The pair have met many times

National treasure, Dame Mary Berry, has made a candid confession about Prince William.

The baking legend, 90, has met both the Prince and Princess of Wales several times throughout her career and has consistently sung their praises.

Now, she has opened up about a recent moment that caught her off-guard.
Mary Berry received a special birthday message from Prince William (Credit: Sue Andrews/Cover Images)

Prince William sends message to Mary Berry

Earlier this year, on March 24, Dame Mary Berry celebrated her 90th birthday. On top of a big family party in Bath, complete with speeches from all five of her grandchildren, she was also treated to a very special birthday surprise.

During an appearance on BBC’s The One Show, Mary was beside herself as she was shown a recorded message from Prince William, wishing her many happy returns.

“I want to wish you a very happy 90th birthday,” the Prince of Wales told a visibly stunned Mary in the message. “You are a true national treasure and we’ve loved working with you over the years. Have a fantastic day today.”

He then added jokingly: “I dread to think who’s cooking your cake and the criticism they might get but good luck and I hope it goes really well.”

‘I had to bite my lip’

Dame Mary was clearly very touched by the gesture, appearing to fight back tears as she exclaimed: “What an honour!”

Now, in an interview with Saga Magazine, she has shared how much Prince William’s words truly meant to her.

I was totally overcome. I thought, ‘I must hold myself together.’

“I mean, to see Prince William on the screen saying that I’d taught him all he knew about cooking… well!” She gushed.

“I’ve done quite a few things with him and, gosh, he’s competitive. So is Catherine,” she added.

“I had to bite my lip, because you feel, ‘Oh, goodness gracious me!’” Mary went on. “I was totally overcome, I thought, ‘I must hold myself together.’”
Dame Mary Berry has met Prince William and Princess Kate several times (Credit: BBC)
The royal couple starred in a special Christmas episode of Mary’s baking show, A Very Berry Christmas, back in 2019. Kate teamed up with Mary while William joined forces with Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain as they competed to make the best roulade.

Mary met the Prince and Princess of Wales for the first time over a decade ago through their shared patronage of the Child Bereavement UK charity. They have since joined forces on several projects including the 2019 Back to Nature festival at RHS Garden Wisley.

Later this year, the BBC will air a six-part series, Mary at 90: A Lifetime of Cooking, to mark her milestone year.