The Prince and Princess of Wales are back at work, and their return came with a twist nobody saw coming until their car doors opened. William had already ticked off one official engagement this week, representing his father in Oslo on Wednesday for the state funeral of Norway's King Harald. But Thursday marked the first time since the summer break that Kate Middleton stepped out publicly.
© Getty ImagesThe outing marked their first joint appearance since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle returned to the United Kingdom with their children. William was expected to handle the day's engagement solo; Kate's arrival wasn't on the official schedule.
The occasion was for a cause that's close to both of their hearts. Mental health advocacy has become one of the defining pillars of William and Kate's work as Prince and Princess of Wales, so it made sense that Kate would choose to join her husband at Everton Football Club's Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool for the unveiling of a new suicide prevention resource.
The toolkit, called "On Your Side," was rolled out alongside a roster of sports names, including England football captain Harry Kane and Formula One driver George Russell.
© Getty ImagesA new start for the British Royal Family
The timing of William and Kate's appearance is hard to extricate from everything else swirling around the royal family right now. It occurred in the midst of the fallout from Harry and Meghan's return, days after Harry made his own reappearance in London and amid a tangle of conflicting accounts over a letter that Buckingham Palace released clarifying the couple's status.
King Charles III's message, issued on his behalf, restated that the Sussexes remain "private citizens" and will not return as working members of the royal family.
That letter did not land smoothly. A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said afterward that the couple had been "surprised" by it. According to people familiar with how it played out, Harry and Meghan's team wrote back to Buckingham Palace almost immediately after receiving their copy to ask whether it had already gone to journalists, hoping for a chance to weigh in. The letter went out to the press Monday afternoon, and Harry, who was making his first public London appearance since the family's move to the Tower Bridge Studios, didn't find out it was circulating until minutes later.
© Global Images UkrainePalace sources maintain the letter was sent at the King's own request and that the Sussexes received it ahead of publication, even if they weren't asked to weigh in on what it said.
As for Charles and Harry themselves, the two have not seen each other in person since their meeting at Clarence House back in April. They have been talking by phone, according to Bronte Coy, the royal correspondent who shared the detail on The Morning Show.
What hasn't happened, and by all accounts isn't expected to, is any contact between the Sussexes and the Wales. The rift between the two couples has gone on for years now, and there's little sign their public or private calendars are about to bring them into the same room anytime soon.
© Getty Images
