Prince William sparked a sweet comparison to his wife, the Princess of Wales, during his trip to Saudi Arabia – with royal fans even claiming it proves they’re “made for the throne”.
During the final day of his trip on Wednesday, the Prince of Wales spent the morning at the stunning desert landscape of the Sharaan Nature Reserve in AlUla province. He learned about the work of the RCU’s habitat and restoration team, which planted 500,000 trees last year, and plans to plant ten million across the reserve in the next decade to help restore the local ecosystem.
The royal, 43, added one more to the tree population and refused to wear gloves for the planting, raking over the soil around an acacia sapling in a wadi – dry river bed – and said “I like to get my hands dirty.”
The genuine moment immediately sparked comparisons to his wife, Kate, who remained in the UK during William’s trip. Last year, the Princess of Wales planted the “Catherine’s Rose”, a flower named in her honour, during a visit to Colchester Hospital. Like William, she surprised onlookers when she refused to wear gloves, instead preferring to touch the soil directly.
© Alamy Stock PhotoReady for the throne
The Prince and Princess of Wales will one day be King and Queen – and, in the eyes of many, it’s a role they were “made for”. Reacting to William’s engagement, one royal fan wrote: “When your future King and Queen don’t mind getting their hands dirty – that’s how you know they were made for the throne.
Royal in stature, yet deeply human in the way they serve. Love them all the way – Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales.”
Another said: “My future King and Queen at work — not just speaking about change, but planting it.”One fan commented: “This is real tree planting”, while a fourth noted that both William and Kate, 44, had declined to wear gloves when offered: “If I remember the clip from Catherine’s planting she specifically asked if she had to wear gloves, she had even put them on, then took them off when told no she didn’t have to.”
The Princess has spoken openly about how much she appreciated nature throughout her cancer treatment, even saying it had been her family’s “sanctuary” and had helped her to “heal”.
© Getty ImagesA touching gift
On Thursday, it was revealed that Kate gifted a rose to a prison’s mother and baby unit in Chester, where it was planted in the garden to mark a year since her visit.
Action for Children, of which the Princess of Wales is patron, said the “Catherine’s Rose” was placed in its new home on Wednesday by a mother and child who met the royal at HMP Styal, a women’s prison in Cheshire, last February, and staff from the charity.
© RHSThe charity, which runs the mother and baby service, said the princess had discussed the prospect of the rose, which was then in development, being given as a gift for the outside space while she was touring the unit in 2025.
Amanda Taylor, operational director of children’s services at Action for Children, said: “We were delighted to plant ‘Catherine’s Rose’ at HMP Styal, one year on from the princess’ visit.
“The prison pond and gardens are of huge value to the mothers and babies here, providing children with space to enjoy nature and explore the outdoors, and this new addition will be treasured both by the families we support and staff alike. I would like to thank the Princess of Wales for her kind donation.”
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