After enjoying a relaxing summer family vacation at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, Prince William is headed back to work. One of the upcoming engagements on his calendar is an international solo trip with a sentimental meaning. Today, Kensington Palace confirmed William will visit the coastal town of Llanelli in South Wales on September 10.
During his visit, the heir will celebrate Welsh sport and culture and spend time with locals. His itinerary will see him drop into Swiss Valley Community Primary School to meet students who participated in the 2024 Urdd Eisteddfod, a week-long festival that celebrates Welsh language and culture. William, in his role as patron, will also pay a visit to the Wales Air Ambulance headquarters during Air Ambulance Week. The prince will conclude his visit at Parc y Scarlets, the stadium of the Scarlets Rugby Union team. There, he will celebrate the history and future of the women’s team, support the Welsh Rugby Union’s “Missing Caps” campaign, and meet the current international squad, which will play in the 2025 World Cup.
William was bestowed the title Prince of Wales (his wife, Kate Middleton, taking on Princess of Wales) by his father, King Charles III, back in September 2022, as part of the monarch’s first speech as sovereign. Prince of Wales is the traditional title for the male heir to the throne, dating all the way back to 1301.
Upon taking on the title, William vowed to do things differently from his father. He forwent the investiture ceremony for his Prince of Wales role, unlike his father, who was crowded at 20 years old by Queen Elizabeth in 1969. Instead, William and Kate commemorated the event by visiting Wales shortly after Elizabeth’s death on September 8, 2022.
A royal source told People at the time that the royal couple were focusing on “deepening the trust and respect of the people of Wales over time.”
“The Prince and Princess of Wales will approach their roles in the modest and humble way they’ve approached their work previously,” the source added.
William last visited Wales in July. He returned to RAF Valley for the first time since being named Royal Honorary Air Commodore of the Royal Air Force station by Charles in August 2023. William also worked as a RAF search and rescue pilot at the station from 2010-2013.
Before then, William visited Wrexham in northeast Wales in March, where he met with Welsh school children, chatted with Wrexham AFC soccer players at Racecourse Ground Stadium, and pulled a pint of beer at Turf Pub.