UK
Prince William sings wife Kate’s praises on youth centre visit
The Prince of Wales has paid tribute to his wife’s creativity on a visit to a youth group in London.
“My wife is the arty one,” the heir to the throne said, as he decorated biscuits with a group of children at a centre in Shepherd’s Bush, west London.
The WEST centre, which stands for Where Everyone Sticks Together, was named by the youngsters who use the £12m facility, which officially opens in April.
The future King also played pool and basketball with the children and teenagers before joining a group working on a mental health project.
The Prince of Wales decorates biscuits during the visit. Pic: PA
The Prince of Wales during a visit to WEST. Pic: PA
He asked the teens: “How much time do you spend on your phone a day?” adding with a laugh, “We can all be honest about this.”
When one girl said she spends 15 a hours day on her phone, William, 41, replied: “That’s quite a lot – I bet you feel better coming here.”
The prince returned to the topic later as he took part in the biscuit decorating. “Grown-ups are guilty of it too,” he said. “We[‘ve] got to be better on our phones too… We spend ages on our phones.”
More from Sky News:
SpaceX rocket blasts off in most successful test launch yet
Air traffic chaos after engineers were working from home
William was keen to talk about mobile phone use during a mental health session. Pic: Frank Augstein/PA Wire
The Prince of Wales playing pool during the West London visit. Pic: Frank Augstein/PA Wire
His heartfelt comments about Kate come after she apologised “for any confusion” on Monday after an image of her and her three children was recalled by several major picture agencies over inconsistencies.
In a statement, Kate, 42, said: “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing.
“I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.
“I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother’s Day. C.”
The original image, which featured Kate surrounded by Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince Louis, was released to mark Mother’s Day and was taken by Prince William.
Agency Reuters issued a ‘kill’ notice for the image on Sunday night. Pic: Reuters
Kensington Palace has said it will not be issuing the original photo.
The controversy came amid speculation about Kate’s health, which has swirled online since she spent a brief period in hospital for a planned operation in January.
The Princess of Wales has not attended an official engagement since she joined other members of the Royal Family for a walk on Christmas Day though she was seen briefly on Monday, shortly after the statement was released.
Kate and William at the Christmas Day service with Charles and Camilla. Pic: AP Photo
Details of her condition have not been disclosed but Kensington Palace previously said it was not cancer-related and that Kate wished her personal medical information to remain private.
At the time of her operation, Sky News understood that Kate’s recuperation would likely take between two and three months.