Ruby Wax jokes William and Kate disturbed her silent retreat on Scottish island

Comic Ruby Wax joked about the Prince and Princess of Wales interrupting her silent retreat when she unexpectedly met them on a remote Scottish island.

William and Kate chatted to the celebrity as they ended their two-day visit to the Scottish isles by making a private trip to Iona, famed for being the cradle of Christianity in Scotland.

Wax, who has a career as a mental health campaigner alongside her comedy work, was pictured with the royals and said later: “I think it’s funny because I’m on a retreat here and I thought ‘why are they interrupting my silent retreat’ – you know what I mean?”

Ruby Wax met the royal couple during their private visit to Iona. PA Media

But she suggested the meeting was worthwhile “you could break the silent retreat for this”.

Wax was a friend of Diana, Princess of Wales and had praise for her son William: “I didn’t realise (he) was so good-looking, he looks like his mother”.

The couple spent more than two hours on Iona with Kate photographed in the gift shop and the couple seen walking past Iona Abbey and walking off the public ferry.

When they boarded the vessel for the short journey to Iona the couple spoke about the “fantastic” time they had on the Isle of Mull where they had spent much of their two-day visit and celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary.

William and Kate speak to a child from the Ardura Acorns group during a visit to the Ardura Community Forest. PA Media

Earlier, Kate was said to have been in her element when she spent time with an early-years outdoor play group learning about nature in the Ardura Community Forest on Mull.

The princess, who was joined by her husband, has made highlighting the development of children a central element of her public work and nature has played an important role while she was being treated for cancer.

With the youngsters aged up to five running around, she reportedly spoke of the value of them getting “outdoors as much as they can”.

William told one father about the importance of communities: “That’s what we’ve lost, the ability to come together and know your neighbour,” and he went on to say: “You can get lost in the cities.”

Kate crouched down to speak to some of the children learning about their environment through simple tasks such as gathering flowers, and she later played with the youngsters by the neighbouring River Lussa, as they threw sticks into the water.

Jan Dunlop from the Mull and Iona Ranger Service hosted much of the visit, and she said later about the couple: “I think they loved it, I think they really did.

“Catherine would have stayed all day and you could see when she got to the water, that was it.”