Prince William and
Kate usually make an appearance at some point during the equestrian
event, riding in the carriage procession as guests of honour before the races
kick off.
But spectators who may have
been hoping to see the Cambridges on day one of the event will have missed
them, as the Duke and Duchess were back in London carrying out a poignant
engagement.
The royals were marking the
fifth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire by attending a multi-faith service
at the west London site on Tuesday afternoon.
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Kate and William were attending a Grenfell memorial service in London
Ahead of the memorial, they
met privately with survivors of the fire and those who lost loved ones. A total
of 72 people were killed during the blaze in June 2017.
After the private meeting,
William and Kate joined the congregation at the foot of Grenfell Tower for the
moving service that included prayers, readings and choir performances.
At the end of the memorial,
they were invited to lay wreaths and flowers to pay tribute to those who lost
their lives. The service was organized by Grenfell United, an organization that
works to provide pastoral care for those affected and advocates for families to
ensure that such a tragic event is not repeated.
The organization previously
held memorial services outside the Tower site in 2018 and 2019 and during the
pandemic, it facilitated individual visits to the site for the bereaved and
survivors to lay flowers and take time to pay their respects.
While William and Kate
remained in London, other members of the royal family descended on the
Berkshire racecourse. They included Prince Charles and Camilla, who led the
procession riding in the first carriage, Princess Anne, Peter Phillips, Zara
and Mike Tindall, the Countess of Wessex, and Princess Beatrice and her husband
Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.
