In case you hadn’t heard, there’s been a bit of drama surrounding the royal family after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle recently announced that they will be stepping back as senior members of the royal family. On Wednesday, Prince William and Kate Middleton attended their first joint engagement since the news broke, visiting Bradford Hall in West Yorkshire to meet with youth and local businesses.
During the visit, William discussed the process of overcoming challenges, explaining that it’s necessary to handle them instead of ignoring the situation.
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“It’s sometimes trying to get people to understand that it’s OK to have these challenges,” he said, via Us Weekly. “We just need to deal with them and we need to move forward rather than just be stuck in paralysis and pretend they don’t happen.”
The father-of-three added that it’s “really crucial” to work together to solve problems in the community.
“If we can replicate that more in this country, then that can only be for good, bringing everyone together,” he said. “Which is slightly part of the reason why we want to get around the U.K. now, and see as many places in the U.K. we may not have been to very much to try and understand some of the more complex challenges, some of the slightly more tucked away challenges that people find hard to talk about.”
Some royal fans think the Duke of Cambridge was alluding to the situation with Markle and Harry, though that appears to be a bit of a stretch. Royal reporter Emily Andrews tweeted that while William and Middleton were greeting the crowd, “if anyone DID ask about Harry and Meghan they were politely ignored.”
Along with Bradford Hall, William and Middleton visited one of the city’s Khidmat Centres, a session at the charity BetterStart Bradford and a workshop run by Near Neighbours. The couple also enjoyed lunch at British Asian kitchen, MyLahore.
On Monday, Jan. 13, William met with Harry, Charles and Queen Elizabeth II at Sandringham, where the group discussed Harry and Markle’s future. After the meeting, the Queen issued a statement saying that while she “wished” the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would have chosen to retain a more prominent royal role, she fully supports their decision.
“Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family,” the statement began. “My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.”
Photo Credit: Getty / Max Mumby / Indigo
