Kate Middleton Asks 100-Year-Old Veteran the Secret to a Long Life — and Is Shocked by His Answer!
The Princess of Wales held hands and chatted with veteran Bill Redston after an Armistice Day ceremony
Kate Middleton is learning the secret to longevity — but it doesn’t sound easy.
The Princess of Wales, 43, marked Armistice Day on Tuesday, Nov. 11, by attending a Service of Remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum. After the ceremony, Kate had the chance to meet some veterans who served during World War II.
Princess Kate knelt down and held hands with 100-year-old veteran Bill Redston as they chatted. According to PA reporter Stephanie Wareham, she also took the opportunity to ask Redston about living a long life. The royal learned that he credited keeping fit — and was surprised to find out that he ran the London Marathon at age 65 and the New York City Marathon the following year!
Although she hasn’t completed any marathons, the Princess of Wales is an avid tennis player, cold water swimmer and pursuer of other athletic endeavors
The royal also met with veteran Geoffrey Spencer, who served in the Royal Air Force. According to a video shared by Wareham, Kate admitted to him that her 12-year-old son, Prince George, “knows more about aircraft than I do.”
During the ceremony, Princess Kate observed a moment of silence and laid a wreath with a handwritten note. “In Memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, we will remember them,” she wrote, signing the message, “Catherine.”
For the outing, the royal accessorized her black ensemble and matching hat with a poppy pin. Since 1921, the red flower has been used to commemorate military members who have died in wars. It is mostly associated with the U.K. and Commonwealth countries for Remembrance Day on Nov. 11, and the symbol is believed to have come from the World War I poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae
Members of the British royal family traditionally attend the Armistice Day at the National Memorial Arboretum each year, but this marks Princess Kate’s debut at the event. Although blood royal — a member of the royal family in the line of succession — usually attends the ceremony, Kate isn’t the first spouse to represent the family there. In addition to spouses occasionally joining their partners at the event, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh — the wife of Prince Edward — attended the event solo last year.
Princess Kate also joined the royal family at Remembrance Day events over the weekend. She attended the annual Festival of Remembrance at Royal Albert Hall on Saturday, and while Prince William was traveling back from his trip to Brazil, she was joined by Prince George in his debut at the annual event.
On Sunday, the royals attended the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph memorial in London. As King Charles, Prince William and Prince Edward laid wreaths during the ceremony, Princess Kate, Queen Camilla and Sophie watched on from a nearby balcony.
