Prince William and Kate pay first visit to Wales since they took on their new titles


Gillian Duncan
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The new Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, paid a visit to Wales on Tuesday as the royal family returned to official duties following the end of their mourning period for Queen Elizabeth II.

The prince and princess were pictured at the RNLI Holyhead Lifeboat Station in Holyhead, Anglesey, where they met crew, volunteers and people who have been supported by the charity.

The unit, one of the three oldest lifeboat stations on the Welsh coast, is just half an hour from where the couple lived when they were newlyweds and Prince William worked as a search and rescue helicopter pilot.

They will later travel to Swansea in South West Wales.

The couple had promised to pay a trip at the earliest opportunity following the queen's death, hoping to begin "deepening the trust and respect" they have with the people of Wales.

Their last official visit to the country was in June, when rehearsals for the Platinum Jubilee concert were taking place.

Flags at royal residences returned to full mast on Tuesday following the end of the family’s seven-day mourning period.

The new Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, paid a visit to Wales on Tuesday as the royal family returned to official duties following the end of their mourning period for Queen Elizabeth II. PA
The new Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, paid a visit to Wales on Tuesday as the royal family returned to official duties following the end of their mourning period for Queen Elizabeth II. PA

Officials said the king carried out one official engagement during royal mourning, a telephone audience with the Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, on Thursday evening, on the eve of his tax-cutting mini budget.

The king and Queen Consort Camilla are expected to remain at his Scottish home of Birkhall until early October, following the tradition set by the late monarch.

The queen would normally spend about 10 weeks at her Scottish home during summer, returning to London around the time the autumn session of Parliament began.

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Updated: September 27, 2022, 8:18 PM