On Tuesday, March 23, Prince William and Kate Middleton visited Westminster Abbey, the church where they got married in 2011, for a very special reason.
The church has been turned into a pop-up vaccination center for the United Kingdom's rollout. William and Kate wanted to check in with the medical staff and volunteers overseeing this vaccine program, as well as talk to the people who have been waiting to get their jab.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's visit coincided with the first-year anniversary of the lockdown in the U.K. While there, William and Kate also participated in the one-minute silence to remember those who have died from the disease since this pandemic started. In the U.K., some 125,000 have died from COVID-19.
According to reports, the pop-up vaccine center was set up by the National Health Service in early March. The site aims to vaccinate 2,000 Westminster residents every week. In total, the U.K. has rolled out the first jab to 28 million citizens. The government plans to have 32 million completed vaccination in nine different priority groups by the end of April.
But William and Kate also briefly reminisced about their wedding day. The Duchess of Cambridge was even wearing awhite knee-length coat that almost looked like a wedding dress.
Meanwhile, Prince William had an unexpected ally in TV host and long-time culinary expert Dame Mary Berry, amid his rift with his brother, Prince Harry. Berry said that she found Harry's comments about William being "trapped" in his role as the future king "way off the mark."
Harry said this statement during an interview with Oprah Winfrey in early March. According to reports, Berry witnessed how much William, and even Kate, love what they do as public servants.
Berry said that she saw first-hand how much the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge want to get involved with helping people. They don't simply arrive at royal engagements to shake hands and smile because they are genuinely interested in the issues and concerns brought to them by the charities they help.
William and Kate also don't just visit once. They follow-up on the people they have been trying to help and see if there are good results to their requests. Berry said that it's remarkable how William and Kate can remember the people they've interacted with during their royal engagements. Sources close to Prince William also said that he doesn't feel trapped in his royal role at all but has rather embraced his destiny and duty as the future king.
