Their helicopter failed to land as a result of thick mist and low lying cloud on their flight into St Davids, but despite the delay, the Prince and Princess of Wales gave their all to the crowds who had gathered outside St Davids Cathedral.
As the couple finally stepped out of their Range Rover after having to first fly back to Haverfordwest airport and change vehicles -resulting in a 60-minute delay - the roars and cheers that were sent up by the crowd bore testimony to the fact tht they didn’t mind the wait.
“You’re doing a good job,” shouted one bystander to Prince William as he walked past with his wife, accompanied by the Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed, Sara Edwards, towards the West Door from which they entered the cathedral.
The Princess looked a picture of elegance in an immaculately tailored coatdress in wine red, with matching hat and court shoes.
Lining the entranceway to greet the Royals were civic dignitaries including the Lord Lieutenant of Dyfed, Sara Edwards, Stephen Crabb, (MP for Preseli Pembrokeshire), Meurig Evans who is the High Sheriff of Dyfed, the chairman of Pembrokeshire County Council, Cllr Thomas Baden Tudor, Paul Davies, MS, and Emma Evans, the mayor of St Davids.
Throughout his visit inside the cathedral, Prince William was accompanied by the dean of St Davids, the Very Reverend Dr Sarah Rowland Jones, LVO, OBE.
Today’s visit marked a particularly poignant occasion for both Prince William and Princess Kate as it fell on the first anniversary of the death of his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
During the private service, the Princess was handed a bouquet of fresh white roses and mixed foliage which, accompanied by the Prince, she laid before a photograph of The late Queen which had been placed near the alter.
After placing the flowers on the table, the couple stood in silence for a considerable length of time with their heads bowed in reverence.
The couple also spent some time at the tomb of Edmund Tudor, the father of King Henry VII, as well as the shrine to St Davids, the patron saint of Wales.
Following the service, the couple made their way into the cloisters garden where they were introduced to a number of people who have, or who continue to work tirelessly, for the community in and around St Davids.
These included Jasmine Joyce, who is a former St Davids schoolgirl but now an international rugby player, Dr Sarah Beynon of the Beynon Bug Farm, Canon’s Verger Morgan Davies, Emma O’ Sullivan, founder of the DPJ Foundation, and former Pembrokeshire newspaper reporter Christopher Taylor who now owns the St Davids Bookshop.
The Prince and Princess then made their way outside to greet the crowds of bystanders, and there didn’t appear to be a single person in the front row who didn’t get a handshake and a chat from the Royal couple.
“That said a lot about the kindness that that couple share,” commented the Archdeacon of Carmarthen, the Venerable Dorrien Davies who took part in this afternoon’s service.
Earlier that afternoon Dorrien Davies distributed water to the crowds of people who were sweltering under extremely high temperatures after the royal party had been delayed.
“They were an hour behind schedule, yet they still spoke, often at length, to the crowds of people who had waited, some for many hours, to see them.
“They gave their all, and it was a delight to welcome them to our cathedral but also to the beautiful city of St Davids.”
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