Daily Telegraph/PAThe Prince and Princess of Wales have visited the Natural History Museum in their first official engagement since their summer break.
Catherine, who is patron of the museum, and William were caught in a downpour as they took a tour of the institution’s gardens on Thursday.
The visit comes as the new school term starts for their three children, George, Charlotte and Louis.
The young family was last seen in public driving to church close to Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire last month.
The royal couple met a group of schoolchildren participating in educational programmes in the museum gardens, designed to help them connect with nature and boost biodiversity.
As it started to rain, Catherine held up her umbrella over some of the children, telling the teachers: “Let them go in, let’s take them inside, it’s pouring.”
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PA MediaThe Natural History Museum’s gardens opened in 2024 and features grassland, wetland and woodland habitats, described as a living laboratory where visitors and scientists can identify and monitor wildlife in an urban environment.
The princess has previously spoken about how important it is for children to spend time in nature. In 2019, she helped create the back to nature play garden that exhibited in the Chelsea Flower Show.
Earlier this year, she urged people to “reconnect to nature and celebrate a new dawn within our hearts” in Spring, her social media video series on seasons.
Catherine and William will also be shown how technology is being used to inform the Natural History Museum’s research diversity projects and conservation.
In August, the BBC was told that the family would be moving into the eight-bedroom Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park.
They currently live in Adelaide Cottage in the castle grounds, where they have been since August 2022, but have decided to make a change after a challenging 18 months, during which the princess was dealing with a cancer diagnosis.
