Prince William Toasts His Aunt Sophie as Pair Join Forces in Rare Royal Outing

NEED TO KNOW

• Prince William and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, teamed up for a rare outing

• The Prince of Wales and his aunt spent Friday, June 6, at an agricultural event in southwest England together

• William, 42, and Sophie, 60, have a special connection to the association putting on the event; while William is a patron, Sophie is the vice president

Prince William and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, are teaming up for a rare joint outing.

On Friday, June 6, the Prince of Wales, 42, and Duchess of Edinburgh, 60, stepped out together to attend The Royal Cornwall Show in Wadebridge, Cornwall. The agricultural show is organized by The Royal Cornwall Agricultural Association, which both royals back in a formal capacity. Prince William is patron of the association, while his aunt Sophie is the vice president.

It was an unusual joint duty for William and Sophie, who are not often paired up for royal outings. Both undertake many solo engagements for their respective patronages and causes, or partner with their spouses for public work. Prince William and Kate Middleton are a tight team personally and professionally, while Sophie and her husband, Prince Edward, are often spotted on engagements together.

William and Sophie wrapped the week on an upbeat note at the Royal Cornwall Show, which was established in 1793. The event celebrates the best of Cornish heritage and tradition through agriculture, food, entertainment, and competition to promote and support future improvement in agriculture and the collective community.

Their first stop was the Royal Cornwall Food and Farming Pavilion, where they checked out some of the best food and drink produced by artisans across Cornwall and even enjoyed sampling local gin with a toast.

Prince William and Sophie then split up to tour separate areas. The Prince of Wales, also known as the Duke of Cornwall, headed to the Duchy of Cornwall hub. The Royal Cornwall Show highlights mental health, and he met with representatives from various local charities and groups.

The heir to the throne has made mental health a focus of his royal work and puts his passion into action through programming to help support the mental health of the Duchy of Cornwall’s farming tenants.

William then visited the Local Nature Partnership – Regenerative/Agricultural, an educational hub organized by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Nature Partnership and Cornwall Council.

Cornwall is a meaningful region for William as he inherited control of the Duchy of Cornwall (and the royal title along with it) when King Charles acceded to the throne in 2022. The historic estate worth around $1 billion spans over 130,000 acres in England and Wales and is designed to provide income for the heir to the throne; William visits the region every four to six weeks.

While William was at the farm show, Sophie spent time with LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) and the Girl Guides, two organizations she supports as patron. The Duchess of Edinburgh also checked out a fun feature of the festival by seeing cattle, pigs, and sheep in the surrounding countryside.

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Prince William and Sophie are thought to share a steady bond and had another day out together at The Royal Foundation’s screening of Rhino Man hosted by United for Wildlife in June 2023. At the time, Kensington Palace said Sophie was “delighted to join the Prince of Wales at the event this evening to show her support for United for Wildlife,” which he created in 2013.

Cameras also caught a sweet moment between the pair last year at Trooping the Colour in June 2024, when Sophie put her hand on William’s back as the royal family left the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

Read the original article on People