The Princess of Wales today shared a personal message on social media to say was ‘looking forward’ to working with the UK’s new chief scout Dwayne Fields.
Royal fans were thrilled to read the post on X shortly after 1pm by Kate, who is joint president of the Scout Association, which was signed off with her trademark ‘C’.
She wrote: ‘Delighted to welcome @DwayneFields as the new UK chief scout. The Scouts is such an incredible organisation, teaching #SkillsForLife and making a huge difference to young people across the country. Looking forward to working with you! C.’
The Princess has been undergoing chemotherapy treatment following her cancer diagnosis which she revealed in March and has stepped back from public duties.
Following her tweet today, royal supporters said it was ‘lovely to hear from the Princess of Wales’, with one describing it as a ‘lovely message from Catherine’.
The Princess of Wales, watched by Prince William and Prince George, tries archery while joining volunteers to help renovate the 3rd Upton Scouts Hut in Slough on May 8, 2023
Kate’s most recent personal message on X was about the Paralympics on August 28, in a joint post with William which said: ‘Looking forward to another few weeks of incredible sport! Wishing the very best of luck to our @ParalympicsGB athletes and all those competing at #Paris2024. W & C.’
And the last personal message posted solely by Kate was about tennis star Andy Murray on July 6, when she wrote: ‘An incredible Wimbledon career comes to an end. You should be so very proud @andymurray. On behalf of all of us, thank you!’
Kate’s latest message this afternoon comes one day after her husband Prince William sported his summer beard in public for the first time, as he visited a homelessness exhibition.
The Prince debuted his new look in an online video with Kate in August, when they praised the achievements of the nation’s athletes after the Paris Olympics.
The stubble was still in place yesterday as he toured Homelessness: Reframed, an exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London that aims to give a fresh perspective on the issue.
As for Mr Fields, who is first black Briton to reach the North Pole, he was announced last night as the UK’s new chief scout.
He vowed to show that the group ‘is a family for absolutely anyone’ and appeal to new communities which may have been put off by ‘a lot of the older ideas’ around scouting – such as those in inner cities.
The adventurer will succeed TV star Bear Grylls, who was appointed as chief scout in 2009, aged 34, making him the UK’s youngest ever in the role at the time.
Born in Jamaica, Mr Fields came to the UK at the age of six.
He became the first black Briton to reach the North Pole in 2013 and has since had a successful career in adventure and TV, presenting shows on Channel 5, Disney+ and National Geographic.
Dwayne Fields, the first black Briton to reach the North Pole, is the UK’s new chief scout
Prince William speaks to an artist during a visit to the Saatchi Gallery in London yesterday
This included recreating the Antarctica journeys of Captain Robert Falcon Scott, Sir Ernest Shackleton and Roald Amundsen alongside Ben Fogle for a 2023 television series.
Mr Fields, 41, was formally invested as chief scout yesterday at Scout Park in North East London where he spent time in Cub Scouts as a child.
He said he hoped to be a ‘role model’ to a new generation of Scouts and encourage new communities to join the group, which was formed by Sir Robert Baden-Powell in 1907 with a camp of 20 boys on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour.
Chief scouts are appointed for a five-year tenure but may serve for a longer period. Mr Fields will be the 11th person to hold the title.