Prince William and Kate Middleton make first joint engagement since lockdown
The couple have been hosting regular Zoom calls with charities and organisations during lockdown, but are now doing socially distanced visits in-person
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Your support makes all the difference.The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited two independent businesses on Friday morning to see how shop-owners were coping with reopening after lockdown.
The couple have done lots of royal engagements via video call during lockdown – speaking to mental health organisations and children of key workers – but this is a return to in-person visits.
Across England on Monday 15 June, all non-essential shops were permitted to reopen – with social distancing in place – after several months of closure.
Although it is the first joint engagement for the Cambridges since lockdown was lifted (Prince William made a solo visit to ambulance drivers in Kings Lynn on Tuesday), they visited separate shops in Norfolk.
Prince William visited Smiths the Bakers in Kings Lynn, a local, family-run bakery, which has been in business for 50 years. They reopened on Monday after 11 weeks of closure.
The Duke spoke to the owners and staff about how coronavirus restrictions have impacted them, with 80 per cent of the company’s wholesale customers closing their own operations.
The business also had to furlough a number of staff as a result of a downturn in business.
Separately the Duchess of Cambridge visited Fakenham Garden centre, which was closed for seven weeks before reopening on 15 May.
Garden centres and other outdoor businesses were permitted to open earlier than other shops.
The garden centre is near her Anmer Hall home and, as a keen gardener, the Duchess wanted to hear how the pandemic had affected the business, which first opened in 1984.
The Duchess heard more about the measures which the garden centre has implemented to ensure that customers are able to visit and shop safely.
During Prince William’s visit to ambulance workers earlier in the week, he explained how difficult he was finding social distancing.
“I’m still fighting the urge to shake hands. I’m keeping my hands by my side,” he said.
He also told the medics: “You guys have managed extremely well, organised extremely well. I imagine the complexities involved have been quite challenging.”
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