“Are you a prince?” one child outside of the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney, Scotland, asked the duchess, 39.

“I’m not a prince,” Duchess Kate, formerly known as Kate Middleton, said. “I’m the Duchess of Cambridge. Lots of people call me Catherine.”

A young girl then shouted, “She’s a princess!”

Thank you to everyone who came out and met us in Orkney pic.twitter.com/zZ6ITWBT1t

— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) May 26, 2021

The duchess, who is mother to Prince George, 7, Princess Charlotte, 6, and Prince Louis, 3, responded by asking the little girl if she was a princess. The child shook her head no, but Kate assured her she looked the part. “Aww, you look like one in your beautiful pink coat,” she said.

William, 38, and Kate left their own little ones at home for their tour of Scotland. The Duke of Cambridge arrived late last week in the northern country to begin the tour while his wife joined him on Monday, May 26. William kicked off the tour by reflecting on why Scotland remains so important to him.

“I was in Balmoral when I was told that my mother had died,” he said while speaking at the opening ceremony of General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, where he serves as Lord High Commissioner, on Saturday, May 22. “Still in shock, I found sanctuary in the service at Crathie Kirk that very morning, and in the dark days of grief that followed, I found comfort and solace in the Scottish outdoors. As a result, the connection I feel to Scotland will forever run deep.”

However, he also created some of his happiest memories in Scotland, such as when he first saw the duchess. The two met at the University of St. Andrews.

“And yet alongside this painful memory, is one of great joy. Because it was here in Scotland – 20 years ago this year – that I first met Catherine,” he added. “Needless to say, the town where you meet your future wife holds a very special place in your heart.”

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been sure to raise their children with much love for the country where they met as well. “George, Charlotte and Louis already know how dear Scotland is to both of us, and they are starting to build their own happy memories here too,” William added. “We have no doubt they will grow up sharing our love and connection to Scotland from the Highlands to the Central Belt, from the Islands to the Borders.”

This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Nicole Massabrook