A true royal! Kate Middleton and Prince William continued their royal tour in Australia with a visit on Thursday, April 17, to Winmalee, New South Wales, where they met with residents recovering from the devasting Blue Mountain bush fires that struck last October.
The Duchess of Cambridge, 32, welcomed the task with an open heart, connecting with one woman and her family in particular.
Donning her favorite Stuart Weitzman corkswoon wedges and a relaxed Diane von Furstenberg ‘Patrice’ wrap dress with an Ikat print, Middleton spoke with the Odell family, who lost their home in one of the fires at a time when their daughter was waiting for an operation for a life-threatening brain condition.
Mrs. Odell, 47, revealed: “They were just really personable and sincere in trying to understand our grief. They were very sweet and very warm. I totally respect that they took the time out to visit our street. It’s a very private thing, our land. It’s very hard having everyone looking at it. But for them to come all this way to say hello and ‘I’m sorry this happened to you’ — it means an awful lot. It did not seem like duty to them — it seemed like a pleasure.”
The couple also met with Winmalee Girl Guides, with whom they planted a summer red eucalyptus tree and posed for a photo. They laughed as the girls adorably shouted “princess” instead of “cheese” while taking the group pic.
Kate and William also visited Echo Point to take in stunning views of the region’s famous Three Sisters rock formation.
The Duke and Duchess will continue their tour with 8-month-old Prince George’s highly anticipated visit to Sydney’s zoo, where they will see bilbies, small marsupials found in the area.
During Prince William’s speech at the welcoming reception after the trio touched down in Australia yesterday, William joked: “I suspect George’s first word might be ‘bilby,’ only because ‘koala’ is harder to say.”
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