The Prince of Wales was left blushing as he was faced with a very flirty proposition from a care home resident during his visit to the Isles of Scilly on Friday.
William, 43, was shown around the newly built facility at the island's hospital, and met some of the elderly men and women planning to move into the 'Island's View' rooms.
Among them was Dot Elvin, 94, who was particularly pleased to see the prince and had him in stitches with her cheeky jokes, as he sipped a cup of tea.
As William introduced himself, she boldly asked: "Are you coming to stay?"
Unable to believe it, but playing along, William responded: "Stay in your room? There's only one bed, Dot. It might be a bit cosy!" "I don’t care," interjected Dot.
William roared with laughter and slapped his leg, commenting, "Well in that case, Dot, I’m sure we’ll come to some sort of arrangement."
© Getty ImagesDot asked if he would bring his wife, the Princess of Wales, the next time he visited, to which he joked he needed her to "protect" him.
The Prince, his wife Kate, and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, recently enjoyed a holiday to Cornwall over the Easter holidays. The Isles of Scilly are located just 28 miles off Cornwall's coast.
Meeting the island's oldest resident!
During his visit to the hospital, William also met the Isles of Scilly’s oldest resident, centurion Hilda Richards.
Mrs Richards, 102, was spending the night there following a fall at home on Thursday and met William as he was shown around the newly built facility.
© Andrew Parsons / Kensington PalaThe Prince asked her: “How are you feeling this morning?" "Fine thank you," she replied.
Nurses told William that Mrs Richards was the oldest resident on the Isles of Scilly, and he replied: "I never ask a lady how old she is…" "I’m 102," a sprightly Mrs Richards replied.
William said: "You’re not? Hilda, my goodness, that’s amazing. You don’t look anywhere near 102."
The centenarian told the prince she was born on St Martin’s, but has lived on St Mary’s for more than 100 years. She was later discharged home.
William's important visits to Cornwall and the Scilly Isles
During the visit to the hospital, William also met with construction workers who explained the challenges of building the new facility on an island.
The redevelopment, which has been supported by the Prince’s Duchy of Cornwall estate, combines together NHS services and social care provision, and the prince spent time chatting with elderly residents of the adjacent care home.
He had arrived on St Mary’s aboard the island’s new pilot boat John Guy, named in memory of a long-serving Scillonian-born Duchy colleague.
© Andrew Parsons / Kensington PalaThe Isles of Scilly is still recovering from Storm Goretti, which had brought near 100mph winds in January and saw around 500 trees brought down.
Many of the fallen trees were shelterbelt trees, which play a vital role in protecting communities from high winds and storms.
During the visit, William met local emergency responders and planted a replacement Monterrey pine, reflecting the islands’ recovery, resilience and long-term renewal.
Looking at the devastated shelterbelt, he told them: "Like something out of a horror film, this."
The Prince also visited the building site where 10 new sustainable homes are being built by the Duchy.
The development has been designed to help tackle the Isles’ acute housing shortage, with homes prioritised for those who have lived on the Isles of Scilly for more than five years, or who currently work on the islands.
Moving message
Following the visit, William posted on social media about the journey the Duchy of Cornwall is on.
"We are evolving what it means to be a landowner, moving from passive stewardship towards a more active contribution, with social and environmental purpose at its heart,” he said.
"This represents a clear shift in our strategy. There is much more to do, and we are investing as quickly as we can while balancing a number of priorities, but our direction is clear."
He added: "Our ambition is to create opportunities for communities to truly live well, now and for generations to come.
"We’re on a journey, we’re not suggesting we have everything right today, but our direction is clear: to place social and environmental purpose at the heart of how we evolve and what we do."
