See Queen Elizabeth & Prince William Make Their First Joint Public Outing in Two Years
For the first time in two years, Prince William and Queen Elizabeth II made a joint public appearance as they visited the new facility opened by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory.
After almost six months away from the public due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Queen Elizabeth finally made her first public appearance, but no without marking a milestone.
Earlier today, the monarch stepped out with her grandson Prince William as they visited the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory Porton Down in Salisbury to oversee the opening of the new Energetics Analysis Centre.
Prince William and Queen Elizabeth II take a tour of the new East Anglian Air Ambulance base at Cambridge Airport on July 13, 2016 in England. | Photo: Getty Images.
The visit to the facility is the first joint public outing Prince William and the Queen would make in two years, and it was indeed a memorable one. As seen in photos shared of the appearance, the royal followed COVID-19 protocols with Prince William, always standing some feet away from Her Majesty.
Her Majesty’s last major official outing was in February when she visited the Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Marham.
According to reports, all the other people present at the event were confirmed to have tested negative for the virus before the royals’ arrival. The 94-year-old looked radiant in a Stewart Parvin-designed old rose cashmere coat over a silk woodland floral dress.
She paired the ensemble with a matching hat by Rachel Trevor Morgan, black court shoes, and accessorized with matching gloves and a small handbag. The Queen and William visited the site to honor the legacy of the staff who worked there after the devastating poisoning of a former spy and his daughter.
The father-daughter duo was injected with Novichok nerve agent by Russian spies, but luckily they survived the attempt on their lives thanks to doctors. The laboratory has since been dedicated to weaponry and tactics use in counter-intelligence, and it is usually done in secrecy.
Fans may recall that the last time the Queen and her grandson were spotted in public together was in January 2019 when William and Kate attended church service at St. Mary Magdalene in Sandringham to mark the New Year.
The Cambridges were followed closely by the Queen as the crowd cheered before making their way into the church to catch the service. It is indeed refreshing to see the Queen out and about this year as she has been away in an HMS Bubble with Prince Philip because of the threat the COVID-19 poses to them due to their old age.
Apart from making few appearances during the lockdown, Her Majesty’s last major official outing was in February when she visited the Royal Air Force (RAF) base in Marham. At the time, it was her first outing after her grandson Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their decision to step down as senior royals.
During the controversy of Harry and Meghan's exit, the Queen expressed her support for their decision. However, the monarch decided that they would be financially independent and no longer use their royal highness titles.