In honor of a special milestone for Prince Charles, the heir-apparent to the British throne, royal watchers got to see his two sons and their wives gather together publicly for the first time in months.
The occasion was the 50th anniversary of the investiture of Charles as the Prince of Wales, and the location was a Buckingham Palace reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth.
The celebration brought out Prince William and his wife, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, and his younger brother, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.
It was the first time Catherine and Meghan have been together at a public event since Christmas when they attended a church service with their husbands.
Meghan and Harry are expecting their first child some time this spring.
It's been a joyous few months, but the pair have been dogged by rumors about tension with the Cambridges stemming from an alleged feud between Meghan and Catherine.
The royals have done their best to tamp down the talk. Last fall, Catherine said she was "absolutely" excited about the impending arrival of the newest royal.
"It’s such a special time to have little kiddies — and a cousin for George and Charlotte as well, and Louis! So it’ll be really special,” she said at the time.
Earlier this week, Kensington Palace released a set of social media guidelines to help ward off "abusive, hateful, inflammatory" comments made online.
“We ask that anyone engaging with our social media channels shows courtesy, kindness and respect for all other members of our social media communities,” according to a statement released Monday.
The guidelines follow months of social media abuse directed at various royals but specifically toward Meghan, who joined the family last May.
Tuesday’s reception also brought out British Prime Minister Theresa May and other leadership figures from the United Kingdom, as well as representatives from the numerous charities and patronages Charles has supported over the past five decades.
Although the occasion marked the anniversary of the investiture, Charles was actually installed as Prince of Wales during a formal ceremony on July 1, 1969, at Caernarfon Castle.
He was given the title, however, when he was 9, on July 26th, 1958.
The title is normally given to the monarch’s heir-apparent. Charles, who turned 70 in November, is now the oldest and longest-serving Prince of Wales in history.
