Prince William and Kate Middleton in first public engagement since funeral

The Prince of Wales has told volunteers and operational staff who helped to organise the Queen’s Committal Service that moments of sadness ‘catch [him] out’ while he grieves for his grandmother, Her late Majesty.

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.

And during the engagement, which was the first in person engagement for the Prince and Princess of Wales since the state funeral, William said he found himself ‘choked up’ when he saw Paddington Bear tributes to his grandmother, but had found comfort in the public outpouring of support for the Royal Family. 

He said: ‘It is the things you don’t expect that get to you,’ he said, adding that he got ‘choked up’ over the Paddington tributes. He went on: ‘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.’

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.

Buckingham Palace say a small number of engagements will be undertaken during royal mourning to thank those involved in the delivery of HM Queen Elizabeth’s Funeral and associated ceremonial events, and to recognise the service to King and country of those on deployment overseas. 

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. 

Kate, Princess of Wales, and Prince William attended Windsor Guildhall this afternoon, three days after the funeral of Her late Majesty the Queen, to speak with staff and volunteers who helped organise and run the committal service at St George’s Chapel in Winsdor on Monday

The Princess of Wales remained elegant and composed as she met with staff and volunteers and spoke to them about how they managed to organise a seamless, poignant ceremony to say farewell to Her late Majesty

The Prince and Princess of Wales met with staff, who were also dressed in black to pay their respects to Her late Majesty during the period of mourning

The Prince and Princess of Wales (pictured) have met with volunteers and operational staff to thank them for their work on the Queen ‘s committal service at Windsor Castle 

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

Speaking to staff, the prince asked whether the Queen passing away at Balmoral ‘made it complicated’. He added: ‘I think I heard it was the ‘”least planned for plan”. It was seamless, you could feel it.’

William and Kate spoke of the extraordinary public response to the Queen’s death as they met with volunteers and workers who helped in Windsor on the day of the State funeral.

It was the couple’s first official engagement since the funeral on Monday, as several senior royals returned to their duties, while continuing to mourn for the Queen.

The couple, now Prince and Princess of Wales, met with unsung heroes who helped behind the scenes, including St John Ambulance volunteers, council workers, stewards and Crown Estate staff who managed the floral tributes left by members of the public.

Kate said she had been ‘amazed’ by the numbers of well-wishers who had wanted to show their support for the Queen.

William joked about the tributes featuring a new ‘competition’ between Paddington Bear and the corgis, saying Paddington was ‘a new addition’ but that the Queen’s beloved corgis ‘have been there for longer’.

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…