Prince William, recently, had an embarrassing encounter with someone named Betty. In a royal engagement without his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton beside him, the duke was left red-faced as he experienced a major blooper in public.
The Duke of Cambridge was at the University of Oxford's Robotics Institute last Thursday, Oct 3, when he was introduced to a mobile service robot named Betty. Unfortunately, Betty was experiencing technical difficulties while Prince William tried to handle her. When she wouldn't budge, Prince William laughed it off and remarked that the robot might be having a bad day.
Prince William also met another robot named Bamm Bamm, who, fortunately, functioned well. The robot displayed its fine motor skills by picking up a potted plant to deliver to the duke as a gift.
Bamm Bamm, however, moved all too well that Prince William joked he might just get run over by the enthusiastic machine. Fortunately, Bamm Bamm stopped at the precise moment and asked Prince William if he had the potted plant firmly in his grip so he could let it go.
Betty and Bamm Bamm have been named after characters from The Flinstones cartoon series. These robots were designed to work in various settings, from nuclear decontamination sites to supermarket stockrooms. The robots were programmed to adjust their behavior based on their setting, to which, Prince William enthusiastically said that he hopes to see Betty dancing one day.
Duchess Kate was, unfortunately, not with Prince William when he met the academics. By the weekend, the couple and their children -- Prince George and Princess Charlotte -- found time to watch a soccer match in Norwich.
The Cambridge family was photographed watching the game without the youngest member of the family, Prince Louis. A video of Prince George happily cheering for his team made its way online as his father and mother had huge smiles on their faces as well.
The family outing comes as Prince William and Duchess Kate are set to travel to Pakistan this weekend for a short official visit. The children will not be joining their parents for this royal trip.
Prior to their Pakistan trip, Prince William and Duchess Kate met with the Muslim spiritual leader Imam Aga Khan at King's Cross. According to witnesses, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge gently touched each other during their conversations in a rare public display of affection.
