Prince William says Princess of Wales is ‘doing well’ as she continues cancer treatment

The Prince of Wales revealed that his wife was “doing well” as she continued her cancer treatment.

The Prince made the remark as he arrived at St Mary’s Community Hospital on the Scilly Isles.

He was met by Tracy Smith, who is in charge of hospital administration, and asked: “May I ask how Princess Kate is doing?”

“She’s doing well,” he replied. “The children are very jealous that I’m here.”

Earlier, the Prince could not resist stopping to buy a Cornish pasty as he arrived on the Scilly Isles for his first official visit since inheriting the Duchy of Cornwall.

The Prince, known locally as the Duke of Cornwall, arrived on St Mary’s by boat, having travelled from Tresco, one of the smaller islands.

As he disembarked The Pegasus, which bore the Duke of Cornwall flag, a small cheer went up from a throng of onlookers on the harbour.

The Prince hailed the “glorious” weather before strolling to the On the Quay cafe, where he bought five traditional pasties for £5.50 each.

He was served by Joely Dearman, 22, and Zachariah Fox, 28, both seasonal workers from north Devon.

“Busy this morning? What’s selling quickest?” he asked, wondering if there had been a morning rush.

The Prince told the staff how difficult he had found it to leave Tresco earlier, in such glorious weather.

“I got in the sea yesterday, it was very nice,” he revealed.

The Prince asked Mr Dearman and Mr Fox if they both lived on the island before chatting to them about the World Pilot Gig Championships that were held there last weekend.

“How many gigs were there?” he asked, noting that the event was growing every year.

Mr Fox told him there were around 420 teams but that the interest was good for the island and “good for business”.

The Prince also said he had heard about “Wally the Walrus”, a walrus who had to be enticed away from the harbour in 2021 after causing too much damage to vessels.

Eventually, he was encouraged to buy the pasties from a member of staff, aware people were waiting outside to meet him.

“What kind of pasty would you like?” Mr Fox asked.

“I’ll take the traditional one,” the Prince replied. “Five… they’re not all for me.”

Outside, the heir to the throne was greeted by a group of tourists lined up on the harbour to meet him as he admitted to them he wished he could stay.

“My family are very upset I’m here without them,” he laughed. “The children will kill me if I don’t go home later.”

He asked if they were waiting to catch a boat. “We’re waiting for you!” one woman said. “I’m never sure,” the Prince laughed.

He strolled on to meet representatives from local businesses on the harbour front on St Mary’s, the largest of the Scilly islands.

The harbour is run by the Duchy of Cornwall and is considered the maritime gateway to the islands – a crucial part of the community, which relies on the tourism industry.

It handles passengers and vessels travelling to the Isles of Scilly from “Tripper Boats” and sail training vessels to fishing boats and those carrying special cargo deliveries.

The Prince walked down to the water to meet a gig boat team from the “Zelda” who came third at the championships last weekend.

The crew are all born and bred Scillonians who have rowed together and achieved fourth place for several years, before finally reaching a podium finish this year.

The Prince then chatted to resident Sue Badcock, who works in the ticket office at the harbour, telling her he had not realised quite what an achievement the gig team’s triumph had been.

“This is your spot?” he asked Mrs Badcock as he approached the tiny office. “Have you been here for ages then?”

Admiring the weather again, he told her: “I was dragging my heels getting off Tresco in the sunshine.”

As the Prince chatted, a lone protester in the crowd shouted: “The Duchy takes money from the people who live here.”

But those around her started clapping and cheering to drown out her chants.

The Prince shook hands with several passersby before crouching down to greet a group of schoolchildren in Year Two at Five Islands Academy, which serves the islands of Bryher, St Agnes, St Martin’s, St Mary’s and Tresco.

After greeting them all and asking how school was going, some of them had a question.

A little nervous in the presence of royalty, they had to be coaxed by their teacher to deliver their prepared lines.

“What’s the question?” The Prince asked a little girl called Florence.

“Is the King’s son allowed to have lunch with us?” she asked. The Prince repeated the question as he deliberated how best to answer. “Yes,” he then said. “Is that OK?”

Told that it was fish pie today, he said: “Fish pie? Delicious. I’ve got a pasty from the shop so I’m going to have one of those later.”

He asked how the children had come over to St Mary’s, asking: “When the weather’s not nice, is it bad on the boat?”

Another child asked: “Who’s your best guard?” The Prince laughed as he replied: “That’s a very complicated question”, gesturing to the various protection offices milling around behind him.

“There’s a small one, Paul, he’s very good,” he said, pointing to Paul. “He’s nice.”

Another little boy asked Prince William what his favourite colour was. “I’m going to go blue,” he replied.