Princess Catherine Helps 94-Year-Old Board Village Minibus in Sussex

On Wednesday, September 30, 2026, Catherine, Princess of Wales, travelled to Pulborough, West Sussex, to mark an anniversary of the volunteer-led West Sussex Minibus service, walking former school cook Stella Drewett, 94, down her garden path and onto the bus before riding along to a weekly lunch club.²⁸

What happened

Catherine made her way to Stella Drewett's Pulborough home, exchanged greetings, and guided the 94-year-old down the path and up into the minibus with her walking frame, saying 'Well done' once she was safely seated. She stayed aboard as the minibus picked up more elderly passengers before the group arrived at Pulborough Village Hall for its long-standing weekly lunch gathering, an event that has continued for six decades.⁸²³

The visit was timed to the West Sussex Minibus service, a volunteer-led community transport operation now run with 284 volunteers across eight village hubs, covering roughly 60,000 miles and around 13,000 passenger journeys a year; the organisation grew out of the decline of rural public transport.³⁷²

Inside the hall, Catherine sat with 74-year-old Lynda Jones to talk about food and family life, met a young family – Thea Botley and her sons Albie and Arthur – and played a jumping game with the children, and joined a FaceTime call connecting attendee Amanda Ridley with her unwell mother and daughter Paloma.²³

Why it spread

The day was documented by Kensington Palace's own photographer, David Cliff, alongside press-pool images from Getty's Max Mumby/Indigo, while royal correspondents such as the Daily Mail's Rebecca English shared live updates and video from the scene, giving the visit wide and immediate visual reach online.²

Much of the spread is credited to the contrast between a senior royal doing hands-on, unglamorous charity work and Stella Drewett's deadpan response to being told she'd be meeting a celebrity: 'When they said "It will be a celebrity," I said "I don't know any celebrities."' That flat refusal to be starstruck gave the story its disarming edge.³

Smaller, relatable touches helped too – Catherine joking that people always run after her shouting she's forgotten her handbag, and a passing mention that Prince William helps with chores at home – adding a light, human layer that encouraged further sharing.⁵²

What is true

Multiple outlets confirm the core moment: the visit took place on September 30, 2026; Catherine helped Stella Drewett board the minibus and attended the Pulborough Village Hall lunch club; and the service operates with 284 volunteers, delivering about 13,000 journeys and 60,000 miles annually.³⁷²⁸

Less settled: whether the service has run for exactly 50 years is disputed – some outlets state it as the 50th anniversary, while others covering the same day do not confirm that figure. Stella Drewett's age is reported as 94 across most coverage, though the sourcing shows some disagreement among outlets on this detail, which does not appear central to the visit itself.⁴⁸⁶³

Background claims about Catherine's upbringing and family history, raised in a single commentary piece, are not independently verified elsewhere in the coverage and are separate from the events of the visit.⁴