LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate visited a picturesque Scottish island on Tuesday to celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary and carry out their highest-profile joint trip this year.
William, the heir to the throne, married Kate Middleton, as she was then called, on April 29, 2011, in Westminster Abbey in a ceremony watched by millions around the world.
They had met a decade earlier when they were both students at the University of St Andrews on Scotland’s east coast.
Rather than marking the occasion at home, the Prince and Princess of Wales, one of the world’s most glamorous couples, returned to Scotland for a two-day visit to the Isles of Mull and Iona, part of the Hebrides archipelago off the west coast.
They began the trip in the town of Tobermory, famed for its brightly coloured houses which overlook the harbour, looking relaxed as they beamed and waved to a crowd of well-wishers to the strains of a bagpiper in the background.
They visited a community hub before strolling through an artisan market where they chatted to stallholders and posed for pictures with locals.
On X, the couple shared pictures greeting the community, including producers at the local market, and thanked them for the “warm welcome and a brilliant afternoon spent in Tobermory”.
They also said they were proud to support the renovation of Aros Hall, a venue hosting community events.
British media reported that following their official duties, they would spend their anniversary at a small, isolated self-catered cottage on Mull, famed for its dramatic and beautiful scenery.
The trip is a rare joint public outing for the couple, who have three children – George, 11, Charlotte, 9, and Louis, 7 – since Kate underwent preventative chemotherapy for cancer, for which she is now in remission.
“Scotland is incredibly important to me and will always have a special place in my heart,” William, who as heir to the British throne holds the title Lord of the Isles, said back in 2021.
“George, Charlotte and Louis already know how dear Scotland is to both of us… We have no doubt they will grow up sharing our love and connection to Scotland.”
(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Gareth Jones)
