Princess Kate bumps into ex-teacher at royal engagement

CLOCK: Princess Kate discusses ‘importance of healthy, strong relationships’, mental health

Princess Kate was surprised by her former history teacher during a royal visit to Cornwall, England this week.

Kate and her husband Prince William made their first joint official visit to Cornwall on Thursday since becoming the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall following the death of Queen Elizabeth II last year.

While greeting the crowds outside the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, Kate bumped into a former teacher, Jim Embury, who she greeted with a big hug.

Embury taught history to Kate and her classmates in prep school and now volunteers at the museum, according to local newspaper Cornwall Live.

“The things you taught me, I’m now teaching my children,” Kate said, according to the newspaper, referring to her three children with William, Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4.

Kate seemed to recognize Embury instantly and asked him if he now lived in Cornwall.

Kate spent much of her childhood in Bucklebury, England, more than 200 miles away from Cornwall.

MORE: Princess Kate launches new passion project focused on kids: What to Know

Embury described Kate as a “fantastic student,” adding: “It was a great class,” according to Cornwall Live.

Kate’s surprise meeting with Embury isn’t the first time she’s bumped into a former teacher during a royal engagement.

In 2020, Kate had a surprise reunion with two of her former teachers outside an ice cream shop she and William visited in Mumbles, Wales.

MORE: Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis join Prince William, Kate for Christmas service

The teachers, identified by UK media outlets as Denise Evans-Alford and Kevin Alford, taught Kate when she attended St. Andrew’s, a prep school in Pangbourne, Berkshire.