Duchess of Cambridge 'thrilled' to successfully help student finish Times crossword
The Duchess of Cambridge put a smile on the faces of those around her when she helped a student to complete The Times crossword during a visit to the University of Glasgow on Wednesday.
While Kate, 40, and the Duke of Cambridge, 39, were meeting students on campus, 21-year-old Jack Baird, a second-year student, put the future Queen's knowledge to the test.
He needed help with one answer from the puzzle in particular – about royal finances. The duchess rose to the challenge, and was "thrilled" to get it right.
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“I was stuck with my The Times crossword, I do it every week," Baird told PA.
“It was seven down and the clue was sovereign’s annual allowance.
“I knew it was civil ‘something’ and I asked Kate and she said ‘civil list’.
“She looked very excited when she got it.”
The moment was made all the more special after the Duchess had a brief moment of uncertainty. "She looked thrilled I think she thought ‘I wouldn’t live this down, if I get this wrong’, added Baird, from Lisburn, Northern Ireland.
The statistics student is known for being a huge crossword fanatic – though assumedly he has hasn't done one with a member of the royal family before.
After pulling out a large wad of puzzles from his pocket, he was affectionately teased by friends who said it was normal for him, however, to ask people for answers when queuing outside clubs in Glasgow.
The Cambridges were on a walkabout outside the James McCune Smith learning hub, the main campus building for undergrads, when Baird caught Kate's attention with his unique request.
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During the royal visit they had also heard how students have been supporting each other during the pandemic, and about a project that provided the community with laptops, free internet and IT mentoring to help get them online, when many activities relied on the internet during this time.
Earlier in the day, William and Kate had visited St John's Primary School in Port Glasgow to learn about another project where children interact with a mother and baby to learn about its development and improve their emotional empathy with others.
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With Kate cuddling a baby, singing along with children and speaking to young pupils, the duke joked, "Can you get my wife out of here before she gets broody?"
But she wasn't the only one spreading the love, as William was pictured hugging an elderly man overcome with emotion, when the royals met vulnerable people helped by care and property management group The Wheatley Group, including those at risk of homelessness.
Additional reporting PA.
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