This royal loves surprises

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Buckingham Palace always knows how to keep us on our toes.

The latest update? The palace just shared exclusive photos of a recent event at St Andrew’s Youth Club in Westminster, and there was a very special surprise guest who made a visit: King Charles’s brother, Prince Edward, The Duke of Edinburgh. According to the update shared by Buckingham, the Duke visited as part of Mental Health Awareness Week, and the visit consisted of a range of wellbeing-focused activities that included baking, mindful colouring and essential oil blending. What’s more, he also had the opportunity to attend an under-9s football match for some sporting action afterwards. Activities like these are especially important to the royal, as he is a patron of the St Andrew’s Youth Club charity, a role he’s held since 2020 when he took the reins from his father.

Now, it isn’t unusual for the prince to attend a public outing, but it is rare and surprising that he is the sole focus of an Instagram post on King Charles’s dedicated Instagram feed (Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Catherine are much more likely to appear). Also, this isn’t the first time this year Prince Edward made an appearance for his charitable initiatives. This past February, he made a stop at Mumbai Stadium to meet with the students who are participating in his international award program, IAYP India, which is a cause committed to encouraging prospective students in the country to reach their full potential

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A few days later, the palace shared more photos of Prince Edward’s India trip where he was joined by his wife, Sofie, the Duchess of Edinburgh. This included a visit to the Bhaktapur Hospital Maternity Wing where, according to the organization, they learned about maternal health and newborn care.

Playing volleyball and watching a football match with Prince Edward certainly sounds like a memorable experience, and I predict we’ll be seeing a lot more of these appearances from him throughout the remainder of 2025.