Royal Family returns to normal duties as mourning period ends

The monarchy are returning to official duties as the period of royal mourning ends.

Flags at royal residences will remain at half-mast until 8am today.

The Prince and Princess of Wales will visit Wales for the first time since taking up their titles.

The royal family has only carried out official duties where appropriate since the death of the Queen on 8 September, and its members have dressed in black as a mark of respect when in public.

From today they will be able to carry out their normal official roles in full after observing the seven-day period of mourning.

William and Kate will spend the day travelling the length of Wales. They will first visit Holyhead in Anglesey in the north, then travel to Swansea in the south west.

The royal couple had promised to visit at the earliest opportunity following the death of the Queen to begin "deepening the trust and respect" they have for the people of Wales.

The last official visit the pair made to Wales was at Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Cardiff Castle in June, where rehearsals for the Platinum Jubilee concert were taking place.

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King Charles carried out one official engagement during royal mourning by holding a telephone audience with Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng on Thursday evening, the eve of his tax-cutting mini budget.

The Prince and Princess of Wales praised volunteers and operational staff they met at Windsor that day for their efforts at events surrounding the Queen's committal service.

The King travelled to Scotland soon after the Queen's funeral last Monday and could remain at his home of Birkhall into early October, following the tradition set by the late monarch.

The Queen typically spent around 10 weeks at her Scottish home during the summer and returned to London around the time the autumn session of Parliament began.