Kate uses royal inside knowledge to help Lisburn student solve crossword riddle

The Duchess of Cambridge was left beaming when she came to the aid of a Lisburn student stumped by a crossword puzzle question about the royal family.

Kate put her knowledge to the test during a visit to the University of Glasgow where she heard how students have been supporting each other during the pandemic and the city’s community struggling to get online.

Jack Baird, a statistics student, tested the future Queen’s knowledge of royal finances when the Cambridges went on a walkabout outside the James McCune Smith learning hub, the main campus building for undergraduates.

He said: “I was stuck with my crossword from The Times, I do it every week. It was seven down and the clue was sovereign’s annual allowance. I knew it was civil ‘something’ and I asked Kate and she said ‘civil list’. She looked very excited when she got it.”

The 21-year-old, who said the crossword was from last week, added: “She looked thrilled I think she thought ‘I wouldn’t live this down, if I get this wrong’.”

Jack confessed to being a concise crossword fanatic, and after pulling a large selection of puzzles from a pocket was ribbed by friends who said he had been known to ask people for answers when queuing outside Glasgow clubs.

William had also joined his wife during the walkabout in Glasgow and earlier they had met students who described a project that provided the community with laptops, free internet and IT mentoring to get them online, when many activities moved onto the internet during the pandemic.