The Princess of Wales has pulled a major surprise by making her a statement completely in Welsh that’s been described as ‘perfect’.
On Children in Need day, Catherine sent a special message to Owain Wyn Evans who is taking on a cycle challenge to raise funds to support work for young people across the UK.
As he took on the final leg of his epic journey, his BBC Radio 2 co-star, Sara Cox, revealed that she had a special message of support for Owain who took on the challenge of cycling through all four countries of the UK over five days to reach Cardiff.
Sara Cox said she had a special message from ‘a fantastic woman by the name of Catherine” before adding ”we all know her as the Princess of Wales”.
Owain Wyn Jones, who was nearing his final destination, was listening live and seemed overcome as the message was played out.
The Princess spoke in only Welsh throughout the message and it was left to Owain Wyn Jones to translate. He told listeners that the Princess had said ”Good morning, Owain…well done on what you’re doing. I’m sending all my best wishes to you.”
Asked for his response to the surprise, he said ”that’s just incredible”. He then added ”the pronunciation was perfect! It was great!”
It’s not the first time that Catherine has delivered a message completely in Welsh. Along with Prince William, she has delivered special statements, notably for St. David’s Day.
However, this latest solo Welsh moment has also been described as ‘perfect’ by other experts. And Catherine choosing to send the message only in Welsh, without any translation afterwards, is seen as a special touch.
It clearly meant a lot to Owain Wyn Evans who has taken on the main Children in Need challenge this year. Over five days, he has cycled through Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales. As of midday on November 13, Children in Need had raised more than £3 million, helped by his challenge.
The Princess of Wales has shown her support for Children in Need before, delivering a support message at the start of a recent campaign. Children in Need runs every year in the UK with people around the country taking no challenges and holding sponsored events to raise funds. The culmination is a televised special on BBC one which runs for several hours and which sees other challenges and fundraising efforts take place.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have learned to speak Welsh and are teaching their three children the language as well.
King Charles, when he was Prince of Wales, enjoyed speaking the language often. When he bestowed the title of Prince of Wales on his elder son in the first hours of his reign, he announced the title in Welsh to underline the importance of the language.
