He’s not the only royal fan who’d like to pinch Kate Middleton’s wardrobe – but this adorable one-year-old took it rather literally, when he was allowed to play with the princess’s handbag during a walkabout in Wales.
The Prince and Princess of Wales visited Aberfan today to pay tribute to those who lost their lives during the coal-tip landslide in October 1966.
After visiting a memorial garden, which is located on the site where the Pantglas school stood before it was struck by an avalanche, the royal couple took the time to speak with members of the public.
During the walkabout, the Princess of Wales spoke with mother Lucy Williams, who was holding her one-year-old son Daniel.
As his mother spoke with the royal, the cheeky toddler expressed an interest in Kate’s miniature £695 Mulberry handbag.
The Princess of Wales laughed as she handed over her Mulberry handbag to one-year-old Daniel Williams in Aberfan today
In a clip posted on Twitter by ITV Wales News, the one-year-old is seen happily holding the accessory up to his face.
After a few moments, Lucy – whose mother-in-law survived the 1966 disaster – tells her son: ‘OK let’s give it back.’
But not ready to part with the bag just yet, the adorable boy starts to cry.
Reassuring the mother that there is no rush, Kate laughs and greets the next well-wisher while Lucy tries to prise the bag from Daniel.
While Kate’s back is turned, Daniel then decided to let go of the bag – dropping it on to the fence, but Lucy managed to grab it in the nick of time.
Turning to face another mother, Lucy looks relieved to have caught the bag and then hands it back to Kate.
Speaking to ITV News, Lucy explained how Kate made her feel at ease in what could have been an embarrassing moment.
The cheeky toddler refused to give the bag back to the Princess of Wales during the walkabout and then proceeded to drop it
Kate was all smiles as she watched the adorable tot playing with her bag
The mother-of-three reassured Lucy that there was no rush to return the bag – after she struggled to prise it off her son
The Princess of Wales took time to speak with royal fans at the memorial garden in Aberfan this afternoon
Luckily for Kate, Lucy Williams managed to catch her handbag after Daniel decided to drop it on the barrier
The cheeky tot wasn’t ready to give the bag back to the Princess at first – prompting Kate to move on to other members of the public
She explained: ‘I think she sympathised with how hard it is with children. She said, “He can have it to play with, I’ll come back for it!” Like it was any other person in the street.
‘It’s typical him though. He’s a bit of a hurricane, I wouldn’t expect anything less!’
The royal couple paid tribute at the site of tragedy in which 144 were killed, including 116 children.
The couple were greeted by schoolchildren at the site, while survivor Gaynor Madgwick showed Kate a number of newspaper cuttings about previous royal visits to the area.
The Prince and Princess were then guided around the garden by one of the Aberfan survivors, David Davies, and Professor Peter Vaughan, Lord Lieutenant of Mid Glamorgan.
The royals went on to share a photograph as they laid a floral tribute at the site, tweeting a message in English and Welsh reading: ‘In Aberfan to pay our respects to the 116 children and 28 adults who lost their lives on 21 October 1966.’
A second photograph showed the floral tribute and the message left by the couple, which read: ‘In loving memory.’
The Prince and Princess also met trustees from the Aberfan Memorial Trust who are involved in ensuring the maintenance of the garden, as well as some of the ‘Aberfan Wives’, relatives of the children who lost their lives during the disaster.
The Prince and Princess of Wales followed in the late Queen’s footsteps today as they visited the Aberfan Memorial Garden to pay their respects to those who lost their lives in the disaster
The couple met with schoolchildren as they arrived at the garden, which is located on the site where the Pantglas school which was tragically destroyed in a coal-tip landslide on October 21 1966
The late Queen visited the village Aberfan (pictured) on October 29 1966 – eight days after the horrific disaster in 1966
The Princess opted for a dark long line coat and wore a houndstooth dress from Zara
The Princess opted for a dark long line coat and a houndstooth dress from Zara.
The royal has worn the £89.99 long-sleeved dress from the high street retailer, that was reduced to £15.99 in the sale, on a number of occasions over the years.
The duchess wore her long brunette locks down for the occasion, sweeping them behind her ear.
She kept her make-up muted for the outing, pairing a sweep of eyeliner with a nude lipstick.
Among the survivors the couple met was David, who was aged eight and a pupil at the school when it struck by the avalanche. He went on to move away from the village and became a solicitor but has since returned to the community.