The royal family wasn’t kidding when they said Prince William and Kate Middleton would shortly follow in Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles’s footsteps by returning to the public eye. Just hours after the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall left quarantine, so did the Duke of Cambridge.
In his first public royal engagement since mid-March, William visited the ambulance base at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Norfolk to meet with first responders (from a safe social distance, of course) who have been working on the frontline during the pandemic.
During the event, the 37-year-old royal heard from the crew about their mental health and the support they have received from members of the public, local businesses and volunteer networks.
It’s no surprise that the duke’s return was focused on wellness. Prince William (who is also a former air ambulance pilot) has always been an advocate for mental health support. In fact, in April, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge helped launch Our Frontline, an initiative that aims to provide round-the-clock support to essential workers. The royal couple teamed up with the charity Mind, the crisis text service Shout, Samaritans and Hospice U.K. to launch the service.
And while it’s good to see William, Camilla and Charles out and about, it doesn’t mean things are completely back to normal. Per a tweet by royal reporter Rebecca English, the majority of their work will still be conducted via video conference calls “for the foreseeable future.”
Welcome back, Prince William!