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Mark your calendars royal fans, Prince William and Kate Middleton will be stepping out together for their first joint engagement of the fall. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit Birkenhead on Thursday, September 26. The pair will attend the naming ceremony of the UK’s new polar research ship, the RRS Sir David Attenborough, at the Cammell Laird shipyard.
Prince George's parents will be joined by English broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough, who William interviewed back in January at the World Economic Forum in Davos. According to HOLA! USA’s sister brand HELLO!, David will deliver a speech alongside William. Meanwhile, Kate will formally name the ship as a bottle of champagne is smashed against the hull.
The ship, which is one of the most advanced polar research vessels in the world, was commissioned by the UK’s Natural Environment Research Council, built by Cammell Laird, and operated by British Antarctic Survey. The RRS Sir David Attenborough will provide UK polar researchers and their international collaborators with access to a state-of-the-art multi-disciplinary research platform that will enable them to investigate the role that polar oceans play in our changing world.
The Duke and Duchess will tour the ship and meet with engineers from Cammell Laird, in addition to schoolchildren involved in British Antarctic Survey's "Polar Explorer" program, which encourages and supports schools to enrich their teaching of STEM subjects by educating pupils about polar science and the ship’s future expeditions.
Kate and William’s most recent official outing together was their daughter Princess Charlotte’s first day of school on September 5. The royal couple was pictured strolling with their little girl and son Prince George as they accompanied their children on their first day of school at Thomas’s Battersea.