Princess Kate Hugs Little Girl Who Burst Into Tears on Walkabout

Catherine, Princess of Wales speaks to a group of children during a walkabout meeting members of the public on the Long Walk near Windsor Castle, where the Coronation Concert to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla is being held this evening on May 7, 2023 in Windsor, England. The Coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the other Commonwealth realms took place yesterday at Westminster Abbey today. Charles acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II.

(Image credit: Photo by WPA Pool / Getty)

published 11 May 2023

On Sunday, Prince William and Princess Kate went on a walkabout in Windsor to mark the Coronation Big Lunch.

There, as is typical on a walkabout, the Prince and Princess of Wales met lots of royal fans who had come to greet them, including quite a few young kids.

At one point, Kate demonstrated her natural warmth and ability with children, when she encountered a little girl who seemed very upset after meeting Prince William (but don't worry, it's become very clear that the prince himself did nothing to upset the girl).

Molly Jones, 6, and her mom Paula Jones spoke to Express about the experience, and about how much Molly loved meeting Kate.

"[Molly] met William first and he bent down and he was chatting away to her and she was very bubbly, answering back questions, she had a lovely chat with him, really," Paula told the publication.

"Then, as he got up and moved off, I think it got to her a bit, she got a bit overwhelmed and burst into tears."

The Princess of Wales at Coronation events

Thankfully, Princess Kate wasn't far behind her husband, and quickly spotted that Molly was having a hard time.

"I think she saw Molly crying and she bent down and again started chatting," Paula explained. "She asked Molly if she was OK, and we said she had just met Prince William, after which she asked, 'Was he nice to Molly?'"

The little girl's mom laughed and reassured the princess, saying, "he wasn't the one who made her cry, he was lovely!"

At this point, the princess asked Molly if she wanted a cuddle, and the girl said that she did, so Kate hugged her.

According to Paula, "[Kate] reassured [Molly] and just said, 'It's OK, poppet' and said she gets a bit overwhelmed sometimes with lots of people around.

"And then she turned to me and said she thought she knew what would help cheer up Molly, and she said I needed to buy her an ice cream.

"Molly agreed with that, after which Kate said, 'have a nice afternoon and be brave' and then she got up and moved on."

Paula added, "And then, when a princess tells you you have to get an ice cream, we have to go and buy her an ice cream! So she went with her auntie and got a lovely big cup of ice cream."

Apparently, this helped Molly feel better, and she later told Express that Princess Kate was her favorite member of the Royal Family. Dawww!

Kate is often seen warmly hugging members of the public—but she's apparently as warm in private, too. In fact, after Meghan Markle implied that Kate isn't a hugger in the Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, a friend claimed, "Kate’s a big hugger. She is warm and friendly and greets everyone with a big hug and kiss. It comes naturally to her to be like that."

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.

Marie Claire Newsletter