Prince William just met a patient who gave Kate Middleton his seal of approval.
The Prince of Wales, 40, stepped out on Thursday to open the Oak Cancer Centre at the Royal Marsden, a new cancer research and treatment center. During the visit, William met a man who has been treated there and his wife.
The man didn’t hide his sense of humor, telling Prince William, “You’re a tall bugger, in’t you?” immediately after shaking his hand, as seen in a video shared by The Royal Family Channel.
“I have heels on,” William quipped in response.
As she spoke with the royal, the woman praised the U.K.’s National Health Service (NHS) for taking care of her husband for 10 years. He then chimed in, “See these people here? Ugly but they’re good,” prompting a laugh from Prince William.
The woman then praised the new facilities — but the man turned the conversation to the Princess of Wales. “And your wife’s not bad,” he said. “She’s a nice lady.”
Prince William laughed and said, “He’s a chatty one. The nurses have got their eye on you.”
This isn’t the first time that someone has told Prince William that they are a fan of Princess Kate, 41. While meeting well-wishers in 2020 during their visit to Ireland, Angela Moran told PEOPLE about her encounter with the royal.
“I said to him that I really admired him and Catherine, and he said, ‘Thank you very much,’ ” she said. “I said, ‘I love her,’ and he said, ‘I do too — nice of you to say so.’ ”
Nearly three years ago, the royal laid the foundation stone for the Oak Cancer Centre.
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In a speech, Prince William said he was “delighted” to be there “to celebrate the opening of a remarkable treatment and research facility, that will transform the lives of cancer patients.”
“The Oak Cancer Centre is a major milestone in both The Royal Marsden’s history and the future of early diagnosis,” he added. “I was delighted to launch the appeal for this facility eight years ago and lay the foundation stone in 2020, so I am incredibly proud to be standing here with you all today in this beautiful building.”
He said the center would deliver “truly integrated ‘bench to bedside’ studies that will speed up the development and translation of new personalized treatments — not just for Royal Marsden patients here but for cancer patients worldwide.”
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William’s team shared a message on social media along with photos from Thursday’s visit: “After many years of hard work by @royalmarsdenNHS and @royalmarsden it was brilliant to see the Oak Cancer Centre open its doors today. The new state of the art research and treatment facility will bring patients and researchers together under one roof to deliver the best possible care and outcomes for cancer patients not just at The Royal Marsden but around the world. Thank you to everyone who has been involved in making this incredible Centre a reality.”
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