Prince William says he was 'choked up' by tributes from royal fans

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It has been a tough couple of weeks for the royal family, and now Prince William has opened up about how he felt after seeing the many tributes to his late grandma, Queen Elizabeth II.

The Prince of Wales made the comments during his first royal engagement since the monarch's state funeral on Monday.

Along with his wife Kate Middleton, he attended Windsor Guildhall on Thursday to thank volunteers who helped during the Queen's funeral when thousands of members of the public came to pay their respects to the late Queen.

However, it was one Paddington Bear tribute that seemed to move the Prince up the most.

Paddington Bear made an appearance with the Queen during her Platinum Jubilee this summer, and fans watched as she announced to the world that she, too, kept a marmalade sandwich in her handbag - a funny sketch which opened the Jubilee concert and touched the hearts of the nation.

Talking to the volunteers this week, he said that when he saw the pictures and cuddly toys left outside Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, he 'choked up'.

After William and Kate's appearance at Windsor, they posted their first video on Instagram since the announcement of the Queen's passing.

The video, which showed the highlights of their visit, was shared to thank volunteers. It reads: 'Thank you to all those who have worked so tirelessly to ensure that everyone visiting Windsor over the past two weeks has had a safe and positive experience.'

(Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

The clip has had over 35,000 views since it was posted, and goes on to say: 'It was a pleasure to meet just a small number of staff and volunteers today - we are hugely grateful for all of your efforts.'

The official mourning period continues for the royals until next week, meaning that many of the royals - including William and Kate - have cancelled several engagements. However, it seems Prince William will be heading stateside at the end of the year.

The royal couple will travel to Boston in December to attend the Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony, an initiative set up by William to provide environmentalists across the globe with the funds to support their ongoing work.

Sarah Finley
Sarah is a freelance journalist - writing about the royals and celebrities for Marie Claire, fitness for Women's Health and Tech Radar and travel for the Evening Standard and Woman & Home. She covers a variety of other subjects too and loves interviewing leaders and innovators in the beauty, travel and wellness worlds for numerous UK and overseas publications. Sarah can normally be found trying out the latest fitness class or on a plane to an exotic destination - and of course, writing about them.