Saturday 20 September 2014

The day I met Prince William


Prince William in Malta on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of Independence

The Duke of Cambridge is representing the Queen at official celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of Malta's independence from the UK.  The Prince's visit was only confirmed two days ago since this was expected to be Kate’s first solo trip abroad, but she had to cancel following the announcement that she is pregnant with their second child and is suffering from severe morning sickness.  
Upon arrival, the Duke of Cambridge immediately travelled to San Anton Palace to call on President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca.  When asked about Catherine, William replied the Duchess is 'doing so-so, a bit up and down at the moment'.  Afterwards, he met the Prime Minister Joseph Muscat at the Auberge de Castille.


At around half four in the afternoon, we gathered at St. George’s Square in Valletta, eagerly awaiting the Prince's arrival.  Many amongst us were British tourists and photo journalists. I guess most Maltese were keen on having Kate rather than William, but I still didn't want to miss this for the world.  After all, he is the one who's second in line to the British throne and the son of the late Lady Diana.  Being a Royal follower, especially of the Cambridges, I thought this was a rare occasion where one can get to see him at such close proximity. 

Accompanied by Kate's private secretary Rebecca Deacon and adviser Sir David Manning, William finally arrived at the Square.  Dr Muscat showed the Prince the plaque commemorating King George VI's decision to award the George Cross to Malta. He then viewed an In Guardia Parade, a re-enactment showing military drills of the Knights of St John. 



The Prince then proceeded to the National Library, where he was shown historical documents, including the award of the George Cross by King George VI and the documents which his grandfather, Prince Philip presented to Prime Minister Gorg Borg Olivier just a few hours after Independence in 1964.  A large crowd was still waiting outside and we joined in. On the way to his car William stopped to chat and shake hands with the public. I was frantically taking photos and couldn't contain my excitement when he walked over to our side to greet us too. I'm so glad I was one of the lucky few to get up-close and shake hands with the Duke of Cambridge.   

Trying to hold the camera high and taking photos with one hand whilst shaking hands with the Prince with the other :)


William promised he will visit Malta again with his family, so hopefully, I'll get to meet Catherine, 'cheeks' (Prince George) and the future little baby prince or princess too someday.

Have you ever met any Royals?

 

10 comments:

  1. Love your pictures! I'm a Duchess Kate blogger fan and got your blog site from that. Looks like you had a wonderful day!

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    1. Hi Sarah thanks! Yes it was an exciting day indeed :)

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  2. Dear Ruth, I've hopped over from HRHDuchessKate and WOW! I can't believe how close you were - you must really have had a great time. Well done for managing to take photos AND shake hands!

    We had tickets for Trooping The Colour this year which was great - I wanted to see HMQ and we saw her quite well but not so great for the others...but I have had lunch with Prince Andrew many moons ago at Chester Zoo.

    Thanks for sharing your wonderful account - do you live in Malta? I hope you're front and centre for the next visit - superb photography!

    PPx

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  3. Hi Penelope thanks for visiting my blog. Yes I'm Maltese & live here. Many British tourists said that they had a better chance seeing the Prince here than they do in the UK!!

    Bet it was nice having lunch with Andrew as well :)

    I sure hope I'll be able to get so close again should they visit again someday, especially if it's Kate. I adore her!! As for the photography, thanks, I did the best I could to see him and take some good shots too!!

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  4. Wonderful photos! Conveys the excitement and exuberance better than the professional photos I've seen. I knew next to nothing about Malta so this visit prompted me to do some googling. Such a colorful and strategic history for a small island! Happy for you and for Prince William that the event came off so well!

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    1. Oh! Thanks!! Well, these photos are from a true fan's point of view, sort of, not just pictures taken by a professional photo journalist for the occasion. So yes, they might be able to show the atmosphere better, even though the photographs may not be of a great quality.

      Good to hear that you learnt something more about Malta because of this Royal visit. Malta is a little tiny island in the heart of the Mediterranean, sometimes unheard of, but we have a great history and such occasions as this, make good publicity as well :) At the moment there's even Brad and Angelina shooting a movie on our sister island Gozo.

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  5. What a great story. And something you'll tell your kids one day too. The photos turned out great!

    I've never met the Royals but I did meet Tony Blair on a tiny little plane we shared with him and his family in the middle of Africa. Really random, but amazing.

    Have a great week!

    V
    Life+1

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    1. Haha! I was just reading your post about meeting Tony Blair. It's funny really. Well, don't feel that bad, I guess I wouldn't recognize him either if I just met him somewhere randomly. I think most of us wouldn't recognize most celebrities/VIPs if we're not expecting them anyway.

      Yes it would be a great little story to tell my future kids one day hopefully, when William is King.

      Thanks for visiting & have a nice week too!

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  6. Prince George's little cheeks just melt my heart! x

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