Who needs a tiara anyway? Duchess Kate became a Cub Scout for a day when she visited a group of 24 boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 10 on Wednesday, December 14. The Duchess of Cambridge, 34, joined the children in honor of the British organization’s 100th anniversary.
Wearing a Cubs’ scarf, khaki Zara jeans and suede tasseled Really Wild boots, Middleton — who previously worked as a volunteer with a Cub Scout pack when she and husband Prince William lived in Anglesey from 2011 to 2013 — kick-started the evening’s activities by leading the children in some parachute games before helping with other activities, such as learning first-aid skills and cake decorating.
Alex Peace-Gadsby, the Scout Association’s Chief Commissioner for England, gave a warm welcome to the royal. “We’re thrilled that the Duchess has been able to join us as we celebrate the Cubs’ 100th birthday,” he said at the event. “We have hundreds of events planned across the United Kingdom, with a chance for each and every one of our 150,000 Cubs to take part.”
The Royal was then shown around the Cub Scouts’ North Wootton facilities by leader Hazel Coley, who became a volunteer four years ago. “Meeting the Duchess has been the best birthday present this Cub Scout Pack could have possibly imagined. It’s an evening that they will never forget, and the most exciting thing that has happened to me in all my time as a volunteer,” Coley said after spending time with Prince George and Princess Charlotte’s mum. “The Duchess helped our Cub Scouts learn valuable skills for life and in reality that’s what Scouting is all about, adults and young people alike having fun, enjoying new adventures and learning new skills.”
The official birthday of the Cub Scouts is December 16, when thousands of Cubs across the country will be renewing their Cub Scout Promise. Promise renewal ceremonies will take place at a number of famous landmarks including the Natural History Museum, Edinburgh Castle, HMS Belfast, the Spinnaker Tower and the Angel of the North. Today, there are more than 150,000 Cub Scouts in the U.K., and almost a quarter are female, 25 years after girls were first welcomed into the Scout Movement.
