On their second day in Scotland, William and Catherine will be shown around an ancient woodland by the Mull and Iona Ranger Service, discussing the Prince’s passion for conservation and the Princess’s commitment to education. Later in the day, the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay will join a group of local school children for some outdoor activities – an engagement reminiscent of Catherine’s recent outing to Lake Windermere with the Scouts.
A royal visit might be considered quite the logistical undertaking for a community like the Isle of Iona, which just 170 people call home. Fortunately, the island receives nearly 130,000 tourists a year, with holidaymakers looking to witness a more traditional way of life. That, Kensington Palace said in an official statement, is what Prince William and Catherine are hoping to focus on during their visit – ‘a powerful model for fostering a more loving, empathetic, and compassionate society through deeper connections with our surroundings and engaging more in shared endeavours.’
The Princess of Wales’s last overnight royal engagement was in October 2023, when she travelled to Marseille for the Rugby World Cup
Michael Steele – World Rugby/Getty Images
It may well feel like a milestone occasion for the Prince and Princess of Wales, marking as it does Catherine’s first official overnight engagement since she announced that she had been diagnosed with cancer in March 2024. The last time that the mother of three undertook an overnight royal visit was in October 2023, when she attended a Rugby World Cup match between England and Fiji in France.