Kate Middleton may have found new motivation for lifelong wellness — and it comes from a 100-year-old war hero.
On Tuesday, Nov. 11, the Princess of Wales, 43, attended the Armistice Day Service of Remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum. After the ceremony, she met with several World War II veterans, including Bill Redston, who shared his secret to longevity.
Kneeling beside him, Kate warmly held Redston’s hands as they talked. According to PA reporter Stephanie Wareham, she asked him about his key to living a long life — and his answer impressed her. Redston credited his fitness habits, revealing that he completed the London Marathon at age 65 and the New York City Marathon the following year.
While Kate hasn’t run a marathon herself, she’s well-known for her athletic lifestyle — enjoying tennis, cold-water swimming, and other fitness pursuits that keep her active year-round.
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The Princess also spent time speaking with veteran Geoffrey Spencer, who served in the Royal Air Force. In a lighthearted exchange captured on video by Wareham, Kate joked that her 12-year-old son, Prince George, “knows more about aircraft than I do.”
During the service, Kate joined attendees in observing a two-minute silence and laid a wreath with a handwritten note that read, “In Memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, we will remember them,” signed simply, “Catherine.”
For the solemn occasion, the Princess wore a black ensemble and coordinating hat, accessorized with a red poppy pin — a symbol of remembrance that has honored fallen military members since 1921. The poppy’s association with remembrance originated from the World War I poem In Flanders Fields by John McCrae.
This marked Kate’s first appearance at the Armistice Day event at the National Memorial Arboretum. Although it’s typically attended by members of the royal bloodline, other royal spouses have occasionally represented the family, including Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, who attended solo last year.
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The Armistice Day appearance followed a weekend of remembrance events for the Princess of Wales. On Saturday, she attended the annual Festival of Remembrance at Royal Albert Hall with Prince George — his debut at the event — while Prince William returned from a trip to Brazil.
On Sunday, the royal family gathered at the Cenotaph memorial in London for the Remembrance Sunday service. King Charles, Prince William, and Prince Edward laid wreaths during the ceremony, as Queen Camilla, Princess Kate, and Sophie watched respectfully from a nearby balcony.
