The King and the Prince of Wales have enjoyed some quality father-son time together at Balmoral, according to reports. Prince William flew up to the royal family’s Scottish retreat after visiting bereaved families in Southport on Tuesday. The Sun reports that the future king was seen arriving at Aberdeen airport later in the day.
It’s the third year that Charles and William have taken a mini-break together in the Highlands, not diarised with senior staff, but set aside to chat as sovereign and heir, according to The Telegraph. The King is set to remain in residence in Scotland until the end of September. Prince William and Kate previously visited Balmoral with their three children at the end of August during the school holidays.
Charles, 76, carried out engagements in Barrow-in-Furness in the north of England on Monday, where he visited the BAE Systems shipyard. He later visited Barrow Town Hall to bestow royal port status on the town in honour of its 120-year history as the home of UK submarine construction.
© POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesIt comes after the King and Queen hosted US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump for the state visit last week, where the presidential couple were given a ceremonial welcome and travelled around in a carriage procession on the Windsor estate. The Prince and Princess of Wales were the first royals to greet the Trumps in Windsor, and later that day, they were among the senior royals to attend a glittering state banquet at the Castle.
William and Kate’s moving outing
Prince William and Kate continued to show their support for Southport since the deaths of three young girls during a fatal knife attack on a Taylor Swift-themed dance class shocked the community. The couple visited the schools of Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Bebe King, six, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, as well as the girls’ families. Visiting Churchtown Primary School, which Alice and Bebe attended, the Prince and Princess were shown around a new commemorative playground which was built in their memory after a fundraising campaign.
© Getty ImagesIn a speech in front of the school’s pupils, William said: “This playground is a symbol of how the community have come together to create such a positive space for the pupils of this school, a symbol of remembrance and resilience, a testament that love will always overcome tragedy.”
© POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesThe couple also sported friendship bracelets given to them by Bebe’s mother, Lauren King, featuring the words, Bebe’s Hive, the name of the charity set up in her memory.
It’s been a week of high stakes diplomacy, showstopping glamour and spectacular pageantry, and HELLO! royal editor Emily Nash was lucky enough to watch some of it up close (in case you missed it, here’s her video report from Windsor on day 1).
Over on The HELLO! Royal Club, Emily has just posted her top three takeaways from a week when the worlds of royalty and politics collided in unforgettable fashion. Click the button below to read the post.
