Prince William's rare royal move on first overnight trip since Kate's cancer diagnosis.

Prince William, who is also the Duke of Cornwall, spent Thursday visiting the region at the start of his first overnight trip since Kate's cancer diagnosis.

William headed to Newquay, Cornwall, and visited the Duchy of Cornwall's first ever innovative housing project, to help address homelessness, in Nansledan. He then headed to Fistral Beach, where he ditched the suit jacket over his unbuttoned shirt on a warm and sunny UK day.

The Duke of Cornwall met with local organisations helping to keep the protect the beach, widely regarded as one of the best surfing beaches in the UK. Prince William met members of Holywell Bay and Newquay Surf Life Saving Clubs before watching demonstrations on the sand and chatting to lifeguards from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, an organisation marking its 200th anniversary this year.

The royal also folded up his sleeves and took part in a game of beach volleyball, as well as posing for selfies and photos with some of the nippers. Previously, members of the royal family didn't stop to take photos but it's something Prince William and Kate have slowly been changing.

However, one thing that's still a very rare occurrence is giving out autographs, with royal writing often only used in official documents and guest books. But Prince William broke with that tradition to sign the cast of nine-year-old Felix Kanes – a member of Hollywell Bay Surf Life Saving Club, who had his arm in a sling.

The duke also met with members of the public as crowds gathered along the beach for the visit. On Friday, Prince William will make his first official visit to the Isles of Scilly since becoming Duke of Cornwall in September 2022.

The now 41-year-old inherited the title from his father following Queen Elizabeth's death, along with the title Prince of Wales after he became heir to the throne. Prince William is understood to have visited the Isles of Scilly a number of times previously while on holiday with his wife and their three kids.

However, during this first official visit as Duke of Cornwall, he'll visit St Mary's Harbour – the maritime gateway to the Isles of Scilly – and meet representatives from local businesses operating in the area.
Prince William will also pay a visit to St Mary's Medical Centre, which may perhaps be even more poignant as the royal's wife and father simultaneously battle cancer.

Less than 12 months into his tenure as heir apparent, Prince William was confronted with one of the biggest tests of his life - and one he never could have prepared for. At the start of 2024, King Charles III and Catherine, the Princess of Wales both received cancer diagnoses that would have rocked William to his core.

The King made his public in a matter of days; Kate kept hers private – as is her right – for months. She took a break from public duties, telling the world she was recovering from "planned abdominal surgery" - which she was - and retreated to her home with William and their three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six.

The hope was that they could process her diagnosis away from the media spotlight "for the sake of their young family". Instead, the Princess of Wales became the subject of rumours as she silently prepared to start chemotherapy. It should come as no surprise that William was "upset and angry" about the conspiracy theories that flooded social media and made the front pages of the tabloids.

A former royal staffer told People the future king had to work hard to "compartmentalise" his emotions as trolls and royal watchers claimed his wife had undergone plastic surgery, or that their marriage was failing, all while he tried to support Kate and their children in private.

The royal party line has long been to 'never complain, never explain', but that's easier said than done when affair rumours are running wild as your wife of 13 years goes through cancer treatment. The rumours only got worse as time went on, and presented William with his biggest challenge as heir apparent less than a year into the job.

His royal duty was to his father, who was going through his own cancer journey, and many expected William to fill the King's shoes as he underwent treatment. But his duty as a husband and father was to Kate and their children, who needed him more than ever, even though the rest of the world didn't know it.#princeharry #meghanmarkle #kingcharles #royalfamily #princewilliam #katemiddleton #camilla #princeandrew #sarahferguson #princesscharlotte #princegeorge #princeloius #archie #britishroyals #royals #princessanne