Kate Middleton went on a special unannounced trip to the Waterloo Station in London to look at the display of photos she picked for her photography contest, Hold Still. The Duchess of Cambridge was with Prince William who could not resist but swing by a nearby outlet of the fast-food chain KFC during their royal visit.
Reports cited that Kate Middleton and Prince William arrived at the South London station by car. The couple had face masks on but removed their face covering once they stepped outdoor.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stood on the street with Sami Massalami Mohammed Elmassalami Ayad, who worked as a Food Hub volunteer during the lockdown. Ayad is the subject of the photo, titled "Sami," which Grey Hutton took for the photography contest and is now on display at the station.
The royal pair was at the Waterloo Station for a few minutes as they admired and studied the images. Kate could also be seen chatting with her husband about the photographs.
The Cambridge pair then went to the St. Bartholomew's Hospital where Joyce Duah was waiting for the royal couple. Duah worked as an oncology pharmacist frontliner and submitted a photo of her colleagues, Amelia Chowdhury and Dipal Samuel. Duah titled the portrait as "All In This Together."
Kate and William wore their masks this time as they sat down for a short talk with the hospital's frontline staff. The royals were also observing social distancing.
There are 112 Hold Still images on exhibit at various towns and cities across the U.K. The Duchess of Cambridge's initiative aimed to highlight the stories of the people and their families at the height of the lockdown.
Kate launched the Hold Still exhibit in May with the help of the National Portrait Gallery. In September, Kate picked the best 100 entries out of the more than 31,000 submissions. She said she was overwhelmed by the positive response to her call to take photos. The Hold Still online gallery has since received nearly five million page views since its unveiling.
Meanwhile, as Kate Middleton and Prince William walked the South London streets with their protection officers and staff, the Duke of Cambridge's interest shifted from the images to a KFC restaurant. The royal apparently stopped to eye the customers who were buying and eating fried chicken. He also flashed a smile and waved at the people who were surprised to see the second in line to the throne in the flesh.
