Royal Watch News

Prince William: I'm not as impressive as Diana

Sep 13, 2012, 12:01 GMT

Prince William and Duchess Catherine at the Kranji Commonwealth war memorial in Singapore

Britain's Prince William insists he's 'not as impressive' as his late mother.

The 30-year-old royal praised Princess Diana - who died in a car accident in Paris in 1997 - as he met a number of Paralympic athletes at the high commissioner's residence with his wife Duchess Catherine in Singapore yesterday (12.09.12).

William spoke to Laurentia Tan - who suffers from cerebral palsy and won a silver and bronze medal in the dressage event at the recent London 2012 Olympics - and she told him about a time she met Diana when the princess visited her school in 1989.

The second in line to the throne replied: 'Fantastic ... I'm not as impressive as her.'

As well as attending the reception, William and Catherine - who was known as Kate Middleton prior to the couple's nuptials last year - paid their respects at the Kranji Commonwealth war memorial in one of their last acts in Singapore.

The royal couple were shown graves of the fallen soldiers and laid a wreath at a memorial plaque inside the cemetery to remember the dead soldiers from Z Special Unit, who were made up of Australian and British special forces and died during a raid in World War II.

William and Catherine also went on a tour of the Gardens by the Bay conservation centre and the duchess enjoyed painting with children at the Rainbow Centre, which helps disabled and autistic kids.

But the prince's Scotland Yard personal protection officer was knocked to the ground when the crowd outside the centre surged forward in an attempt to get a closer look at the couple. Fortunately nobody was injured in the squash.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have now left Singapore and arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where they will continue their nine-day Asia Pacific tour as part of Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.