The Royal Family went back to business as usual on Tuesday following a long weekend of ceremony and celebration for the Coronation.
After millions of people across the world watched him being crowned King on Saturday, the King was back to business on a visit to a laboratory at the University of Cambridge. He was set to break ground at the university’s new Whittle laboratory and unveil a plaque to mark the occasion.
As part of the visit, His Majesty was also set to meet university staff and academics as well as leaders from the aviation industry.
The King is expected to take a break following the engagement in Cambridge and join the Queen at Sandringham to recover from the intense weekend. They are expected to remain there for the rest of the week.
Also back to work on Tuesday were the Prince and Princess of Wales, who are hosting a garden party at Buckingham Palace this evening. The Duchess of Edinburgh was also back to business with a visit to Morden College in Blackheath, of which she is a patron, while her husband Prince Edward was set to attend a dinner at Stonehage Fleming at St James’s Square for his patron charity, the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation.
It comes after the quartet all took part in Monday’s Big Help Out volunteering drive.
William told one helper at an event in Slough that his children were “so tired” after the Coronation weekend that he was worried he would have “trouble getting them up for school”.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis stole the show over the bank holiday weekend at many public events. As part of the national volunteering drive to mark the coronation, they helped out at a Scout hut in Slough.
Edward and Sophie helped at a puppy class for trainee guide dogs in Reading, while the Princess Royal attended a county civic service recognising local volunteers in Gloucester Cathedral.
Many students from London were continuing to take part in volunteering activities on Tuesday. Teenagers from Harris Westminster Sixth Form, whose school is a stone’s throw from Westminster Abbey where the Coronation ceremony took place, were volunteering at a Red Cross charity shop in Chelsea.
Principal James Handscombe said 10 students from the school’s pupil-led Action Changes Things society were spending the afternoon at the shop to do “something useful and to be part of a bigger wave of individuals taking action to change things for the better.”
It comes after the King and Queen pledged to rededicate their lives to service as the Coronation festivities came to a close last night.
In a special Coronation message, the King called the nation’s support throughout the historic celebrations “the greatest possible Coronation gift” and added “We thank you, each and every one.”
He added: “To know that we have your support and encouragement, and to witness your kindness expressed in so many different ways, has been the greatest possible Coronation gift, as we now rededicate our lives to serving the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and Commonwealth.”
The King also paid tribute to the “countless people who have given their time and dedication to ensuring that the celebrations in London, Windsor and further afield were as happy, safe and enjoyable as possible”.
Traditional official portraits marking the crowning of Charles III and Queen Camilla were also released to round off the monarchy’s landmark occasion.
The working royal family — the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Edinburghs, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, the Duke of Kent, the Gloucesters and Princess Alexandra — were also photographed standing with the King and Queen. As part of today’s visit to Cambridge University’s Whittle Laboratory, the King was set to attend a discussion on pathways to a sustainable aviation industry.
The laboratory has won £58millon of funding for its projects, which aim to bring together cutting-edge global experts to work on net zero aviation and energy.
Following the visit, and his break in Sandringham, the King is set to have a packed schedule in the run-up to summer, including the annual Order of the Garter ceremony and an expected short state visit abroad.
This could be the rescheduled trip to France which had to be cancelled at the last moment in March due to civil unrest there.
The Queen’s Reading Room charity will also stage its inaugural literary festival in June at Hampton Court Palace.
