Prince William may be on official royal duties in South Africa, but he has kept his family close by.

While his kids may not be with him in person on the Cape Town trip, eagle-eyed fans of the Prince of Wales spotted a sweet message on his bracelet. The 42-year-old looked smart as ever in a shirt and suit jacket, but it was his accessories that got fans talking.

The royal was seen sporting an adorable friendship bracelet as he attended a number of outings. On it, fans spotted was the word “Papa” – the name his three kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis call him. The blue and green bracelet was clearly visible out of his shirt cuff. It’s thought Charlotte was the creator of the gift.

Prince William’s friendship bracelet was on show in South Africa ( 
Image:
PA)
It comes as William’s kids are known to be fans of Taylor Swift – and were pictured with her after one of her recent London gigs. The pop icon’s fans are known for their love of handing out friendship bracelets like the one adorned by the Prince of Wales.

William and his kids have a strong connection and for Father’s Day an official photo on social media showed the quartet, along with Princess Kate. The caption read: “We love you, Papa. Happy Father’s Day G, C & L.” It was the first time a social media post had been signed off being the young royals.

The Prince of Wales’ Cape Town visit comes as he prepares for his fourth annual Earthshot Prize Awards tomorrow night. The future King made the solo visit and will remain there for four days.

During one of his appearances, William was questioned by Robert Irwin, the son of the late wildlife conservationist Steve Irwin, about his favourite African animal. As the duo walked up the hill and recorded a short video of the chat for social media, the prince said: “It’s a really tough question. My children ask me this regularly. I think I’m going to have to say the cheetah…Yeah, I love cheetahs. Fantastic animals.”

Irwin replied: “Cheetahs ok. Very cool, very cool…It’s chameleons for me. The unsung hero. I love them.” Elsewhere on his visit, William joined a game of rugby with a group of youngsters lifted out of poverty through playing the sport. On Monday, Wills heard the cry “tackle the prince” when he challenged a group of teenagers to the game of touch rugby near Cape Town.

Former Springbok legends Joel Stransky and Tendai Mtawarira, nicknamed “The Beast”, were also on hand to join in. At one point in the proceedings, two teenagers grabbed the royal and stopped him in his tracks. The moment left William laughing.