The Prince of Wales and his family have a personal tie to the Isles of Scilly
Like many doting parents, Prince William brought home something special for his kids from a work trip.
On May 10, the Prince of Wales, 41, popped into the On the Quay cafe during his visit to St. Mary’s Harbor on the Isles of Scilly, where he eagerly eyed the pastries and bought five — which would be the ideal number for his family. Prince William and Kate Middleton are parents to Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, and the Daily Mail reported that the royal dad suggested that he was taking home the Cornish pasties for his family.
“What’s selling quickest this morning?” William asked staff at the counter before he made the purchase. Informed that the Cornish pasties, a beef and vegetable-filled savory pastry, were a hot seller, he replied, “They smell delicious. Makes your mouth water.”
In the same exchange, the Prince of Wales talked about the sunny weather and revealed that he went for a swim.
“I was saying to the others, I can’t believe the islands today when you’ve got weather like this, it’s just beautiful. I got in the sea yesterday which was good — I wore a wetsuit,” he said, the Daily Mail reported. William is known to sneak in exercise during work trips, revealing that he secretly went for a run in Central Park before the Earthshot Prize Summit in New York City in September 2023.
Prince William’s children were top of mind elsewhere during his visit to the Isles of Scilly, which was highlighted by time at St. Mary’s Harbor to meet locals and business owners before the summer season and a visit to St. Mary’s Community Hospital.
While briefly speaking with well-wishers at the harbor, which serves as the maritime gateway to the Isles of Scilly, William said he wished he could stay there longer but had to get home for his family.
“My family are very upset I’m here without them,” he laughed, the Mail reported. “The children will kill me if I don’t go home later.”
The islands off the Cornish coast are a special place for Prince William and his family, as the Prince of Wales and his wife Princess Kate, 42, are known to vacation there during the summer months with Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. William has long visited the islands off the southwest tip of England and vacationed there as a boy with Princess Diana, King Charles and Prince Harry.
Prince William’s two-day visit to the southwest of England began in Newquay on May 9, where he visited the site of the Duchy of Cornwall’s innovative housing project aimed at addressing homelessness, a key issue of his royal platform.
The two days away marked his first overnight trip since Princess Kate announced her cancer diagnosis on March 22, prompting her husband to postpone public-facing duties for a few weeks to be there for her and their children during George, Charlotte and Louis’ half-term break from school.
The Princess of Wales remains out of the public eye while receiving treatment, but a close source tells PEOPLE there’s a palpable sense of “positive vibes” and an “optimistic mood.”
