Kate Middleton came within inches of hitting a man standing beside the goal while trying shinty for the first time during a royal visit to Scotland.
The Princess of Wales joined Prince William for a penalty shootout at Bute Shinty Club on September 17, where one of her shots flew wide of the goal and narrowly missed content creator Andy McAlindon, known as Andy the Highlander.
“I was a bit worried I was going to take your teeth out,” Kate told him afterward, according to PA. McAlindon later called her attempt “a great shot” in an interview with The Telegraph.
It was William and Kate’s first official visit to Bute, following their trip to Mull and Iona last year. The couple, known in Scotland as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, began in their namesake town before heading to the beach and a pub that residents had saved from closure.
Kate Found Her Swing After Missing the Ball
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Before picking up their sticks, William and Kate watched the club’s under-17s play. William told players that he and Kate had both played hockey at St. Andrews and had seen shinty, though neither had tried it. “It looks a bit bruising,” he said, as reported by InStyle.
William went first. His opening shot moved the ball only a few inches, but his second drew cheers when he made solid contact. Kate swung and missed on her first attempt, then sent the next ball toward the goalkeeper. She kept going, with some shots landing close enough to the press beside the net to draw more apologies.
Former Bute player Tom McMillan gave Kate the edge over her husband, telling PA she hit the ball better. She was also lining up balls for further attempts. “I think they did very well,” he said.
The royal visitors also met the volunteers who keep the club running, many of them former players themselves. PEOPLE reported that Bute Shinty Club was founded in 1946 and is staffed entirely by volunteers. Its younger players joined William and Kate on the pitch for photographs.
William and Kate Joined a Beach Cleanup Before Visiting a Community Pub
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At Ettrick Bay, the couple joined Beachwatch Bute’s ranger and volunteers to collect litter along the shore. They also climbed into a tractor used for the cleanup. The organization has been caring for the island’s beaches for almost 30 years, according to the couple’s official account.
Volunteer Sue Brooks offered Kate gloves, but the princess declined, telling her she did this regularly. Brooks told HELLO! that Kate was initially hesitant about using a litter picker and began gathering rubbish by hand. She “was in there just picking everything up and saying, ‘I’ll get that one,’” Brooks recalled, according to Marie Claire.
The day ended at the Anchor Tavern Pub & Hub in Port Bannatyne, where William and Kate sat down with residents and regulars. When the village’s last pub closed in March 2020, locals formed a development trust to buy it. They raised more than £105,000 through a community share offer and secured a £150,000 Scottish Land Fund grant, STV reported. The pub reopened under community ownership in April 2022.