Prince William Meets 6 Friends Celebrating 60th Birthdays Together in NYC: 'Best Birthday Present Ever!'

The Prince of Wales had a cute comment when they revealed their ages

What's a better birthday gift than meeting Prince William?

On Tuesday while taking a surprise walkabout in New York City after an engagement at the Ten House Fire Department, the Prince of Wales, 41, shook the hands of six friends from Canada who happened to be on their 60th birthday trip.

"This is so fun! He shook my hand, and I said, 'I'm from Nova Scotia, Canada,' and he said, 'Nice!' And I told him my birthday's tomorrow. He goes, 'I won't ask how old,' and I whispered 60. Then he went, 'We'll go with 50,' " Barb Patterson tells PEOPLE exclusively following her encounter with the royal.

"He said, 'I hope you have a fantastic birthday!' " she continues. "He was lovely. He was so nice."

Related: Prince William Reveals He Went for Secret Early Morning Run in Central Park During New York Visit

In a video of the encounter taken by PEOPLE, Prince William shook the women's hands before getting into his car to leave.

"We were so lucky," Patterson says. "We were some of the last people to meet him."

Patterson tells PEOPLE that she and her friends were in the Westfield World Trade Center having a bite to eat when they saw a ton of security around. "I've never seen this type of security, so I knew it was someone big," Patterson explains. Curious about what it could be for, she and her friends approached a police officer who told them that it was for Prince William.

Although one of their friends wanted to leave, they decided to stay. Heather Oursin, 60, couldn't be happier that they did. "I didn't believe it when they told us he was coming," she tells PEOPLE. "But when I saw him, my hair stood up on my arms. I had goosebumps."

"We told him it was a pleasure to meet him and that we were all turning 60 this year and we came to New York City to celebrate together. He pointed to a few of us and joked and said we look like trouble and all this stuff. He said have a great time and enjoy," she continues.

Noreen Guptill, 60, another one of the friends in the group, captured some close-up photos of Prince William with her friends during the interaction. "Oh my gosh, look at these photos," she says holding up the phone.

Guptill tells PEOPLE she's already sending the photos to everyone she knows. She says she's "still in shock" and "can't believe this happened on their combined birthday celebration trip."

"I can't wait to tell my family and friends that I had the best birthday present ever!" Patterson chimes in. "I don't know how anything will ever top this!"

Also during the impromptu meet-and-greet with the crowd outside, Prince William was gifted three "I Love NY" t-shirts for his children and said that he would "love" to bring Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, to the Big Apple "one day," according to reporter Carly Ledbetter on X (formerly Twitter).

A mother and daughter who spoke with Prince William tell PEOPLE that the royal was asking everyone their names and where they're from. The daughter told him she had seen him earlier this year at King Charles' coronation and shared with him that she studied abroad in London.

A man named Safwon tells PEOPLE he joked with Prince William that he was following the royal because he also saw him in the U.K., where Safwon is from. He took a selfie with the prince, calling it "the money shot!"

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