Kate Middleton and Prince William Make First Joint Return to Royal Duties After Summer Break — and Get Caught in the Rain!

NEED TO KNOW

• Kate Middleton and Prince William made their joint return to royal work after the summer break, stepping out at the Natural History Museum in London

• The Prince and Princess of Wales met with schoolchildren and learned about the museum’s gardens providing a chance to monitor wildlife in an urban environment

• The visit came one day after their three children returned to the classroom at Lambrook School

Kate Middleton and Prince William are back to work after the summer.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, both 43, made their joint return to royal duties on Thursday, Sept. 4, after stepping away from the public eye for about seven weeks. During their first outing, to the Natural History Museum in London to see the newly transformed gardens, the couple still had a summer glow with tans.

The appearance also gave a closer look at Kate’s hair. After catching a glimpse of what appeared to be her blondest hair ever during a summer outing, it was confirmed that she was still sporting summer highlights and let her locks grow down to nearly her waist.

For the outing, Princess Kate sported a blazer over a white button-down shirt with black slacks and loafers for the outing, accessorizing with a necklace featuring the initials of her three children: Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7.

Princess Kate and Prince William learned how the gardens serve as a living laboratory, where visitors and scientists can view wildlife in an urban environment.

In addition to learning about the gardens, the royal couple joined schoolchildren using the space as an outdoor classroom. Students from Lewisham participated in a pond dipping session, and they also met children from Manchester who created new habitats on their school grounds through the National Education Nature Park program.

However, the group had to bring out the umbrellas when they got caught in rain! Princess Kate, Prince William and the students were seen huddling together to hide from the downpour.

The engagement was likely especially of interest to Kate, who is the royal patron of the Natural History Museum and previously learned about the early stages of development for the Urban Nature Project during a 2021 visit. She has also spoken openly about her passion for the outdoors, especially amid her recent cancer diagnosis, treatment and recovery.

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Prince William and Princess Kate’s museum visit took place one day after their three children returned to the classroom for another year at Lambrook School. Over the past two months, the family has remained largely out of the public eye while they spent the summer together.

Their summer break included a visit to Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where the royal family traditionally retreats in August. The Prince and Princess of Wales were photographed with their children heading to church at Crathie Kirk on Aug. 24, with William behind the steering wheel.

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