The Prince and Princess of Wales visited one of the homes impacted by Storm Bert during their first joint engagement in Wales for more than a year on Wednesday.
Kate and William were filmed by locals exiting a house in Pontypridd, which was struck by the storm late November. It brought widespread flooding to the Welsh town when the River Taff burst its banks.
It’s thought the home in the footage belongs to butcher Kevin Kidner, 61, who runs his business from the nearby market, since the royal couple made a private visit to his property during their trip.
Mr Kidner was alerted to the flooding last year by a neighbour, but the water was soon three-feet deep and his family went into ‘adrenaline mode’ putting up defences.
He said after the visit: ‘They asked plenty of questions and were obviously concerned. I think if they can push other people to help us it would be great, but it happens all over, not just in Wales.’
Pontypridd, which was badly hit by Storm Dennis in 2020, was also in the path of Storm Darragh, which brought extremely high winds to the region a few weeks after Bert.
Mr Kidner’s street was severely damaged by the storm with residents having to throw buckets of water out of their properties in a desperate bid to protect their homes and businesses after the nearby river burst its banks.
A resident, who captured William and Kate on camera leaving a building from his road, said: ‘This street was flooded in Storm Darragh and there is the Princess of Wales and the Prince of Wales coming out of one of the houses.
Kate and William were filmed by locals exiting a house in Pontypridd, which was struck by the storm late November. It brought widespread flooding to the Welsh town when the River Taff burst its banks
‘There they are saying hello to everybody, taking pictures, I’m sure they were deeply moved by what they found inside that poor person’s home.’
MailOnline has contacted Kensington Palace for comment.
Earlier this month, a fundraiser collected just under £30,000 for locals in Pontypridd as they faced significant flooding when the storm smashed the UK.
Another clip taken from the street shows locals cheering as they gathered to catch a glimpse of the Prince and Princess.
A young girl was filmed excitedly waving at the couple as they left the property, while Kate and William waved goodbye to well-wishers.
During their engagement, they also visited Mill Street in Pontypridd, which was submerged in river water when it was hit by Storm Bert.
It was the second time in four years that the street was badly affected by extreme weather.
William and Kate were filmed chatting to cafe owner Enrico Orsi and barber Josh Downes.
The Prince and Princess’ (pictured) visit was the couple’s first to Wales since Kate announced last March she had begun cancer treatment, a development which followed the King’s diagnosis
During their engagement, they also visited Mill Street in Pontypridd, which was submerged in river water when it was hit by Storm Bert. William and Kate were filmed chatting to cafe owner Enrico Orsi and barber Josh Downes (pictured together)
At the time of the flooding, Enrico spoke to reporters and likened the scene to the Titanic as people scrambled to save their homes from being destroyed.
He praised the future king for being ‘very empathic’ and saying that he was going to assist them by looking into the matter.
Enrico told the BBC on Wednesday: ‘[William] was very empathic to us, how it must be for us young, family men trying to make a living but also juggling the stress of climate change and the uncertainty of what can happen in the winter down here which we all know.
‘He said he is going to look into it for us, which, for us, was the biggest achievement we could’ve asked for today.
‘To have the royal family cut through that noise and get something done then I think that could be a game changer for us here on Mill Street.’
Josh said: ‘I’m not getting much response from authorities myself, literally next to nothing, and we’ve had to resort to social media and publicity and I think that’s was a big thing for us today, shining a light on what we were doing.
‘We’re desperate. Since the first flood I don’t know how many weather warnings we have had… we need action.’
The Prince and Princess’ visit was the couple’s first to Wales since Kate announced last March she had begun cancer treatment, a development which followed the King’s diagnosis.
The Prince and Princess of Wales depart after a visit to Pontypridd Market in Wales to talk to local business owners about the impact of the flooding caused by Storm Bert and Storm Darragh
The Princess was on hand to speak with crowds of fans as she and William arrived in Wales
During their visit ahead of St David’s Day on March 1, Kate and William visited Pontypridd Market to meet local business owners and try their hand at making one of the country’s most celebrated exports – Welsh cakes.
This is a delicious traditional sweet treat using flour, sugar, spices, butter, eggs and dried fruit which is then cooked in a pan and dusted with sugar.
Pontypridd Market has been at the heart of the South Wales community since 1805 and is home to businesses selling everything from meat to fruit and vegetable, toys, books and textiles and boasts several cafes.
The couple toured the food hall, and visited The Welsh Cake Shop which has been serving the local population for more than 25 years.
It is also well known for its Bara Brith, a traditional Welsh fruit bread, and delivers both this and Welsh cakes to locations across the UK.
The royal couple donned aprons and took the chance to bake the treats before handing out their successful efforts to market traders and customers.
They were each given a mixture and handed a rolling pin and a demonstration by owner Theresa Conner. Once the mixture was flat they each cut 12 circles and placed them in a pile.
Kate looked impressed at William’s efforts and said: ‘Those are so good. How did you do that?’
Kate couldn’t hold back her glee as she laughed while meeting well-wishers in Wales
A beaming William and Kate during their visit to Pontypridd Market
William and Kate braved rainy weather as they chatted with people during their joint engagement
The couple were handed daffodils as they made their visit in time for St David’s Day this weekend
Kate leaned down to speak with children, who were holding out daffodils and Welsh flags
William joked: ‘Well I don’t know, my stunning bakery skills, Mary Berry taught me everything I need to know.’
The cakes were cooked for five minutes on each side and Kate and William went to Fountain Cafe to speak to local business owners who had been devastated by Storm Darragh.
The Prince then carried the entire tray to hand out to well-wishers including Kerry Williams, 64, who was wearing an Aston Villa shirt.
William was heard saying: ‘Welsh Cakes made by us.’ The whole tray was snapped up by locals.
Theresa Conner, 46, owner of The Welsh Cake Shop, said afterwards: ‘They were very good. I asked and they said they had never made Welsh Cakes before.
‘They were surprisingly very good and both good bakers. I gave them a quick demonstration and they took to it like ducks to water. I should have taken the opportunity to get them in for St David’s Day. I can do with all the help I can get.’
All the Welsh Cakes were taken away by the royals or handed out to people in the market. Palace staff bought ninety Welsh Cakes to take away for lunch – the shop sells ten for £4.
Theresa added: ‘Maybe we could have framed one… It’s a real privilege they came to visit us. It’s massive.’
The Prince and Princess of Wales pictured during a visit to Pontypridd Market where they met local business owners and had the opportunity to turn their hand to preparing Welsh cakes
Kate and William react as they make Welsh Cakes, watched by Theresa Connor, owner of The Welsh Cake Shop
Afterwards, William and Kate visited Meadow Street Community Garden and Woodland, which has been designed to create a safe and welcoming place where the local community can come together and enjoy the benefits of nature.
The project to create a community garden was established in January 2021, when work began to clear a site that was overgrown and full of debris from flooding.
Together with Pontypridd Town Council, volunteers rejuvenated the site which is now a vibrant garden and creative space.
As well as promoting the benefits of nature to wellbeing, the community garden works to build resilience within individuals and forge connections between people.
There, the Princess of Wales promised to send her recipe for plum jam to young gardeners.
Kate heard how young volunteers at a community garden in Wales were growing their own plums and turning them into jam, and said: ‘I’ll send you my plum jam recipe so you can try it.’
She also revealed that she is learning to forage in Norfolk, with her three children left impressed by a ‘huge’ puffball mushroom she had found near their home.
‘The children thought it was fascinating,’ she recounted.
The Prince and Princess of Wales were given a tour of the woodland walks and homegrown produce.
The garden, which was badly flooded in 2024 and has bounced back with the help of volunteers, is intended to be a welcoming place for the local community to enjoy nature.
It fits in with one of the Princess’s passion projects, encouraging people into the outdoors, with nature activities for children.
The couple laughed as they were shown ‘Bug-inham Palace’, an insect conservation area, and joined a group round a fire to make balms out of plants.
The garden overlooks the River Taff and the A470, with volunteers describing it as a haven in an otherwise urban community.
The Prince and Princess, who had changed into a brown jacket, long skirt, and high-heeled boots, both wore daffodils, celebrating their first joint away-day in Wales since the Princess’s cancer treatment.