Baby's 'priceless' purse grab leaves Princess of Wales smiling

'He's a bit of a hurricane, I wouldn't expect anything less,' says boy's mother

A baby boy made a heartwarming snatch and grab for the Princess of Wales's purse as she went on walkabout during a royal visit.

Little Daniel "stole" the purse from Prince William's wife, Catherine, while hiding out in his mother’s arms.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were in Aberfan, the site of the worst mining-related disaster in British history and a town whose name is synonymous with the tragedy.

But one-year-old Daniel grabbed headlines, as well as the purse, for a “priceless” moment that will long be treasured.

He reached out for Princess Kate's black handbag when she stopped to talk to his mother Lucy Williams.

The princess left Daniel, who was in his mother’s arms, to play with the purse for several minutes as she spoke to other visitors before coming back to retrieve it.

Mrs Williams, 30, whose mother-in-law survived the tragedy, described the memorable encounter.

“He just stole her handbag. He took a shine to it and she let him play with it,” she said.

“I think she sympathised with how hard it is with children. She said, 'He can have it to play with, I'll come back for it!' Like it was any other person in the street.

“It's typical him though. He's a bit of a hurricane, I wouldn't expect anything less!”

Princess Kate let Daniel play with the purse for several minutes as she spoke to other visitors. AP

Her mother-in-law, Carole Williams, described it as “priceless — something to remember”.

Prince William and his wife were met by a cheering crowd and dozens of children waving Welsh flags before being led by survivor David Davies through the former site of Pantglas Primary School, which was engulfed by the landslide from a colliery spoil tip.

They walked through the Aberfan Memorial Garden to pay their respects to the victims of the 1966 accident.

The disaster killed 144 people including 116 children. It was triggered by the collapse of the tip, which sent a landslide of ash slurry on to the village below.

The garden is located on the site of Pantglas, which was covered in tonnes of black sludge at 9.13am on October 21, minutes after pupils arrived for the last day before the half-term holiday.