Helston were amongst those to meet Prince William.
William visited Bournemouth to discuss homelessness initiatives as part of Homewards. William posed for selfies and chatted with fans in Bournemouth. William visited The Bourne Academy in Poole to discuss youth homelessness prevention.
During their Borough Market visit, Kate climbed a ladder in high heels at Southwark Brewing Company. William and Kate had a pint-pulling competition at the brewery. Kate recognized Humble Crumble founder Kim Innes from MasterChef UK. William and Kate served crumble and custard at Humble Crumble.
William and Kate visited Trethowan Brothers cheesemakers at Borough Market. William and Kate visited Change Please, a coffee stall supporting homelessness initiatives. Homewards funded Change Please for an employability programme in Northern Ireland. William and Kate drove a lifeboat down the River Thames with the RNLI. This RNLI engagement marked 15 years since their first royal engagement. William and Kate are undertaking engagements along the River Thames.
Kate did not accompany William to Cornwall. William declined a coffee from Kate because he no longer drinks coffee. William used to drink 2-3 cups of coffee a day but now prefers tea.
William and Kate welcomed Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Windsor.
The storm was followed by two more named storms, Ingrid and Chandra. Kensington Palace said the visit will provide an important moment to highlight community resilience and the hard work of those who responded during and after Storm Goretti, one of the most severe storms to impact the county in recent years.
This series of engagements underscores the royal couple's focus on community support and resilience in the face of natural disasters and social challenges. William's Cornwall visit, in particular, aimed to spotlight local recovery efforts after severe weather events.
The specific type of cancer Kate was diagnosed with and her current treatment status beyond remission have not been publicly disclosed. The exact reasons why no national emergency was declared for Cornwall after Storm Goretti, as alleged by some sources, remain unclear, as do the full details of the criticism against King Charles and Prince William for their silence and absence after the storm.
Whether William's visit to Cornwall included any formal announcements or funding commitments for storm recovery has not been confirmed. The specific outcomes or agreements from William's discussions on homelessness initiatives in Bournemouth and Poole are also unknown.