Prince William And Kate Host President Of Ukraine And First Lady At Buckingham Palace
The show must go on. The lockdown and the pandemic hit everyone quickly and unexpectedly, with everyone trying their best to somehow adapt to the new way of functioning. And now after more than half a year, things are slowly beginning to return to a new type of normal. This includes the royal family, as on Wednesday, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met with the President and First Lady of Ukraine in the couple’s first palace event since the lockdown.
The two royals met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife Olena in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace. Neither party wore masks and they did not shake hands at the beginning, something that was a long-standing custom for meeting with anyone before the pandemic.
PA reports that during the short meeting, the couple were standing according to the advised social distancing length, and afterwards continuing their conversation on two separate sofas.
For this event, Kate went with a cornflower blue belted midi dress, while Prince William kept it classy with a navy suit and a polka dot tie.
The President of Ukraine, Zelensky is on a two-day visit to London, alongside a ministerial delegation, as he will be signing the Political, Free Trade and Strategic Partnership Agreement with Boris Johnson on Thursday.
This engagement that Prince William and Kate took part in marks the first time the Queen’s central London residence has been used for a royal engagement in seven months, since the nation went into lockdown amid the pandemic outbreak in March.
This event comes after the Queen also returned to Windsor after her stay in Sandringham with the Duke of Edinburgh.
The 94-year-old monarch and her 99-year-old husband spent most of the lockdown at the Berkshire royal residence before going to Balmoral in August for their annual summer break.
There was a statement released on the royal family’s website last week which revealed that the Monarch would be travelling back to her Berkshire residence in October and will “resume the use of Buckingham Palace during an autumn programme of audiences and engagements, in line with all relevant guidance and advice”.
On Tuesday, the Duchess of Cambridge made a visit to the University of Derby, where she talked with students about how the global health crisis has affected their learning and mental health, just ahead of World Mental Health Day on 10 October.
Last weekend royal fans were treated to a very special video clip. The Duke and Duchess shared a video of their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, asking questions to Sir David Attenborough, which was actually the first time royal fans have heard two-year-old Prince Louis speak in public.