Kate takes time out to greet young fan on factory visit
The royal convoy paused its journey to allow the Princess of Wales to meet three-year-old Lily-Rose Logan.
In a highly unusual move the Princess of Wales pulled over her convoy to stop and speak to a young child as she left an engagement in South Wales.
Kate visited the Welsh knitwear and sock manufacturer Corgi in Ammanford, Carmarthenshire to shine a light on British industry on Thursday afternoon.
Shortly after setting off, she stopped her car to speak to a young child who had called out to her.
The move is highly unusual, with royal convoys rarely stopping after they have left an engagement, and Kate must have felt a royal imperative to ask the driver to let her get out.
The young girl, named Lily-Rose Logan, aged three, had been calling out “hello princess” as the royal left the Corgi factory.
As the royal approached, the young girl handed Kate a yellow toy banana.
Addressing Lily-Rose, Kate said: “I heard you say ‘hello’ from all the way back there and I wanted to come and see you.”
Speaking to the PA news agency, Stacey Chorley, 39, Lily-Rose’s mum, said: “It was so exciting, we had no idea that was going to happen.
“I hope this is one of the things Lily-Rose will remember.
“Kate was so lovely, she’s very natural and down to earth.”
As Kate handed Lily-Rose back her banana the young girl threw it on the floor and the Princess of Wales had to bend down to retrieve it.
On her visit to the factory, Kate spent over an hour touring the factory and speaking with staff who gave her demonstrations of their work.
She was given the chance to try her hand at “linking”, the process of finishing the sock, before joking: “I’m sorry I was so terrible.”
But Huw Jones, the former owner of Corgi, which is now owned by children, said she had passed the test and “can start on Monday”.
Shauna Kinsey, 24, who showed Kate how to link the sock, described the royal as “lovely”.
“She tried to do a whole sock and said it’s fascinating how it’s all made.”
Corgi was founded in 1892 by the current co-owner’s great-great grandfather, who started by making socks for miners, and now sells products in 34 countries.
Speaking to PA, Chris Jones, 56, who owns the business with his sister Lisa Wood, said: “The visit has been fabulous.
“The princess said she wants to shine a light on manufacturing in the UK, so it’s really nice to get their support.
“And it’s lovely for the staff, the skills they have got, they don’t always get the recognition, so it’s really nice.
“We spoke about the industry, the challenges, but really she wanted to know how we made the products, and the skills involved.”
The firm, which has the Royal Warrant has made numerous items for the family, including for the King, with Mr Jones, saying Charles favoured a specially made longer sock.
As Kate left she was given a cream cashmere zip-up cardigan, and a navy cashmere wrap for her mother, whose birthday is on Friday.
She was handed the gifts by Cari Jones, 12, Mr Jones’s daughter.
