Princess of Wales dazzles with adoring fans at children’s center at Harvard University

The Princess of Wales dazzled as she greeted her fans after a visit to a children’s center at Harvard University on Friday morning. 

Royal superfans have traveled from as far as Florida and Kentucky to catch a glimpse of the Princess as she visited the center in Massachusetts. 

Kate, 40, kept the crowd interaction to a minimum as she arrived at Harvard University – but spent time after her visit to speak to adoring fans who cheered the beloved royal. 

She is traveling without William for this part of the Boston trip. The Prince arrived at the JFK Presidential Library this afternoon for a solo tour, where he’ll learn about JFK’s Moonshot project, which inspired the Earthshot prize. 

He will later hold a meeting with President Joe Biden, before heading off to his glitzy gala – described by royal insiders as a ‘Super Bowl moment’ for the Prince.

The Princess of Wales arrived at the children’s center this morning, as she was greeted by adoring fans who flocked to catch a glimpse of the elegant royal

She gleamed as she arrived at the University this morning 

Princess of Wales visits to The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

The Princess pulled up in an eco-friendly Range Rover and waved only briefly before disappearing into the building. 

She wore an elegant houndstooth ensemble as she greeted officials at Harvard University. 

Hundreds of people were gathered at security gates hoping for a close-up view of the Princess of Wales – or even a meet and greet. Many laughed as she quickly went inside the building.

She greeted dozens of well-wishers, shook their hands and exchanged words with them after leaving the center this morning.

The Princess told several women who offered her flowers: ‘Thank you so much. Very nice to meet you.’ 

Laughter could be heard as she appeared to crack some light jokes with the crowd. She slowly moved along the line of supporters and spent several minutes meeting the group and even posing for selfies. 

At a couple of points, the Princess kneeled to meet children who were there with their parents.

She also received a huge round of cheers and applause from well-wishers. 

Crowds had started to gather at the security barriers from around 7.45am on Friday morning and by 12.35pm when Kate left – after around an hour in the center – hundreds of people were waiting to see her. 

Toby Nwafor, 20, a student who met Kate and shook her hand, said: ‘It was surreal, I shook a princess’s hand.

‘We don’t have anything like that in America. We’re really big fans of the royals. I think it’s great she came to meet people. She’s amazing, she took the time to say hi to everybody and took flowers and had genuine conversations with everyone.

‘She was saying how nice it was to meet everyone.’

Victoria George, 32, from Boston, wanted to see Kate with her daughters, two-year-old Madeleine and three-month-old Savannah – so she could tell them they’d been in the presence of a future queen. 

She said: ‘I’m a huge royal fan, I went to Boston City Hall on Wednesday and I wanted my daughters to get a chance to meet her.’ 

Victoria, who studied British History and wrote a thesis about royal weddings through history, added: ‘When my daughters find out that the future Queen of England was in town, I want them to have been there.’ 

She visited the center as part of her ongoing work to elevate the importance of the early years to lifelong outcomes

Regal: Princess of Wales looked elegant in a houndstooth ensemble at Harvard University 

The Princess was welcomed to the center in Massachusetts this morning

Victoria Thomas, 6, Turhan Mohabeer, 74, Lester Thomas , 44, Tamara Thomas , 46, wait for The Princess of Wales to visit The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University, Cambridge

Among the fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the Princess was Tamara Thomas – who made the journey with her family from Florida to celebrate her 46th birthday, which falls today.

She loves the royals so much that she named her daughter, who is six, after Queen Victoria.

Tamara, who was joined by Victoria and her husband, Lester Thomas, said: ‘We heard William and Kate were going to be here so we have been planning this trip for a while.

‘I have always loved them and I love their passion for early years with Catherine – and the environment and climate change with William.

‘They are exceptional role models for the younger generation. We took my daughter out of school so she could see them.’

Tamara said that her family also plan to travel to the Earthshot awards tonight for another glimpse of the couple.’

A group of teachers from Benton, Kentucky, said they flew into Boston last night to support Kate as she visits the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University.

The Princess had her brunette hair styled in her signature loose waves, and she wore her favorite pair of embellished gold hoops in her ears 

Teachers from Kentucky Angela Morris, Erin Mathis, LaDonna Ward, Tessa Powell, wait for The Princess of Wales

Crowds of people gathered in anticipation to see the Prince and Princess of Wales

Americans have flocked to wait and see the British royals arrive in Massachusetts

The group – Ladonna Ward, Tessa Powell, Angela Morris and Erin Mathis – brought signs which said ‘HRH’ and ‘Kentucky Teachers’.

Ladonna said she’s always been fond of the royals, but Kate is particularly special because of her work with young children.

Tessa added: ‘Early childhood education creates foundations that are essential as a child grows and if they miss that opportunity, often they start out behind.

‘I really respect the work Kate has been doing on children and families.’

Angela said: ‘This is probably the closest we will ever be. Even just a glimpse would be a dream.’

The women, who teach in a mix of elementary and high schools, joked that they had to make the journey because royals will like ‘never’ visit their remote hometown.

Keen royal fans – of all ages – waited to get a glimpse of the Princess

Swathes of people gathered outside Harvard University this morning ahead of the Princess of Wales’ visit

Prince William and Kate were brought back together with the African-American Reverend (right) who lectured about the ‘legacy of colonialism’ at their Earthshot launch on Wednesday

The couple pulled off an outfit change in between their second and third engagements of the day, arriving at Boston Harbor Defenses at around 3PM ET having spent the morning visiting two different suburbs 

The couple arrived at Boston Harbor Defenses on Thursday afternoon, where they met up with Reverend Mariama White-Hammond, who gave a speech at the Earthshot launch in which she urged people to ‘consider the legacy of colonialism’

Ahead of their engagements today, the couple shared a series of artsy black-and-white photos of themselves preparing for the event, which, along with their three-day US tour, has been dramatically overshadowed by royal controversies. 

But Kate showed not a flicker of stress amid the ongoing scandal as she stepped out for her solo Harvard trip today, with the 40-year-old looking ever elegant in a blue houndstooth dress, which featured long sleeves and a collar, and which was paired with a pale blue handbag and a pair of dark blue heels. 

Just yesterday Prince William and Kate Middleton’s US tour engagement saw them brought back together with the African-American Reverend who gave a lecture about the ‘legacy of colonialism’ at their Earthshot launch on Wednesday – just hours after Buckingham Palace was dragged into an ugly race row.

The Prince and Princess of Wales came together with Reverend Mariama White-Hammond for their third official engagement on Thursday, which saw them visiting Boston Harbor Defenses despite the biting cold to learn about the impact of rising sea levels on the city’s shoreline. 

William and Kate were smiling as they arrived at the harbor – having taken a two-hour break in between events, which may well have given them a chance to discuss some of the controversies that have overshadowed their US trip, from the Buckingham Palace race row sparked by the Prince’s godmother to the release of an explosive trailer for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix documentary. 

As William and Kate were mid-flight, their Kensington Palace spokesperson issued a statement condemning the ‘unacceptable’ comments made by Lady Hussey – who resigned from her role in the royal household – however the controversy has already cast a bleak shadow over what was meant to be a ‘Super Bowl’ moment for the Prince. 

Prince William and Kate Middleton are due to host their glitzy, eco-friendly Earthshot Prize gala in Boston this evening – and the couple shared a glimpse at some of their last-minute preparations on Instagram today 

In the artsy black-and-white photos, the Princess of Wales is seen strutting across a lit-up stage surrounded by greenery, while her husband is pictured chatting with organizers