Kate Middleton and Prince William were like kids let loose at an arcade in Barry Island during their recent royal engagement. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge took this trip to Wales to see how its tourism industry prepares to reopen to the public following months of lockdown.
Prince William and Kate Middleton played the claw machine at the arcade and almost walked away with a stuffed blue fish. Despite Kate's expert manoeuvring, the Duchess of Cambridge could not hold on to the toy but the owners of the arcade later gave them presents to give to their children, George, Charlotte and Louis.
Next, the royal pair hurled some balls on a target at another arcade game, Down the Clowns, but they also did not win anything. Prince William and Kate also played some slots but they also did serious work and talked to the business owners about their reopening plans.
A 59-year-old Barry Island local said that he chatted with Prince William about the Aston Villa football team. He, also, discussed the safety measures in his business with the Duke of Cambridge.
Prince William, also, humored some of the locals about Barry Island's famous TV association. He asked them what James Corden and Ruth Jones' connections were to this beautiful Wales town and someone promptly made references to the TV series Gavin and Stacy. The show starred Corden and Jones and filmed on the island.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were, also, directed to the new beach huts at the promenade. The project was apparently part of the redevelopment to boost the island's appeal. The royal couple said that their kids would have enjoyed Barry Island and the arcade if they were able to come along and there were no COVID-19 restrictions.
After the Barry Island visit, the Cambridge couple visited a Cardiff care home. The residents welcomed Prince William and Kate with enthusiasm, except for 87-year-old Joan Drew-Smith.
Drew-Smith remembered that Kate and Prince William played a game of online bingo with them during the lockdown in May. Prince William greeted her and asked if she remembered telling them they weren't good. The elderly lady once again told the royal that he did a "shi**y job" at bingo, which elicited a roar of laughter from Prince William. The duke said that he appreciated Drew-Smith's honesty.
One of the elderly residents also asked the Duke of Cambridge if Kate is his assistant. The duchess laughed and placed a hand on her husband's shoulder then said that she has been his assistant for a very long time.
These visits to Wales and Cardiff were the first joint engagements for Prince William and Kate since the coronavirus lockdown.
