After taking time away from public duties for most of last year while she battled back to health, 2025 has marked the start of a fresh chapter for Catherine, the Princess of Wales, as she has eased herself back into her royal responsibilities. Over recent weeks, she has made a number of public appearances as part of her phased return following her successful treatment for cancer.

Today, the princess and her husband shocked commuters as they took the train to Wales, marking their second royal outing this year. William and Catherine, who are known for taking royal motorcades or helicopters for royal engagements, decided to take a different route for their Wales trip ahead of the national holiday, St David’s Day. Locals were seen taking pictures and videos of the royal couple as they walked through a train station in Cardiff, Wales.

In a video posted to the royals’ official Instagram account, Catherine was dressed in a vibrant red coat, one of the colors of the Welsh flag, and she was seen waving at commuters as they walked by. While the royal couple typically travels with a full security detail, this isn’t the first time they have used public transport. In May 2023, they surprised train enthusiast Francis Bourgeois while riding the Elizabeth line in London.

In another video, the pair walked through a railway station hand in hand, with Princess Catherine leaning on her husband of 14 years for support. “Thank you, Pontypridd,” the video was captioned, as fans rushed to comment and share their thanks for the rare look into their marriage. One fan wrote, “I’m going to watch this video over and over. God bless you both,” while a second quipped, “Beautiful engagement and beautiful to see so much love. Thank you for this video, Prince and Princess of Wales.”

At the first event of the day, Catherine wore one of her favorite red Alexander McQueen coats, a double-breasted jacket featuring black buttons and pocket detailing. She teamed it with a chocolate brown roll neck, a tartan skirt, and long suede boots. The princess then had an outfit change, swapping her red McQueen coat for the cropped tweed Catherine Hooker jacket that she first wore to Cheltenham Races in 2007. She also sported a checked wool midi skirt by Gucci, as seen in fan footage of their arrival.

The royal couple stepped out in sync at Pontypridd Market and met with the crowd who came to see them. Princess Catherine accepted flowers from a well-wisher with a bouquet in hand and instantly moved to say hello to a baby wearing a blue puffer coat. She smiled as she spent a moment with the child and rubbed her hand on the little one’s shoulder.

The Wales trip brought the same warmth to their outing, where the Welsh cake shop owner Teresa Connor described them as “totally down to earth.” “It was wonderful, an absolute dream come true. They were personable and friendly and down to earth. They were really lovely,” said Connor, who helped the couple make traditional Welsh cakes. Connor had heard that the Princess of Wales was a keen baker but had never made the confection herself. “They said they’d eaten lots but they’d never made them, and they said they thoroughly enjoyed the experience,” Connor says.

Linda Herbert Johnson waited for about 4 hours to meet the couple and says they were apologetic that they were late due to the weather. “I can tell who’s been here the longest by the cold hands,” William told the crowd. “We got delayed on the train, ironically by flooding,” he said, referencing the adverse weather that affected both their visit and the Pontypridd community in December. “They kept apologizing for keeping people waiting,” Herbert Johnson tells. “We said that we were really pleased that they’d come to Pontypridd. They both looked fabulous and it’s wonderful to see her in Pontypridd,” adds her friend Anthia Hazard. “They are both so nice and natural with people.”

The princess also heard from a familiar face, well-wisher Gwyneth Hutton. “I told her that I come from a village about 4 miles away from Bucklebury. She said, ‘Oh, how nice,'” Hutton tells of her reaction to hearing about her hometown. Hutton, who is retired and now lives near Pontypridd, adds that it was fabulous for this couple to visit the town. “It’s wonderful that they took the time to visit us here. She’s looking so well, she must be feeling well if she’s happy to do this kind of thing,” Hutton says of Princess Catherine, who shared in January that she is in remission from cancer after undergoing treatment last year. “It was lovely to meet them both,” says the local.