Prince and Princess of Wales thank staff at Windsor Castle

The Prince and Princess of Wales have met with volunteers and operational staff to thank them for their work on the Queen’s committal service at Windsor Castle – in their first in-person engagement since Her Majesty’s funeral on Monday.

Prince William and Kate, who opted to wear her recycled £2,150 Dolce & Gabbana collarless long coat in black, arrived at Windsor Guildhall today to pass on their appreciation to volunteers and staff who worked on the service at St George’s Chapel – which followed Her Majesty’s state funeral at Westminster Abbey.

They also thanked the group for supporting the large crowds that gathered in Windsor to commemorate the Queen and watch the procession of her coffin up the Long Walk to the castle before the service.

William and Kate, dressed all in black as they continue to observe the royal mourning period which lasts until Monday, were greeted by a small crowd of well-wishers upon their arrival outside the hall. 

The Royal Family were not expected to carry out any official engagements during their mourning period, after more than a week of being under the world’s gaze while performing ceremonial duties following the Queen’s death.

Yet royal duties recommenced yesterday for William, with the father-of-three making his first speech since his grandmother passed away with a pre-recorded address to the Earthshot Prize summit in New York. The prince was due to attend but cancelled his trip following the Queen’s death.

William and Kate aren’t the only royals heading back to work in-person today; Princess Anne, 72, has stepped out at Portsmouth Naval Base, where she shook hands with Royal Navy personnel who took part in the procession. It is her first engagement since attending her mother’s funeral on Monday.

William and Kate arrived at Windsor Guildhall on Thursday for their first royal engagement since the late monarch’s funeral

The prince and princess arrived dressed all in black as they continue to observe the royal mourning period which lasts until Monday

The pair (pictured) have passed on their appreciation to volunteers and staff who worked on the service at St George’s Chapel on Monday afternoon

Vice Lord Lieutenant Graham Barker and Windsor council’s lead royal funeral planner introduced the Prince and Princess of Wales to staff and volunteers representing different sectors that supported the crowds that turned up to commemorate the Queen. 

This included St John’s Ambulance, transport staff, council workers, stewards, infrastructure organisers and logistics teams, who carried out tasks like putting out barriers and making announcements over a speaker system to the crowds.

Kate spoke about seeing all the infrastructure like barriers going up along the roads ‘coming back and forwards from the school run’.

The group spoke about the number of people in the crowds, with one of the logistics staff saying it was about 110,000. 

William said: ‘We did not see the whole town come to a standstill. That’s what we were worried about, that it would disrupt everyone’s lives.’

Later, when one of the staff talked about how difficult the last few days must have been, he said: ‘If you flip it on its head, it is always very comforting that so many people care. It makes it a lot better. There are certain moments that catch you out. You are prepared for all but certain moments catch you out.’

The engagement is one of their first since William became the heir apparent and became known as the Prince of Wales, after the death of his grandmother and the accession of his father, Charles, to become the King.

William also inherited the title Duke of Cornwall and is now the Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge. Kate is now known as the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge.

A period of national mourning ended on Tuesday, but an extended period of royal mourning for family members remains in place until Monday. On Wednesday, a virtual speech from William was played out to the Earthshot Prize conference. 

The royal couple spoke to the logistics team who carried out tasks like putting out barriers and making announcements over a speaker system to the crowds. Pictured, Prince William today

The engagement is one of their first since William became the heir apparent and became known as the Prince of Wales, after the death of his grandmother and the accession of his father, Charles, to become the King. Pictured, Kate today

Vice Lord Lieutenant Graham Barker and Windsor council’s lead royal funeral planner introduced the Prince and Princess of Wales to staff and volunteers representing different sectors that supported the crowds that turned up to commemorate the Queen

He began by saying: ‘Although it is the saddest circumstances that I am unable to join you today, I am able to join you in video form as you gather in New York for the Earthshot Prize innovation summit.’

He went on to confirm he and Kate would travel to Boston in December for the second Earthshot Prize award ceremony, adding they are ‘so excited.’

Other royals are also undertaking engagements on Thursday to thank people involved in the Queen’s funeral and to recognise the service of those on deployment overseas.

The Earl of Wessex is visiting Estonia and Germany in his role as Royal Colonel of 2nd Battalion of The Rifles and Royal Honorary Colonel of the Royal Wessex Yeomanry.

This trip includes thanking members of 2 Rifles for their service to the Queen at Camp Tapa, Estonia, and visiting troops on deployment from the Royal Wessex Yeomanry at the Normandy Barracks in Paderborn, Germany.

The Princess Royal is visiting Portsmouth Naval Base to meet Royal Navy personnel who took part in the funeral procession.

Anne will also visit St Omer Barracks in Aldershot to meet personnel who played a central role in providing logistical support during the funeral.

On Wednesday, a virtual speech from William (pictured today with Kate) was played out to a climate change conference

Princess Anne has stepped out for her first royal engagement since attending her mother, the Queen’s funeral on Monday 

Her late Majesty’s only daughter, 72, was seen at Portsmouth Naval Base, where she shook hands with Royal Navy personnel who took part in the procession 

The Prince and Princess of Wales’ outing today comes after a royal book claimed William and wife Kate felt ‘relief’ when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their decision to move to the US, because they felt that the ‘drama was gone’. 

In a book soon to be published about The Firm, The New Royals, author and journalist Katie Nicholl addressed the deepening division between the Sussexes and other members of the Royal Family after Harry and Meghan decided to step down as senior royals and begin a new life in the US in 2020. 

William is reported to have held a summit of aides – which came to be known as the ‘Anmer Summit’ after the couple’s Norfolk home – to discuss the Royal Family’s future in the wake of Harry’s move to the States. 

Meanwhile, Prince Harry apparently suggested bringing in a mediator to solve his rift with the rest of the Royal Family, causing Camilla to ‘splutter over her tea’.

The book quotes an unnamed family friend who told the author the Duke of Sussex met with his father in spring this year and wanted ‘to clear the air’ – but the awkward meeting left relations strained.

After the Duke and Duchess did not attend the Duke of Edinburgh’s memorial service at Westminster Abbey in March amid a reported dispute over their UK security arrangements, Nicholl wrote that a glimmer of hope was on the horizon when the couple stopped off in the UK before a visit to The Hague for an Invictus Games event a few weeks later. 

In an extract of the book published in Vanity Fair, Nicholl said King Charles, who was then Prince of Wales, insisted on a meeting with Harry over tea before he had an audience with the Queen. 

The Princess of Wales, the Prince of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex walk to meet members of the public at Windsor Castle in Berkshire 

The Prince and Princess of Wales’ outing today comes after a royal book claimed William and wife Kate felt ‘relief’ when Prince Harry (pictured here with Prince William during a special vigil for the Queen) and Meghan Markle announced their decision to move to the US, because they felt that the ‘drama was gone’

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Catherine, Princess of Wales stand at the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II lays on the catafalque at Westminster Hall on September 14

The Prince of Wales, Prince George, the Princess of Wales, and Princess Charlotte during the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on Monday

‘The meeting with Charles and Camilla was more awkward than their cordial tea with the queen,’ Nicholl wrote, adding that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were late to the meeting which left Charles with just 15 minutes to catch up with his youngest son and daughter-in-law before he had to attend the Royal Maundy Service at Windsor Castle where he stood in for the Queen.

The family friend said: ‘[Harry] actually suggested that they use a mediator to try and sort things out, which had Charles somewhat bemused and Camilla spluttering into her tea.’ 

They added the Queen Consort told the Duke his suggestion was ‘ridiculous’ and that they would resolve their differences within the family. 

Despite the rift between the Sussexes and the rest of the family, there have been glimpses of a potential reconciliation following the Queen’s death.

It had originally been reported that Harry and Meghan were not planning on meeting with William and Kate during their stay in the UK. 

But on the Saturday after the monarch passed away, the Prince and Princess of Wales made their first public appearance outside the Windsor Estate to read tributes that had been left to Her late Majesty and greet mourners.

In an unexpected appearance, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined the couple as the ‘Fab Four’ were reunited in their grief.