PHOTOSPrince William & Kate Middleton Honor The Late Duke Of Edinburgh During First Outing Since Funeral — Photos
Apr. 21 2021, Updated 3:54 p.m. ET
Back to royal duties! Prince William and Kate Middleton made their first public appearance since Prince Philip was laid to rest on Saturday at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.
The couple visited the RAF Air Cadets’ 282 (East Ham) Squadron in East London on Wednesday — which also happened to be Queen Elizabeth II’s 95th birthday — to learn about how the Air Cadets support young people in developing life skills.
The Air Cadets was near and dear to Prince Phillip’s heart as he served as Air Commodore-in-Chief of the Air Training Corps for 63 years until 2015. He then passed on the military patronage to Middleton, who became Honorary Air Commandant.
During their visit, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met with cadets taking part in field exercised and leadership tasks before speaking to a group of young people who are preparing for their Duke of Edinburgh Awards — a youth awards program founded in 1956 by the late Prince Philip and recognizes young adults for completing a series of self-improvement exercises.
Prince William now heads up the Awards and Middleton herself participated in the program during her time at Marlborough College. According to the official site, the leadership initiative is designed to “transform young people’s lives.”
The program is “open to all backgrounds, cultures and abilities, a DofE Award can be a game-changer, raising young people’s aspirations and opening doors to employment whilst bringing together communities across the UK.”
Near the end of their visit, the Squadron took part in a Three Cheers Salute to honor the late Duke of Edinburgh, with a rousing “hip, hip, hooray.”
Scroll through the gallery below to see more of Prince William and Kate’s special day at the RAF Air Cadets’ 282 Squadron.
Kate Middleton was all smiles as she got back to work following Prince Philip's funeral.
During the visit, Middleton got to hop in a flight simulator and examine the equipment used by the Air Cadets.
The Duchess of Cambridge wore a muted tone to honor Prince Philip.
Prince William and his wife were given special permission from the Queen to attend the event during the period of royal mourning following Prince Philip's death.
Each year, the Air Cadets receives approximately 3,000 Duke of Edinburgh Awards.
Prince William and Middleton appeared to enjoy their visit as they were snapped laughing with the Air Cadets.
