Prince William sips gin and cider with aunt Sophie on rare joint outing
Prince William and his aunt Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh let loose as they raised a toast by sampling local gin and cider at the Royal Cornwall Show today
Prince William and his aunt Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, joined forces for a rare royal outing together. The duo stepped out at the Royal Cornwall Show today - an agricultural show organised by The Royal Cornwall Agricultural Association.
Both senior royals have a long history with the association, as William is patron of the association, while Sophie is the vice president. The Royal Cornwall Show, which was established in 1793, celebrates the best of Cornish heritage and tradition through agriculture, food, entertainment, and competition in order to promote and support future improvement in agriculture and the community at large.
Things started with a bang for the royals as they made their way to the Royal Cornwall Food and Farming Pavilion, where they sampled some of the best food and drink that artisans across Cornwall have to offer.
One stop on their culinary journey was to a local gin distillery stand, where William and Sophie drank shots from the independent brand, with William showing a startled impression and grasping his neck over the strong spirit. The strength of the gin didn't slow them down, as they were later seen having a cheers and indulging in a pint together.
Sophie and William then split up to tour parts of the show separately, as the Prince of Wales, also known as the Duke of Cornwall, headed to the Duchy of Cornwall hub.
William met with representatives from various local charities and groups who are the focus of the Royal Cornwall Show, with the event highlighting the importance of mental health support.
The Prince of Wales has long made mental health a focus of his royal work and puts his passion into action through programming to help support the mental health of the Duchy of Cornwall's farming tenants.
William then visited the Local Nature Partnership – Regenerative/Agricultural, an educational hub organised by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Nature Partnership and Cornwall Council.
While William was at the farm show, Sophie spent time with LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) and the Girl Guides, two organisations she has long supported as a patron.
The Duchess of Edinburgh also checked out a fun feature of the festival by seeing cattle, pigs, and sheep in the surrounding countryside.
While William and Sophie are not often seen as a duo at royal engagements, their shared passions and philanthropic efforts have occasionally brought the two together at various outings.
The pair enjoyed another day out together in June 2023 at The Royal Foundation's screening of Rhino Man hosted by United for Wildlife. At the time, Kensington Palace said Sophie was "delighted to join the Prince of Wales at the event this evening to show her support for United for Wildlife," which he created in 2013.
Cameras also caught a sweet moment between the pair last year at Trooping the Colour in June 2024, when Sophie put her hand on William's back as the royal family left the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
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