- Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited offices of Child Bereavement UK
- Royal couple met the Great British Bake Off star and cookery writer there
- Well-wishers welcomed couple in Saunderton, Buckinghamshire
- Kate was given teddy bears and flowers
- Prince William joked: 'I never get flowers anymore, only cold hands!'
- Couple met Mary Berry, whose son William died in car accident aged 19
By Martha De Lacey and Rebecca English, Royal Correspondent
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Prince William admitted his wife was a ‘huge fan’ of baking doyenne Mary Berry today- but that ‘his stomach’ was an even bigger one.
The royal couple met the Great British Bake Off star and cookery writer during a visit to the headquarters of Child Bereavement UK in Buckinghamshire, a charity of which the prince is royal patron.
Mrs Berry is also a long-time patron of the organisation, which helps families who have lost or are facing the loss of a child.
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The royal couple met the Great British Bake Off star and cookery writer during a visit to the headquarters of Child Bereavement UK in Buckinghamshire
Mrs Berry, also a long-time patron of the organisation, smiles as the animated Duchess of Cambridge chats away
The laughing pair appear to be sharing a joke - perhaps about Prince William's love of Mrs Berry's recipes
Prince William admitted his wife was a 'huge fan' of baking doyenne Mary Berry - but that 'his stomach' was an even bigger one
The Duchess looked the picture of health and happiness on her visit to Buckinghamshire today, showing off her growing baby bump beneath an off-white, single-breasted wool coat, as her husband stood by her side
The Duke and Duchess receive well-wishes, congratulations, cards, teddy bears and flowers from the crowds outside the offices for Child Bereavement UK
Kate, 31, who is around five and half months pregnant, had a healthy flush to her cheeks and a broad smile on her face as she collected armfuls of posies and two fluffy teddy bears from well-wishers in Buckinghamshire
It also educates professionals in the field and provides support to children struggling to cope with the death of a relative.
The national treasure lost her own son, William, in a car crash in 1989 at the age of just 19 and has said that there was little support available for her at the time.
William confessed to be a fan of Mrs Berry, saying: ‘My wife is a big fan of yours - and my tummy is a big fan!’Â
The 30-year-old royal also revealed his favourite cake was chocolate brownies. ‘I love them,’ he enthused - but he admitted that he could do with some cooking lessons adding: ‘I think I need some lessons.
'You’ve been very busy racing around the country feeding the population.’Â
His wife added: ‘I’m a big fan of your cook books and your cakes.’
Pregnant Kate, who is expecting her first child in July, was thrilled to receive a pretty bouquet of flowers from a young well-wisher as she visited the Offices of Child Bereavement UK in Saunderton, Buckinghamshire with her husband Prince William today
One teddy bear Kate received came with a card that read 'To William, Kate and Bump, Hope you enjoyed your visit'
Prince William hands his wife a gifted teddy bear, and this time Kate doesn't prompt speculation by saying who she'll give it to...
Clearly, however, there was a serious side to the visit and during a meeting with a group of eight parents who have lost children, William recalled his own mother’s death.Â
The group meets every month to discuss issues around their grief and William and Kate joined their session and listened as each person told them about how their son or daughter had died.
One mother, who only wanted to be known by her first name Roz, had lost her 28-year-old son two years ago.
Speaking about William, she said: ‘He was very sympathetic. He said ‘I think you’re very brave to come into a situation like this. I do wish you didn’t have to be here under these circumstances’ - he could feel our grief and sadness.’
One bereaved father, who also did not want to be named, said William referred to his own circumstances.
‘He just mentioned the fact he had lost his own mother. William said ‘you do realise I’ve been in similar circumstances’,’ the father said.
The dad added jokingly: ‘He made the mistake of saying ‘I should give you all a hug’ and we took him up on that.’
Roz said: ‘We all had a kiss and a cuddle. It was wonderful.’
Outside the offices Kate, who is around five and half months pregnant, had a healthy flush to her cheeks and a broad smile on her face as she collected armfuls of posies and fluffy teddy bears from well-wishers.
Prince William, who will become a father in July, accepted a teddy bear bearing a card reading 'To William, Kate and Bump'
Kate had a monochrome moment today in Buckinghamshire, looking the elegant in a cream wool coat and a pair of vertiginous black suede court shoes
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive in the spring sunshine in Saunderton, Buckinghamshire, to visit the offices of Child Bereavement UK
The Duchess was wearing a £560 cream wool coat from by British label Goat over a short Peter Pan contrast collar shift dress from High Street store Topshop that costs around £60.
She completed the look with thick black tights and vertiginous shoes - clearly not put off by her mishap at the weekend, when she caught the heel of her stiletto in a grate on a military visit.
Canadian visitor Sue Rankin, 46, handed over a bouquet of roses to William who joked: ‘No-one brings me flowers. All I get is cold hands!’ Child Bereavement UK has a very personal link for William as it is run by one of his late mother’s closest friends, Julia Samuel.
When the charity was co-founded in 1994, Princess Diana made an unscheduled visit to the launch to offer her support, despite having made a decision to retire from public life.
In a previous interview Mrs Samuel, a member of the Guinness dynasty who works as a counsellor in the paediatric and maternity units at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, in London, told the Mail: ‘I still miss her, she was such a light in everyone’s lives.
Prince William joked that he was never the one to receive flowers anymore, instead he was usually given cold hands to shake - so one member of the crowd surprised him by handing her roses to him instead of Kate
Kate receives a bouquet of flowers from a young admirer outside
‘Grief, in its many forms, is one of the most painful experiences that anyone can suffer, and every year it is experienced by thousands of families in the UK. Yet it is still one of things that we find most difficult to talk about. Death is still a taboo subject - and that is where we come in.
‘The charity was started around a kitchen table and now we are the leading national charity of its kind.
‘I am so grateful for William’s support and proud of him for speaking so openly about the effect that losing his mother has had on him. It sounds so trite to say, but I know Diana would have been so proud of him too.’
It is understood that both William and his brother, Prince Harry, underwent bereavement counselling themselves following the loss of their mother in 1997 in a Paris car crash.
Earlier, wrapping her hands against the chill, Kate asked the small crowd that had gathered to see them arrive whether they had cold hands, to which William joked: 'I never get flowers any more, I just get cold hands!'
William was then presented with a teddy of his own by two-year-old Emily Tack, who had been waiting for two hours with her mother Sarah.
 VIDEO Duchess goes out of her way to receive flowers from young admirer... Â
The white Peter Pan collar from Kate's black shift dress just peeked above the top of her collarless cream wool coat from British label Goat
The Duchess, wearing her hair down, swapped the brown tights and knee-high boots she wore to Cheltenham races last week for a pair of black LK Bennett suede court shoes and matching tights
Mrs Tack, 34, said: 'We've always wanted to meet them but never thought we'd get the chance. I said congratulations on your pregnancy and enjoy it because they grow up so fast. They smiled and said "yes".
'William asked what the teddy was called and we said we just call it teddy, and he said "we will give it a name". They were so chatty and down-to-earth.'
The White family gave the couple a little Easter bunny and some chocolate. ‘'She said, "I will make sure I pass that to William",' said Jocelyn White, 36. 'She said, "I will make sure he gets that and doesn't eat it all himself!".'
The Duchess also asked Mrs White's son Adam, seven, if he had time off from school to come along. Adam, who lost his father Bradley, said his brother Jack was due to meet Kate and William in side. Speaking about the Duchess, Adam said: 'She's beautiful.'
Canadian visitor Sue Rankin, 46, handed over a bouquet of coloured roses to the couple. When William joked that he never received flowers anymore Mrs Rankin cried: 'You can have my flowers!'
Afterwards she recalled: 'He said they were beautiful.'
Hayley Collins, 17, a student from Lord Williams school in Thame, Oxfordshire, congratulated William on the couple's forthcoming baby.
'He seemed really excited, and Kate said "I'm really overwhelmed by the number of hands" being thrust out from the crowd,'Â she said.
Hayley's friend Yolande Lomas, 18, said: 'I thought that they would be friendly but that there would be a distance between them and us. But they were really friendly and appreciative of people here.'
Kate abandoned her usual belted style of coat for a collarless cream wool design from Goat that was a little roomier around the waist
The couple meet young members of the crowd outside the offices in Saunderton, before going inside to speak with members of the Child Bereavement UK team
The charity has a very personal link for William as it is run by one of his late mother¿s closest friends, Julia Samuel
Yolande Lomas, 18, said of Kate and her husband: 'I thought that they would be friendly but that there would be a distance between them and us. But they were really friendly and appreciative of people here'
The Duchess with recently bereaved children William Howitt,8 ,Geogina Howitt, 6, and Beatrice Howitt, 3
The Duchess shares headphones to listen to music with Jack White
Kate places her hands gently on her bump, which was just starting to show underneath her Topshop dress
Before she went into the building the Duchess also chatted to four Royal Holloway University English students and wished them luck in their upcoming final exams.
Jenny Hardy, 20, said: 'We love Kate and William, we spend loads of time looking them up on the net at uni. We're studying for our exams and asked Kate to wish us luck, and she did.'
Her friend Cassie Bending, 21, added:' William asked us if we were skipping work and we told him we're students and he said "Oh that explains it".'
Prince William, 30, is patron of the charity which supports families and educates professionals when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying, or when a child is facing bereavement.
Every year the charity trains around 5,000 professionals at the front line of bereavement support so that, in turn, they can provide on-going professional support to bereaved children and families.
Their Royal Highnesses met staff from the charity’s Bereavement Services and Training and Fundraising teams before they were introduced to bereaved families involved in the Children and Young People’s Service, the Young People’s Advisory Group and a Parents’ Support Group.
When a baby or child dies, or a child is bereaved, many of those affected are unable to access quality support which meets their individual needs. Child Bereavement UK believes all families should have the support they need to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies.For further information about Child Bereavement UK see www.childbereavementuk.org
Wrapping her hands against the chill, Kate asked the small crowd that had gathered to see them arrive whether they had cold hands
Kate battles the wind to make her way towards the crowds to accept their congratulations and flowers
Kate leaves William chatting to members of the charity as she smiles happily walking towards the waiting crowd
Kate managed to steer clear of any rogue grates in the road following her St Patrick's Day slip-up
Kate kept hold of a gifted teddy bear, managing to keep mum about who she would give it to this time...
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