The Princess of Wales is never more in her element than when she is around kids—either her own three, or others she runs into at different royal engagements. If you haven’t seen this exchange between Kate and a little boy at Wimbledon—you’re missing out. The Daily Mail calls Kate “the children’s princess,” and for good reason. “In this heartwarming moment, Kate proved exactly why she’s affectionately nicknamed with the title,” the outlet writes.
Last week, Kate was adorably greeted by a young fan, and, as cute as the little one was, Kate was just as sweet. In a clip posted to Instagram—and captioned “The most beautiful princess”—Kate walks past a little boy who, hoping to capture her attention, softly shouts “Hi Princess!” Kate immediately stops and waves before walking over to him.
“What’s your name?” she asks the boy, who suddenly turns shy. Kate adds “Have you had a fun day?” She then puts her attention on his toy that he holds in his hands, asking him “What’s this? Very cool. I like that.”
Kate—who bent down so she was at eye-level with the boy—smiles and adds “Nice to meet you” before leaving.
Kate has been patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club since 2016, and Wimbledon is a staple in her diary annually because of it (and because she is an avid fan of the sport, and sports in general). Fun fact: For this outing to Wimbledon, Kate wore a Balmain blazer—the first time she has worn the label, despite being a fashion house heavily favored by the rich and stylish.
Per The Independent, the young fan’s name is Marcelito Avévalo, and he is three years old. When Kate stopped to talk to Marcelito and his mother, they were at the daycare facility where Marcelito’s mother—herself a former tennis coach—was picking him up. Kate could have just waved and walked by—but her interaction with the little boy shows why she is, indeed, “the children’s princess,” never happier than when she is with youngsters.