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The Duchess of Cambridge eventually met a pensioner whom she had spoken to on the phone while secretly volunteering through a registration and chat plan.
Kate He met 85-year-old full-time caretaker Len Gardner and was introduced to his delightful wife Shirley, when she and the Duke of Cambridge stopped in Batley on their three-day tour of the country on a royal train.
Children and retirees must have wondered what was going on when dozens of police officers showed up at their cul-de-sac in the West Yorkshire town.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met 85-year-old Len Gardner and his wife Shirley. Image: Instagram / KensingtonRoyal
It was all revealed when a car pulled up with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge inside.
The Duchess first called Mr Gardner in May through the NHS voluntary response chat and registration program aimed at making sure older people didn’t feel lonely.
Letters were written and she even sent him a pasta machine after he said he liked to cook.
Accompanied by the marching band, William and Kate walked to Mr. Gardner’s house, where he helped his wife, who has dementia, out.
Both couples chatted and even danced a bit while the band played.
After the couple left, and before heading out for a celebratory cup of tea, Mr. Gardner told Sky News about his lockdown conversations with Kate.
“It was like talking to you,” he said. “Just a normal chat after the first sentence, which was ‘how do I address you?’, Because I like to do things right. She said ‘just call me Catherine.’
He said the couple seemed “very interested in people and that’s a very good thing, especially with the virus right now.”
“Coming to a place like this and talking to people like us is wonderful.”
The Duke and Duchess also visited the Batley Community Center in West Yorkshire
And it looks like Mr. Gardner and Kate will keep in touch.
He said, “They are such busy people, but I just said ‘would it be okay if I wrote you again, if I write you a line once in a while?’ and she said ‘I would love it very much because I am delighted to read your letters.’
William and Kate’s train ride It aims to shed light on all those little acts of kindness that have taken place across the country during the coronavirus pandemic.
The couple departed from London Euston Sunday night for the 1,250-mile tour of the UK.
It’s a series of visits to celebrate some of the good that has come out of a terrible year for many, with surprises that they hope will make people smile, just like Mr. Gardner.
