The day after the glittering state banquet, First Lady Melania Trump and the Princess of Wales stepped out for a joint engagement. The stylish duo visited Frogmore Gardens in Windsor, where they met with Chief Scout Dwayne Fields and members of the Scouts’ Squirrels program.
© Yui Mok - WPA Pool/Getty ImagesDwayne revealed to PEOPLE that the children, ages 4 to 6, knew they were going to meet a Princess, and one asked the First Lady, "Are you the next princess?"
The Chief Scout noted that "the beauty of being with young people is they’re unfiltered, they’ll say what they think and ask questions." Dwayne continued, "And if you encourage them, and encourage them to be confident and grow, you’ll end up with some really strong, daring, young people who will be willing to try new things and stand up and have this strong sense of self.”
© Nathan Howard - WPA Pool/Getty ImagesDuring the outing on Sept. 18, the First Lady and Princess participated in activities with the kids, who were learning about nature to achieve their "Go Wild" badge. Dwayne described Catherine as "absolutely incredible with our young people."
"The princess always mentions her young children," he said. "It’s clear that as a mum, that’s something really special to her. She recognizes that sharing stories about her own young people with young people is a great way to build a connection."
© Andrew Testa - Pool/Getty ImagesDwayne shared that the First Lady "was very similar." He said, "She was engaging, she asked lots of questions and the young people were willing to talk to her. And they even made some artwork together. It was really great to see and really great to have her to take the message back to the U.S. and what she’s seen us in the U.K. doing. This is the home of Scouts, and this is where it started, and for her to be able to take back what she experienced here is great. She said she really enjoyed and remarked that some of the artwork took her back to when she was younger.”
© Nathan Howard - WPA Pool/Getty ImagesCatherine and Melania presented badges to the children on Thursday and were then presented with badges of their own. Before leaving, Dwayne gifted the First Lady of the United States his neckerchief. "I took my chief scout necker and handed it to Mrs. Trump, as she had brought a gift to the Scouts from the U.S. and I wanted to give her something that was symbolic of the Scouts here that she could take back," Dwayne recalled to PEOPLE. "It’s not something I typically do!”
© Getty ImagesDwayne hailed the day as an "amazing day by anyone’s standards." He said, "Within the Scout movement, we are very fortunate to have the Princess of Wales be our first female joint president. That in and of itself is special every time she shows up, with all that she does for us. But, to have the first lady of the United States come and join us, especially on a day when we have some of our youngest in the movement — our Squirrel section — is special.”
“I don’t think they realize just how special it was, but in years to come when they look back over the pictures and think back to what they did today, they will realize just how special today was," Dwayne added. "We are always grateful to showcase what the scouting is about. And when you have the Princess of Wales and you have the first lady with us, talking about what we do, I can’t imagine a bigger spotlight being shone on what we do as a movement and the work our volunteers do.”
