Prince William steps out following wife Kate's announcement

One day after his wife made her first public appearance of the year, the Prince of Wales undertook his first public engagement of 2025. Prince William traveled to Birmingham on Wednesday to attend the inaugural Emergency and Critical Care Conference. 

The heir to the throne spoke about his "lifelong motivation to do all" that he "can to support" the community during a speech at the event. "Often referred to as the 'Swiss Army Knife' of frontline healthcare, paramedics and those in the emergency services are adaptable, multiskilled and crucially, know how to work under pressure. This pressure is something I was all too familiar with during my time as a pilot for RAF Search and Rescue and for the East Anglian Air Ambulance," William said, noting that his "time in these roles allowed me to better understand the day-to-day challenges that you all face and gave me the lifelong motivation to do all I can to support your community."

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The Prince added, "It is not just another job. Every day provides unpredictable challenges. Every shout is a journey into the unknown. Every split second decision, has immeasurable impact on so many people."

It was revealed on Jan. 15 that His Royal Highness has become patron of the College of Paramedics. In his remarks at the conference, William said, "I am so proud to become Patron of an organisation which is committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of paramedics and fostering an environment where all paramedics can thrive. In this country, we owe an enormous debt of gratitude to our emergency services. As paramedics in whatever guise, your work uniquely places tremendous demands upon you and I cannot thank you enough for all that you do. Thank you."

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The Prince's engagement on Wednesday came the day after the Princess of Wales visited The Royal Marsden, which is where she received chemotherapy treatment. Following her visit, Catherine announced in a message thanking the hospital that she is in remission.  

"I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you to The Royal Marsden for looking after me so well during the past year. My heartfelt thanks goes to all those who have quietly walked alongside William and me as we have navigated everything. We couldn’t have asked for more," Her Royal Highness penned. "The care and advice we have received throughout my time as a patient has been exceptional. In my new role as Joint Patron of The Royal Marsden, my hope is, that by supporting groundbreaking research and clinical excellence, as well as promoting patient and family wellbeing, we might save many more lives, and transform the experience of all those impacted by cancer."

The Princess continued, "It is a relief to now be in remission and I remain focussed on recovery. As anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis will know, it takes time to adjust to a new normal. I am however looking forward to a fulfilling year ahead. There is much to look forward to. Thank you to everyone for your continued support. C."