During these tough times in the coronavirus lockdown, it's important to find an outlet for all that pent-up stress - and it sounds like the Duchess of Cambridge has the perfect solution. Did you know the royal mum-of-four is a fan of adult colouring books? Yep – just like many of us, she likes to spend time putting pen to paper and relaxing by colouring in intricate black and white designs. We know this because Scottish illustrator Johanna Basford, who spearheaded the whole adult colouring-in movement in 2013, once met Prince William and he revealed his wife's secret hobby.
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Johanna chatted with Prince William back in 2016, when she was awarded an OBE for her work at Buckingham Palace. The artist shared a throwback photo of the happy day on her Instagram page on Tuesday, reliving the exciting occasion. It was here she recounted her conversation with William.
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Kate clearly has a creative streak
She wrote: "As he pinned my medal to me, Prince William said 2 things that I’ll never forget. 1. ‘When’s the baby due?’ Now here’s the thing, the Duchess was pretty neat during her pregnancies. I was NOT. When I laughed and said ‘Oh not for MONTHS yet!’ he looked VERY surprised!" Johanna continued: "2. He told me his wife likes my books. She colours. Kate is one of us! Now, this makes perfect sense. Why wouldn’t she? A busy mum with what I imagine is a lot of stress, trying to raise and protect a family."
Johanna and her husband James Watt MBE at Buckingham Palace
Aw, we love this! We totally agree with both Johanna and Kate – colouring in is super relaxing and allows you to switch off your mind and escape into a world of pretty colours and patterns.
Johanna is famous the world over for her beautiful books, having sold 21 million adult colouring books to date. Wow! She also designs wallpaper, calendars, tattoos and more. Now, with the nation's mental health so fragile as we try to adapt to a loss of social connection, Johanna believes we need to take care of ourselves more than ever, and colouring can help.
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World of Flowers by Johanna Basford, £12.99, Waterstones
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The illustrator is giving away free colouring downloads on her website including a free colouring book, FLOURISH. See here for more details.