Hannah FurnessRoyal Editor, in Mull
Moments after they arrived on the Isle of Mull, the Prince and Princess of Wales tried to confide to locals that they had, in fact, visited privately more than 20 years ago when they were students, young, and in love.
“We’ve been here before, we remember it so well…” Prince William began, with the air of sharing a fond secret as the now-married couple returned to the island to celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary.
“We know,” the locals replied.
One recalls standing behind him in Co-op; another still has the photographs she sent to her friends at the time. At least one neighbour living near the rented cottages they stayed in back then bounced on a trampoline to catch a glimpse.
The Princess said she remembered walking up to a waterfall and buying two paintings from the local art gallery that still hang on either side of their bed in Norfolk. The Prince conceded that he probably signed a guest book, but “might have had one or two ciders”.
The 2003 trip, which saw Prince William and the then Kate Middleton stay for a low-key weekend with friends when they were students, has been kept under wraps ever since by loyal locals, who are used to royal visitors: the late Queen and Prince Philip came, and Princess Anne is a regular when she sails around the islands off the west coast of Scotland.
On Tuesday, they returned to Tobermory as Prince and Princess of Wales - known officially in Scotland as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay and in Mull as Lord and Lady of the Isles.
Quick to laugh and tease each other, more tactile than usual, and with time to spare for every well-wisher who wanted to meet them, the couple looked as carefree and happy as any other emerging from a frightening period in their personal lives to take a moment of peace for themselves.
While their public engagements are usually tightly controlled, often with security barriers to keep crowds safe, here they walked the harbour-front street freely with curious locals and holidaymakers milling around them and popping into the shops.
The Prince and Princess are visiting Mull and neighbouring Iona for two days, leaving Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis at home for an overnight working trip for the first time since the Princess’ cancer diagnosis.
‘What can’t she do?’
On Tuesday, they arrived by helicopter with the announcement of funding from their Royal Foundation for refurbishing a local community hall and a new soft play area for young children, which endeared them to residents immediately.
From there, they were invited to get stuck in and lend a hand.
Throughout the afternoon, the Prince and Princess were given a paintbrush and a nail gun to help with the Aros community hall refurbishment, and asked to cook haggis on a barbecue.
The Princess revealed that she received a chainsaw as a gift for Christmas for her garden projects and has started keeping bees.
Prince William teased his wife about not pulling the nail gun trigger too early while adding wooden tiles to a small roof to go over a community foodbank fridge “otherwise our trip will be remembered for all the wrong reasons”.
When someone admired her prowess with the tool in front of the cameras (“what can’t she do?”), he gave a theatrical sigh and admitted proudly: “That always happens.”
The Princess, in turn, compelled him to join her painting a flower on a mural against his better judgement (she is the artistic one, he says; she told him “come on…please, please?”), and congratulated him with a rub on the back with her head leaning in to his shoulder.
Outside, as they walked the main seafront street of Tobermory - the picturesque harbour town best known for its colourful houses and as the setting for the children’s television show Balamory - they stopped for handshakes and photographs.
The Princess had a deep conversation with James Thornton, who is on holiday with his family and introduced himself as “one cancer survivor to another”.
“I told her ‘well done, girl’,” he said afterwards, adding that they had talked about “how difficult it all was for us and for our families”.
Bikers, local chefs, teenage girls and tourists gathered around them eager for a word, with the Prince and Princess asking them about their time on the island.
When one little girl, aged around six, shyly told Prince William she would rather give her flowers to his wife, he ushered her encouragingly across the road so she could show Princess Catherine her party dress.
They were handed bags of soap, chocolate and chutneys from local businesses, sampling spirits made from whey and asking for advice on the Princess’ new hobby of beekeeping.
“This is my summer project,” the Princess told beekeeper Sheila Barnard at a pop up market, asking which candle moulds were best for a beginner to use up the wax.
As she asked “what sort of advice would you have for a novice, I’m desperate for any tips”, Prince William leaned in and joked: “This sounds like a conversation that could go on for a while so you’ll have to take Sheila’s number.”
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis got numerous mentions. They “spent a lot of time hanging out at soft play,” said the Princess, who admitted to one young mother that she wished she had a similarly friendly local facility when George was a baby.
Later, at Croft 3 - a sustainable farm and restaurant - the Waleses disclosed that they took the children lambing during lockdown: “A good experience.”
They were both fascinated to see a photograph of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visiting in 1956, with locals of a certain age remembering it clearly.
“You’re not really old enough to remember that?” William told a delighted elderly volunteer with a wink. “Island life suits you, Mary.”
As per royal custom, they sampled local food and drink, with William pronouncing a whisky “punchy…it has quite a hit to it” and Catherine sipping the “really good” rhubarb.
The couple, who have been dealing with the Princess’ cancer diagnosis and return to health for the last year, gave a glimpse at their future ambitions: Prince William said they want to “spotlight” volunteers and community leaders around the country who are the “glue” holding everything together.
As the Prince was handed a bouquet of flowers and the Princess given a homemade card featuring the handprints of children - “I remember when my kids had hands like that,” she said - they laughed as William took it upon himself to swap the gifts, saying “I feel more comfortable holding the card”.
The couple often called one another over to see things or meet people, wandering across the street in relaxed fashion as staff accepted that they may not keep them to the scheduled time.
Locals remarked on how nice it was to see them happy and together.
As dusk fell, the Prince and Princess stepped away from public duties and returned to their self-catered cottage on the island to celebrate the remaining hours of their 14th wedding anniversary privately.
They stopped, en route, for a short walk up a grassy hill to take in the views over the water.
Two decades since their last visit, with a royal wedding, three children and serious illness in between, they stood with their arms around each other and heads together, taking in the momentary peace and quiet.
