Kate and William donate £5,000 to Welsh flood victims

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have donated £5,000 to the flood victims in the town of Rhyl in North Wales, which was left devastated by storms in December.

Andrew Rutherford, the mayor of Rhyl, revealed on Facebook that the royal couple had made the donation to the town's flood appeal. Source: PA.

A Clarence House spokesman confirmed that the pair, who lived on the Welsh island of Anglesey when they were first married, had made a private donation but declined to comment on the amount.

Mr Rutherford wrote: "The Rhyl Flood Appeal has received an unexpected donation of £5,000 from Their Royal Highnesses, Prince William and Princess Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge."

He said a letter sent on behalf of the royals read: "The Duke and Duchess realise that it is a long, slow and painful process for the many people displaced from their homes and as a token of their support, and to show the people of Rhyl that they are in their thoughts, Their Royal Highnesses would like to make a personal donation to your Rhyl Town Mayor's Flood Appeal."

The mayor added: "I was gobsmacked when the letter arrived but it goes to show that when you keep the awareness of an issue in the media things can, and do, happen. Thank you William and Catherine, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge."

Mr Rutherford warned last month that people who had been forced from their homes must not be forgotten.

"All the water that has gone over has actually gone under their houses and they have had to have their foundations taken up," he told the BBC.

"A couple of them have had to move out so that they can have their footings replaced and floorboards done.

"So we are still getting snippets about people who are being affected, even now, so it's quite hard."

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