KATE MIDDLETON AND PRINCE WILLIAM MAKE FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE SINCE PRINCE HARRY'S BOOK RELEASE
Kate Middleton and Prince William stepped out on Thursday morning for their first official event of 2023 — and their first outing since the publication of Prince Harry's groundbreaking memoir, Spare.
Their visit to Liverpool and the surrounding area came two days after the publication of the book, which was also accompanied by a massive publicity push, including in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE in this week's issue.
The theme of the day for the Prince and Princess of Wales was to highlight the work being done by those working in healthcare and mental health support services. The couple wanted to thank healthcare staff for their ongoing contribution through the harsh winter months.
They began the day at the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital, coordinating in navy and green ensembles. As Prince William and Princess Kate arrived, they waved to onlookers and didn't answer reporters' shouted questions about their reaction to Prince Harry's memoir — although it's hard to tell if they could even hear the asks over the blustering wind.
The medical facility, which opened in October 2022, is a state-of-the-art hospital that replaced another that had served the community for about 40 years. It is the biggest in the U.K. to provide all patients with single en-suite bedrooms.
With 640 beds, including 40 critical care beds for patients in the intensive care unit and high-dependency unit, the Royal Liverpool Hospital hosts many specialist services and focuses on complex planned care.
Prince William and Princess Kate, who celebrated her 41st birthday on Monday, visited a ward to see firsthand the gleaming new facilities, and they met staff who have been working at the hospital during the busy winter. Some of them may have been familiar faces, as William had talked to some of the critical care team over a video call three years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Also among those meeting William and Kate were support staff and mental health first aiders who are based at the hospital. As they prepared to leave the hospital, they posed for selfies with around 20 hospital staff, volunteers and visitors.
"They were so welcoming. They were so warm and friendly," ophthalmic imaging technician Amber Otto who caught up with the couple and snapped photos with both Kate and William, tells PEOPLE. "Even when they were being rushed out, they made sure they made time for everybody."
She added that it was great to have the couple visit the hospital during their day visiting the area. "The Princess asked me what I did," Otto says. "They were talking to as many people as possible."