What Kate Middleton Said on a Hike with Scouts Left a Lasting Impression: ‘That’s Her Superpower’ (Exclusive)

NEED TO KNOW

• Kate Middleton opens up about how nature helped her find peace during cancer recovery

• The Princess of Wales, 43, shared personal details about her life as she hiked with Scouts in April

• Kate’s unique ability to open up and listen is what those around her call her true “superpower”

As she continues her recovery from cancer, Kate Middleton is leaning into the outdoors — and her unique ability to make others feel connected.

Whether she’s walking alongside teens on a muddy trail or chatting with fellow parents at a school event for her children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, the Princess of Wales has a gift for putting people at ease — and opening the door to something more meaningful.

That skill was on full display during a visit to the Lake District this past spring, where she joined a group of Scouts for a day outdoors and filmed a video about how nature has supported her through cancer recovery.

“She made people comfortable from the off,” U.K. Chief Scout Dwayne Fields, who accompanied Princess Kate on the hike in April, tells PEOPLE. “There wasn’t a moment of empty space filled with awkwardness. When people ask you questions about yourself, it becomes quite personal quite quickly. There’s an art to it — and she certainly has it.”

Throughout the day, Kate shared how time outside helped her find solace amid her cancer journey.

“She would say, ‘During my recovery, I spent a lot of time in the outdoors because that’s where I felt at peace.’ Or ‘myself and the family come out to the Lakes as often as we can,’” Fields tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “When people speak about themselves, it feels like they are giving you something, giving a little bit away, and not just there to take. That’s her superpower. She’s a wonderfully warm person and invites you into a conversation.”

Kate was originally scheduled to spend about four hours with the group — but stayed longer, connecting with the teens and talking about her favorite trails.

“We stopped and absorbed the space we were in,” Fields recalls of their view from Tower Rock. “And then she started to point out the river and peaks in the distance, and she said, ‘That’s one of my favorite places for walking,’ and when she and the family come up they like going to that place.”

That deep personal connection to nature began in her own childhood. “She has re-created exactly what she had as a child,” says Fields. “Her father was a lover of the outdoors and much of her passion for the outdoors comes from her time with him.”

Fields says Kate’s bond with the Scouts felt authentic and personal, in part because she opened up about her journey.

“Without going into details, when someone speaks about their road to recovery, and the journey they have been on, as a human being you are drawn into that story,” he says. “I got a lot from the exchange, and so did the young people. We were full of pride that the princess showed up and gave up so much of her time. It never felt like we were on a clock.”

There were lighter moments too, including a playful exchange about eating reindeer moss. “I said there were different uses in days gone by, and I said there was one that was edible. I asked her if she would eat it.” Fields recalls. “She said Bear Grylls had offered her something to eat in a past encounter, so I said, ‘If I find something, will you eat it?’ She said, ‘I’m not sure.’ I almost made it my business to find something, but I don’t know if it’s my good fortune that I didn’t!”

For more on Princess Kate’s summer of strength as she continues her recovery from cancer, pick up a copy of PEOPLE on newsstands Friday.

What stood out most, Fields says, was how deeply Kate believes in the benefits of nature — for herself, her children and the next generation. “She felt very much at home as she remembers going for long walks with her father as a child as well,” he says. “It definitely brings her back to a place that brings back special memories, and she recognizes the benefits of being outdoors and that we can all share those benefits because if we utilize the green spaces near us, near our homes, where possible, we can all benefit.”

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“Mental health is high on the agenda at the moment and she understands that,” he adds. “If this is something that doesn’t cost much, and most people can do, I think she recognizes it as part of the solution of tackling the endemic mental health challenges we face as a nation.”

For Kate, the superpower isn’t just about her ease with people — it’s about how she uses her own story to connect and uplift. As Fields puts it, “The princess is passionate about the next generation. When you hear statistics like 78 per cent of young people feel better in their mental health and sense of wellbeing when they spend a significant amount of time in the outdoors… She understands that — that’s young people saying this is part of the solution for us.”

“The Scout tradition is to spend as much time in nature, in outdoor spaces as we can. It was a very familiar place for many of our young people,” Fields adds. “But you can imagine having a public figure of her stature, can be unsettling in cases, but she made every single person feel right at home. Making people so comfortable from the off was such a bonus.”

Read the original article on People