Prince William and his wife, Kate, thanked the staff and volunteers behind Queen Elizabeth II's committal service at Windsor Castle on Thursday, in their first public appearance since the queen's funeral.
William and Kate, now the Prince and Princess of Wales, met with the workers who facilitated her funeral and supported the crowds gathered outside of the castle since the queen's death on Sept. 8.
Kate wore a black double-breasted coat to meet with staffers at Windsor Guildhall, while William wore a navy suit, white shirt and black tie.
Elizabeth, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, died at age 96 at her beloved Balmoral Castle in the Scottish highlands on Sept. 8.
William and Kate joined about 2,000 other royals, world leaders and politicians from around the globe for Elizabeth's funeral at Westminster Abbey on Sept. 19.
The Prince and Princess of Wales' oldest two children, Prince George, 9, and Princess Charlotte, 7, attended the funeral with their parents, though their youngest child, Prince Louis, 4, was not in attendance.
The queen was buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel next to her husband, Prince Philip, who died in 2021. The church is on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
William and his brother, Prince Harry, publicly reunited on Sept. 10 for the first time since their grandmother's death when they viewed tributes for the queen at Windsor Castle.
The brothers also walked side by side during the 38-minute walk behind the queen's coffin from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall on Sept. 14.
Many were reminded of the scene of 15-year-old William and 12-year-old Harry walking behind their mother’s coffin in 1997.
William later told a group of mourners gathered outside Sandringham Estate that the walk behind his grandmother's coffin was "challenging." "Brought back a few memories," he added.
