William wraps arm around Kate as they meet troops involved in Queen's funeral

The Prince and Princess of Wales travelled to Surrey on Friday to meet with service personnel ahead of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral on Monday.

William and Catherine were greeted by troops at the Pirbright Army Training Centre near Woking, as Britain’s service men and women prepare to play a pivotal role in the Queen's funeral on Monday.

Armed Forces from Britain and the Commonwealth will accompany the Queen’s funeral procession ahead of her state funeral at 11am on Monday, September 19, at Westminster Abbey.

More than 1,000 Royal Navy sailors and Royal Marines will join the procession, bidding a final farewell to their beloved Commander-in-Chief.

William, 40, wrapped his arm around his wife as they spoke to troops in a rare touching moment between the couple. As senior working royals, and the first in line to the throne, it is rare for Kate and William to show affection whilst on public appearances.

The King's eldest son, who served served for more than seven years as a search and rescue pilot in the military, wore some of his medals on his chest for the visit.

Kate, 40, wore an elegant and respectful black long coat by Catherine Walker, previously worn the Remembrance Sunday service in 2020. She has had the coat altered in the past two years, by removing the military-style fringed epaulettes.

The mother-of-three also wore a Lock & Co. Abney Hat worn at the Remembrance Sunday service in 2018, and a pair of pearl earrings.

William and Kate, both 40, spoke with addition service personnel from the Commonwealth who have been deployed to the UK in order to take part in the funeral of the Queen, including troops from Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The royal couple represented senior members of the Royal Family as the King and Queen Consort travelled to Cardiff for Charles’ first official Wales visit as the new monarch.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have taken on several public-facing roles in the week since the death of the Queen.

The couple visited Her Majesty’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk on Thursday, to greet well wishers and visit flowers laid in honour of the late Queen.

Kate admitted to one visiter that the Royal Family is “very tired” at the moment, but revealed that “the crowds and peoples’ support is keeping us going.”

William also revealed to another well-wisher that walking behind the Queen’s coffin at the London procession on Wednesday brought back memories of walking behind his mother’s coffin at her funeral 25 years ago when he was a teenager.

Elsewhere, the Queen continues to lie in state at Westminster Hall in London before her funeral on Monday.

Mourners are able to queue 24 hours a day to pay their respects while three ceremonial units, the Gentlemen at Arms, the Royal Company of Archers and the Yeomen of the Guard stand guard in a 24-hour vigil, switching places every 20 minutes.

The lying-in-state will end at 6.30am on Monday before the funeral at 11am. A national two-minute silence will be held as the service draws to a close just before midday.

Watch: Moment Kate holds well-wisher's hand during Sandringham visit to view Queen's flowers