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Kate Middleton and Prince William were back to business after her blonde hair debut dominated headlines about their royal outing.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, both 43, visited the London Natural History Museum’s newly transformed gardens on Sept. 4, marking their first official engagement since their summer break. While talk of Princess Kate’s lengthy and light locks was the buzz online, the couple brought the focus back to highlighting the outdoor learning environment with a post-event message on Instagram.
The social media post included videos of some students from Kender Primary School sharing why they love nature, from looking for wildlife to playing in the rain.
The post, which shared several photos from the outing, also poked fun at the couple getting caught in the rain while meeting with schoolchildren at the museum.
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“Mother Nature made a surprise cameo at the @natural_history_museum! ☔️” they wrote. “Even with the rain, it was great seeing how the gardens and National Education Nature Park programme are helping young people to connect to nature, combining outdoor learning with wellbeing activities. And a pleasure hearing from students of Kendar Primary in Lewisham and Co-op Academy Manchester about projects to support nature and biodiversity.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales smiled as they huddled under umbrellas during the downpour, with Kate helping to guide the children inside.
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Beverley Brown, an assistant headteacher at Kender Primary School, told Hello! magazine, “We had been waiting for the session to start, and the children were very excited. Princess Kate was in amongst us and said, ‘Let them go in,’ and ‘Let’s take them inside, it’s pouring.’ ”
Kate, who has spoken about her love for nature, likely didn’t mind the rain. She previously revealed that she’s a fan of cold swimming, even when the weather isn’t warm and sunny. She said during a 2023 podcast appearance, “The colder, the better. I absolutely love it. Slightly to the point where William’s like, ‘Catherine, you’re crazy.’ And it’s dark, and it’s raining.”
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The Natural History Museum’s gardens serve as a living laboratory where visitors and scientists can witness wildlife in an urban environment. Since opening in 2024, the gardens have welcomed over five million visitors and inspired many to spend more time outdoors.
Princess Kate, who is a royal patron of the Natural History Museum, previously learned about the early stages of development for the Urban Nature Project during a 2021 visit.
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The Prince and Princess of Wales’ autumn return to royal work came one day after their three children — Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7 — went back to school. The siblings will spend the year at Lambrook School, their last year attending together before George ages out — and Prince William’s alma mater of Eton College is widely viewed as the front-runner for where George could enroll next year.
