The Princess of Wales has joined First Lady Melania Trump for a special outing in Frogmore Gardens in Windsor, where they met with Scouts taking part in nature activities
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Kate and Melania step out together for children’s event in Windsor
The Princess of Wales and Melania Trump swapped ball gowns for sandwiches as they hosted a group of Scout who received sandwiches made with honey from Kate’s beehive.
The princess and the US first lady joined 20 Squirrel Scouts today taking part in nature activities on the Windsor Castle estate to earn their Go Wild badges. The event came after a lavish state banquet at Windsor Castle last night for US President Donald Trump, making a second historic state visit to the UK.
Both women wore eye-catching gowns for the dinner but dressed down today as Kate organised a special packed lunch for the children, aged four to five, which contained sandwiches made with honey from Anmer Hall, her Norfolk home.
Mrs Trump also came bearing gifts: a jar of White House honey for each of the children from Lewisham, south London. The Queen is also a keen apiarist who keeps bees at Raymill, her six-bedroom retreat in Lacock, Wiltshire.
Both women arrived separately and met away from the cameras before walking down the gravel path into the picturesque gardens together, where the children – dressed in bright uniforms in honour of the red squirrel – had been excitedly busying away on their activities.
They were met by Dwayne Fields, the Chief Scout, who invited the ladies to take part in an activity making pictures of animals out of leaves they had. Kate sat on the floor and Melania, wearing trousers, a suede jacket and flat pumps, sat on a small plastic seat.
The princess chatted happily about the kind of things the children had been doing. “What are you doing? What are you drawing? Come and show me. Wow,” she said, as the children chatted excitedly away.
Dwayne invited the First Lady to sit down and asked for volunteers to help her. “This is the First Lady of the United States. Do you know that big country .. you are going to help Mrs Trump here with the leaves we found in the garden,” he said.
Melania was told that she could draw any animal she liked – and chose to draw a surprisingly good bear, helped by Mabel, five, who enjoyed the activity so much she even sat on her lap.
“Where do you want to put this? she asked her little helpers as they stuck down the leaves. ‘That is so beautiful, well done.” Next it was time to join two more groups of youngsters who were excitedly making ‘bug hotels’ out of boxes, sticks and straw.
Mabel was so keen on the First Lady that she held her hand and joined her, sitting on her lap again. Melania was asked what her favourite bug was. “A ladybug!” she smiled.
“The First Ladybug,” one of the youngsters joked. “What is your favourite?” She asked one of the other children. “A butterfly, yes beautiful,” she added, “I like butterflies, very cool.”
The children then asked the ladies to join them in a parachute game, taking side of a large piece of silk and flapping it, trying to get balls down a hole in the middle. Both laughed as the children excitedly ignored the command ‘gentle shakes’ and shook it wildly.
Afterwards the youngsters took seats on bales of hale covered with rugs in a semi circle to hand out their badges.
Dwayne said: “We have all earned a badge today, ‘go wild’ badges will be issued and it’s very special because the First Lady and the Princess are going to be handing them out.”
The children were asked to come up in threes, shake hands and take their badge from one of women. “Well done, congratulations,” the princess beamed.
Afterwards he asked for Pru Pybus, five, Ezekiel Alba-Leonce, six, to come up and gave them each a very special Squirrels badge, to give to each of the visitors to commemorate the day.
Pru handed hers to the Princess and Ezekiel to the First Lady. “Thank you very much,” the princess said. “Thank you,” Melania added.
Chatting to Dwayne before they left, the First Lady revealed she had also brought over a gift from the scouts in the US to give to their British counterparts, prompting the British chief scout to take off his neckerchief and give it to her as something to take home.
Praising the princess for her hands-on approach the role, he added: “Having someone with the profile of the Princess of Wales as joint president is incredible. Young people see it and it’s another demonstration of how we recognise the people involved.
“I think this is the greatest youth movement in the world. Scouting start right here is the UK and is something we have exported right round the world, even to America. The model is very similar, getting young people to come together and learn teamwork, a sense of community and build their own skills.
“Studies have shown that the sooner you start young people on this journey of non formal eduction, the better their life prospects become.”
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