Prince William Accepts Sweet Gifts for Kate Middleton and Their Kids at Welsh School: ‘He Was Really Grateful’

Prince William will head home with sweet presents for his family after visiting a school while celebrating St. David’s Day in Wales.

On Friday, the Prince of Wales, 41, visited Ysgol Yr Holl Saint/All Saint’s School in Wrexham on the feast day for the country’s patron saint. During his school trip, he received thoughtful gifts for his wife, Kate Middleton, and their three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5.

As seen in a video shared on X by local outlet Radio City News, three pupils presented Prince William with red dragon toys (the symbol that appears on the Welsh national flag) for his kids.

“Look at this! Thank you very much, the children will love these when I come home with these guys,” the Prince of Wales said to the students.

The royal then asked the schoolchildren if they had “any good names” for the handmade crochet animals.

“James, Charlotte and Mason,” one boy offered, with a look to his fellow students.

“Named after yourselves,” a school staffer joked off camera, which made the kids and William laugh.

The Prince of Wales then accepted a large bouquet and said, “I’ll pass those on to Catherine as well,” referring to his wife’s full name.

Richard Hatwood, headteacher of Ysgol Yr Holl Saint/All Saint’s School, exclusively tells PEOPLE “it was fantastic” to have Prince William visit. The school administrator says that the Prince of Wales was touched by the crochet dragons “for each of his children as a token from Wales.”

“He thought they were a lovely gesture, he would get them straight back to them. He was really grateful,” Hatwood tells PEOPLE.

The bouquet for Princess Kate was “for the Princess of Wales to share our thoughts while she has been unwell,” Hatwood says. Princess Kate, 42, continues her private recovery after having abdominal surgery on Jan. 16, and Kensington Palace previously stated she is “unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.”

While Prince William traveled to Wrexham without his wife and kids, Wales has become an extra special place for the family in recent years. Following the death of Queen Elizabeth in September 2022, King Charles used his first speech as monarch to pronounce his eldest son as the Prince of Wales, conferring the title traditionally given to the male heir to the British throne (and which King Charles held until his accession).

Prince William’s wife became the Princess of Wales in the same sweep, and their kids began to use Wales as their last name. The siblings previously used Cambridge as their surname, reflecting their parent’s titles as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The name change came full circle for Prince William, as he and Prince Harry were known as William Wales and Harry Wales while attending school and through their military service because of Charles’ title at the time.

Prince William’s parental side shone through at the elementary school in another moment caught on camera by Radio City Times. In a clip shared on X, the royal wiggled the oversized daffodil wreath a little girl wore around her neck and patted her on the head. It’s tradition to wear a daffodil or a leek (Saint David’s personal symbol) on the feast day as both are closely associated with the nation, and William stepped out for the day with the yellow flower pinned to his lapel.

Hatwood tells PEOPLE he was impressed with Prince William during the school visit.

“He was really personable and genuine and down to earth. He was keen to engage with the children and hear about all of their learning and everything they have been getting up to and see what they have been learning about,” the headteacher tells PEOPLE. “He was so personable with them and keen to hear from as many of them as possible. I think he was really impressed with the school — putting this one for him was a huge privilege for us. For him to see us as business-as-usual in our school and how learning goes on day in, day out was great.”

According to Hatwood, Prince William even practiced some of his Welsh language skills.

He spoke “some Cymraig [Welsh] as he came in. He said, ‘Happy St. David’s Day’ in Welsh and ‘morning’ and ‘afternoon.’ It was really relaxed having him in the school,” Hatwood says.

The Prince of Wales learned all about the children’s St. David’s Day celebrations during his time at Ysgol Yr Holl Saint/All Saint’s School, including traditional Welsh folk dancing and the baking of a bread called bara brith. In addition to the other gifts, the teacher says that the Prince of Wales was sent home with some of the tea bread flavored with dried fruits and spices.

“He did some of the baking of bara brith with some of the children, helping them finish it off before it went in the oven,” Hatwood tells PEOPLE. “That has gone back to the palace with this staff too. We hope he enjoys that.”

“He was a little bit shocked at the weight of it. It is quite a heavy cake!” he says.

Prince William also met with Year 6 students who have been studying the history of the Gresford Mining Disaster, where an explosion tragically killed 266 local men working in the mine.

“He explored in a little bit more about the science and tech work and the work they have done on the Gresford Colliery disaster, a really important historical event that happened here,” Hatwood tells PEOPLE. “He was keen to understand how children learn about that in their heritage studies.”

After leaving the school, Prince William visited the Gresford Colliery Disaster Memorial.

The school visit marked the royal’s second stop in Wales on St. David’s Day. Prince William began his trip at The Turf pub next to Wrexham Association Football Club’s stadium, where he took shots of whiskey and poured a pint with Rob McElhenney, who purchased the historic soccer club in 2021 with Ryan Reynolds.
Taking the pitch at the Racecourse Ground, Prince William received a gift for himself: a Wrexham jersey with his first name and the number 9 on the back.