Exclusive:
The Prince and Princess of Wales carried out their first official joint engagement of the year with a trip to Southport – and an expert believes one subtle detail on the outing was very telling about their relationship
Video Unavailable
Southport: Phil Garrigan on meeting Prince William and Kate in emotional visit
The Princess of Wales’ health challenges have meant joint engagements with her husband Prince William have been few and far between so far this year.
But yesterday, they chalked up their first official outing of 2024 together when they paid an emotional visit to Southport – Kate’s first public engagement since the end of her chemotherapy treatment.
She made a last-minute decision to join William on the visit to the Merseyside town where she delivered hugs and a heartfelt “thank you” to the emergency workers called to the fatal Southport stabbings after meeting the families of the three little girls who were killed.
Both the prince and princess spent 90 minutes chatting privately with the families of Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, after making an unannounced trip to see them. For the moving outing, Kate opted to wear an autumnal red polka dress teamed with a brown coat and heels. And fans were quick to note how William’s outfit co-ordinated as he wore a deep red jumper in the same hue.
And royal expert and historian Dr Tessa Dunlop believes the matching outfits were very telling. She told the Mirror: “Moved by the appalling tragedy that unfolded in Stockport three months ago, she tore up her recovery rulebook and accompanied William on his trip north. Kate’s own lived experience gave her a new gravitas, neatly reflected in the muted autumnal colours she wore, and understated eternity ring that has replaced Diana’s showy engagement sapphire.
“The elegant ensemble underlined the princess’s sincerity in front of those at the coalface of national tragedy, with William’s matching berry-coloured jersey speaking to the couple’s newfound togetherness.”
During the visit yesterday, it emerged that Kate gave some of the fire, ambulance, police and air ambulance workers invited a hug after they struggled to express feelings when trying to process what they experienced responding to the attack.
And Tessa believes this moving gesture shows how Kate has now had a “gear shift in her role as the Princess of Wales “. She explained: “She understands pain and probably always did, but with a cancer journey of her own, Kate has now experienced the fragility of life firsthand.
“Their visit was so much more than glad-handing and ribbon-cutting. Kate and William spent meaningful time with three families whose daughters were brutally murdered, as well as the injured dance teacher, before talking to local support teams. Briefly, the royal couple became a human bridge between those grieving and the public sector workers who look after them.
“A sign of her new confidence, a fire officer revealed how the Princess broke off their public-facing engagement to go inside and privately connect and hug crews who have been struggling to process what happened. The compassion clearly went both ways: a shared bond between individuals who have seen and experienced things this summer they never imagined.
“William and Kate’s was not an easy job, to hear and wear the pain of others. It is something the couple have done in the past, but yesterday in Stockport felt different. Kate has grown and changed, as has our public response to her. Post-cancer, the princess enjoys a new superpower – the unique ability to really connect with those in pain.”
