Back on the Job: Prince William Pops Up at WWII Hero’s Funeral

Prince William made his second public appearance since Kate Middleton’s cancer announcement as he attended the funeral of a World War II veteran on Friday morning.

The Prince of Wales visited Hereford Cathedral to honor the life of Maj. Mike Sadler, the last remaining airman of the U.K.’s original Special Air Service (SAS) regiment, an elite task force founded in 1941. Sadler, who passed away in January at the age of 103, was a gifted navigator who used the stars to guide his comrades across large spans of North Africa. He was memorialized in the BBC drama SAS: Rogue Heroes, played by House of the Dragon actor Tom Glynne-Carney.

William joined Sadler’s family and friends to pay his respects.

A day earlier, he had toured a Surrey food distribution center and volunteered alongside workers, marking his first return to public duties following his wife’s cancer announcement. There, he was presented with get well soon cards for both Kate and King Charles by another volunteer. Caught slightly off-guard, William politely thanked the volunteer for the cards but didn’t make any comments about his family members’ health.

BBC Admits ‘Not Everyone Approved’ of Their Kate Middleton Cancer Coverage

William reportedly plans to mix in-person and online appearances as he steps up his role in the public spotlight. He’d spent three weeks out of the public eye after Kate’s bombshell cancer announcement and has slowly made his way back with these quiet appearances and social media posts in the last week.

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