How often does royalty make its way to the Okanagan?
Once in a generation. °Õ³ó²¹³Ù’s what makes the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visiting 91´ó»ÆÑ¼ a newsmaker.
The royal couple arrived in 91´ó»ÆÑ¼ at the end of September for a whirlwind visit of UBC Okanagan and Mission Hill winery.
They »å¾±»å²Ô’t make any public statements during the visit, but the few private conversations struck as they moved through the campus had local royalists reeling.
Among those who spoke with the royal couple at some length was 19-year-old Aidan Lea, a UBC Okanagan ·É´Ç³¾±ð²Ô’s volleyball player. She, along with her team, played a demonstration game for Prince William and Kate, who joined them on the court when it was completed.
“H±ð was remarking on the level of competition and how impressed he was by that … and by what amazing facilities we have here and how lucky we are to play by such an amazing ²õ³¦³ó´Ç´Ç±ô,†Lea said.
The prince also commented on ³¢±ð²¹â€™s impressive stature of six-foot-five, and from the crowd, it seemed he used that as a jumping point to start charming the team.
“H±ð was very charismatic, really friendly … it was really nice talking to ³ó¾±³¾,†said Lea.
â€Àá’m really honoured to have had a conversation with the future king of ·¡²Ô²µ±ô²¹²Ô»å.â€
The Duchess offered similar comments about the level of play for the UBC Okanagan team, and chatted them up for some time.
â€Àá³Ù was such an honour to meet ³ó±ð°ù,†said Lea. â€ÂÙ³ó±ð’s so beautiful and so ±ð±ô±ð²µ²¹²Ô³Ù.â€
Prince William and Kate left the gym with a lot of fans, as well as a jersey apiece with the name Cambridge on the back.
Their children were sent stuffed animals.
Next stop was Mission Hill winery, where µþ.°ä.’s best chefs converged to show off their best cuisine.
Then, like that, they were gone.
A hefty bill will no doubt follow and of such visits will once again be asked.