Prince William Shocks Crowd in Boston When He Gives Shoutout to a Superfan Mom
Prince William is bringing his Earthshot energy to the streets of Boston!
While William and Kate Middleton greeted fans outside Roca, a nonprofit in nearby Chelsea, William had a lively chat with some of the well-wishers who lined the streets to meet the Prince and Princess of Wales.
"We brought a bit of rain with us yesterday, it's a bit nicer today!" he told one woman in the crowd before asking if she was a Celtics fan. William and Kate sat courtside at the basketball game on Wednesday night and watched as the Celtics beat the Miami Heat.
"We had a good night at the basketball last night," he said. "If the Celtics hadn't won last night, we'd never be able to show our faces in Boston again! Quite relieved they won."
Another woman, local resident Alex Cross, 30, then shook William's hand and quickly asked if he could say hi to her mom from Tennessee who was on the phone.
Karwai Tang/WireImage Prince William
"Is she on there now?" William asked, to which the woman replied yes. William then asked Cross what her mother's name was and spoke to her right into the phone with hesitation.
"Mallory, hello! Where in Tennessee? I hope it's warmer there!" he said with a laugh.
After the surprise exchange, Cross, who is from Tennessee and now lives in Chelsea, told PEOPLE: "I grew up with my mom showing me the royal family and following them. My first thought was that I have to share this with my mom. She can't be here with me, so I shook his hand and said, 'Can you say hi to my mom? She's in Tennessee.' He said, 'What's her name?' and he said, 'Hello, Mallory!' I couldn't believe he actually did that. It was so great!"
Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
"I think William and Kate are just such an awesome example of our generation — Millennials, Gen X and the changing world — and they care so much for the planet," she adds. "It was really cool that they came out here and were shaking hands."
Ian Vogler - Pool/Getty Kate Middleton
The Prince and Princess of Wales continued their U.S. visit on Thursday with a stop at Roca in Chelsea, a non-profit focused on high-risk young people between the ages of 16 and 24 at the center of urban violence.
Kate and William met with leaders to hear about their intervention model rooted in brain science and relentless outreach to young people who aren't willing to engage in school, work or other efforts. They also spent time with women in the young mothers' program and with members and alumni of the young men's program.
"How much do young people rely on you for a place of belonging?" Kate asked Dr. Molly Baldwin, CEO of Roca Inc.
During their conversation, William also said, "There's a grey area between with a young person — look at the potential that they have, rather than the trouble that they cause. How do you tackle that bit?"
REBA SALDANHA/POOL/AFP via Getty Prince William and Kate Middleton
William also asked Jonathan Williams, who is in the young men's program, if he's been able to build trust with people at Roca.
"I hope you give yourself a pat on the back as well, you got yourself here. These guys have provided you with the support and the outside bit, but you've done it yourself," William told him.
On Friday, the couple will step out for William's second annual Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony, which celebrates innovative work being done around the world to combat climate change.