'I don't know any celebrities': 94-year-old woman is unfazed as Kate picks her up on West Sussex minibus run

From the Newshound archive · first published 30 September 2026 · last updated 1 October 2026.

Stella Drewett, 94, raised a laugh when told a celebrity was coming to collect her for the weekly lunch club — replying that she didn't know any celebrities. The Princess of Wales, 44, had boarded one of West Sussex Minibus's fleet vehicles in Pulborough on Wednesday, joining volunteers to pick up passengers from their homes as the charity marks its 50th anniversary.

Drewett quipped that Wednesday lunches meant 'one day of not cooking' as Kate steadied her arm up the minibus steps with a walking frame.

At Pulborough village hall, Kate asked fellow diners to pass the crisps — 74-year-old Lynda Jones handed over the ready-salted crinkle-cuts after telling her the club 'makes a lot of difference if you've lost your partner'.

West Sussex Minibus now runs 11 vehicles, 284 volunteers and around 13,000 journeys a year after starting with a single bus and one volunteer five decades ago.