Prince William and Kate Middleton are spending the day in Powys, Wales, ahead of St. David’s Day, the feast day of the patron saint of Wales. Both wore yellow daffodil’s pinned to their jackets, as is customary for the holiday, and represents Welsh pride.
Their visit comes amid a particularly tumultuous time for the royal family, just one week after the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (formerly Prince Andrew) on suspicion of misconduct in public office. (He has always denied any wrongdoing.) At the BAFTAs this past Sunday, Prince William revealed he was not in “a calm state,” perhaps a reference to his uncle, though the Waleses have not released any official statements on the matter. It is understood that the Prince and Princess of Wales agree with King Charles’s statement, where he wrote in part, “The law must take its course… it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter. Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all,” but will not be sharing their own message.
Today, William and Kate’s visit began with a stop at the Hanging Gardens, “a space dedicated to nurturing community resilience and creativity.”
The couple also met members of the public who gathered outside, despite the rainy weather.
Kate meets the local Welsh community.
Later in the day, they are expected to visit Oriel Davies, a public contemporary art gallery, meet a local Welsh learners group in the Gallery Café, and attend a celebration of volunteers at Hafan yr Afon, “a hub for culture, community, and heritage,” per Kensington Palace.
As T&C Contributing Editor Victoria Murphy noted yesterday, the royals are “carrying on, but they may not be keeping calm.” Their engagements have continued as planned. “Imagine if the royals stopped working and went to ground,” she wrote. “It would essentially strip them of their raison d’être. Behind the scenes they may not be calm (William said as much at BAFTA although he did not specifically mention Andrew), but they know their relevance is dependent on carrying on.”
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
