The Princess of Wales juggles her royal duties with also being a hands-on mum bringing up three young children – but it seems she still manages to carve out time for herselfPrincess Kate visits Hiut Denim Co
The Princess of Wales spends most of her time balancing her busy mum life with important royal duties. But it seems Kate is still able to carve out time for herself to indulge in her passion for the arts – in a series of secret visits.
Having studied the subject at university, the princess is known to love visiting galleries, exhibitions, enjoying ballet and visiting textiles manufacturers – just like the ones she travelled to in Wales last week to learn about their techniques. And it has emerged that Kate managed an under the radar visit to an exhibition celebrating artist William Morris.
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The Princess of Wales in Wales last week(Image: Getty Images)
Kate made a secret outing to The Arc in Winchester, where she admired the Beauty of The Earth: The Art of May, Jane and William Morris exhibition. The visit only emerged after a clip was posted on Instagram on the Prince and Princess of Wales’ account, which showed Kate smiling as she explored the gallery and admired a large textile featuring floral and leafy patterns.
Captioning the video, she paid tribute to the gallery’s staff writing: “My thanks to the team at The Arc in Winchester. It was inspiring to see how they have placed creativity at the heart of the community and made art widely accessible. The Beauty Of The Earth exhibition was a powerful reminder of the connection between nature, creativity and craft. C.”
It’s not the first time Kate has managed to slip in and out of an arts venue unnoticed. Last month, another post on social media revealed she had enjoyed a night at the ballet, watching a performance of Woolf Works, an experimental production inspired by the late Virginia Woolf at the Royal Opera House.
And former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told the Mirror: “People are always going to make a fuss of Catherine wherever she goes and I’m sure she was given a very special welcome at Winchester.
Kate is shown around a William Morris exhibitionn during a secret visit(Image: INSTAGRAM)
The Princess of Wales at The Arc in Winchester(Image: INSTAGRAM)
“But it must be so refreshing for her to have just a touch of normality in her life and to go somewhere without a band of reporters and cameras watching her every move.
“So I should think she got a real thrill out of visiting this exhibition in relative privacy. She probably had a quiet chuckle to herself when she revealed that she been out and about with her social media post. Art has always been important to her, and the combination in this exhibition of art and nature was tailor-made to appeal to her.”
Kate studied the subject of art at the University of St Andrews, where she met Prince William, graduating in 2005 with a 2:1. She’s a talented artist and is particularly fond of sketching. For the wedding of her sister, Pippa, she drew St Mark’s Church, where the ceremony was held, for the front cover of the order of service.
And it seems going into galleries and art exhibitions in order to “nourish her inner life” is something Kate has done for a long time. In her book the Palace Papers, respected author Tina Brown claimed that Kate makes secret solo visits at 8am to some of London’s best and well-known museums and art galleries.
Kate during a visit to Melin Tregwynt, a woollen mill weaving traditional Welsh designs(Image: PA)
However, the book adds that Kate was once rumbled when she was spotted at a David Hockney exhibition at the Royal Academy by a stunned member of the public. She reportedly told him: “I miss my history of art. It’s what I do to get my fix.”
And Jennie added: “Kate finds that nature nourishes her soul, especially after her cancer treatment, and art has always spoken to her heart. I think she enjoys always going back to her student days and learning about different forms of art.
“Since marrying she has occasionally paid secret early morning visits to art galleries just so she can indulge her passion. Whether she still has the time, with three young children, or the freedom to do that we don’t really know – but that, after all, is exactly as it should be if she is ever going to be able to slip under the radar again.”
Last week, Kate was able to combine her personal passion with her professional work with a visit to two textile manufacturers in Wales. Wearing an eye-catching vintage coat, the princess visited Melin Tregwynt, which produces blankets and throws from a remote part of Pembrokeshire.
Kate gets to work on a pair of jeans for Prince William(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
There, she was shown the weaving process before being given the chance to help repair a broken thread on a roll of fabric aided by a staff member. She also admitted she had been indulging in another artistic hobby, telling the staff who use sewing machines to stitch fabrics: “I was trying some sewing at Christmas time – I was very slow.”
Afterwards, she dropped by at Huit Denim, a family-owned jeans manufacturer based in Cardigan, where she tried her hand at cutting the material for a pair of organic Mari jeans. There, she jumped at the chance to stitch a ‘Made in Wales’ label into a pair of £245 organic Hack jeans which were to be given to her as a present for William.
When told the trousers were a gift for her husband, she replied: “He will love those.” As she toured the factory, Kate also made a fuss of the owner’s English cocker spaniel Barney – the same breed as the Wales’s dog Orla.
Kate with Katherine Field at the Royal Marsden back in January 2025(Image: PA)
As she gave the pet a gentle pat, she talked about her own dogs, revealing the family now has an eight-month-old puppy alongside their older cocker spaniel Orla.
She told them: “So we’ve got a little puppy. He’s only eight months and Orla is five.” Black cocker spaniel Orla – gifted to the family by Kate’s brother James Middleton in 2020 – gave birth to four puppies back in May, so the new family dog seems likely to be one of those.
The visits came the day before Kate issued a touching message to mark World Cancer Day, telling all of those affected by the disease that they are “not alone”.
The princess who is currently in remission after her own cancer diagnosis in 2024, released a brand new video message to mark the day, with her words describing how a cancer journey has “moments of fear and exhaustion”, accompanied by footage of her visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital in London last year.
Kate said: “On World Cancer Day, my thoughts are with everyone who is facing a cancer diagnosis, undergoing treatment or finding their way through recovery.
Cancer touches so many lives. Not only patients, but the families and friends and caregivers who walk beside them. As anyone who has experienced this journey will know, it’s not linear. “There are moments of fear and exhaustion. But also moments of strength, kindness and profound connection. Today is a reminder of the importance of care, understanding and hope. Please know you are not alone.”
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