WALES OF A TIME - ‘IT WILL ALWAYS BE AN IMMENSELY SPECIAL PLACE FOR US BOTH'

ST DAVID’S DAY NOSTALGIA AS THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE REVISIT THEIR WELSH HAVEN

- CLARE FISHER & SAMUEL MCMANUS-MAXWELL

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge marked St David’s day with a visit to one of the places closest to their hearts – Wales. The couple used to live in Anglesey, where Prince William worked as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot. And, of course, they will eventually become Prince and Princess of Wales.

So it’s not surprising that they see the country as their “happy place”, according to royal expert Jennie Bond.

“Wales is very important to William and Kate,” she said. ”Not only are they one day going to be the Prince and Princess of Wales, it was also the place where they lived so happily as newlyweds.” She says the couple’s spell in Anglesey, just after their 2011 wedding, was the last time they could live ordinary lives, blending in with locals and taking part in day-to-day activities, such as going to the shops.

Jennie said, “Their time in Anglesey was very happy. They were pretty much under the radar and, for want of a better word, normal.

“William worked for the RAF and Kate could pop to the supermarket. It was a blissful start to married life for them. That was the last time they were able to lead a ‘normal’ life, so it will always be their happy place.”

Until 2013, Kate and William lived in an isolated four-bedroom farmhouse, complete with private beach, which the Prince once described as “an immensely special place”.