Kate Middleton and Prince William Play Major Role in State Visit as They Welcome President of Korea

Kate Middleton and Prince William are leading the royal welcome for a special state visit.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, both 41, kicked off a day of royal pageantry by welcoming the President of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, and his wife, First Lady Kim Keon Hee, to London as they started a two-day tour in the U.K.

Princess Kate continued her tradition of flag dressing — wearing the colors of the country she's visiting or hosting. She sported a hat by Jane Taylor and a new bespoke red wool cape by Catherine Walker & Co. While it looks like a bow on the cape, the bow detail is from the dress from the same designer underneath, which is a re-wear of the one she wore at her Christmas carol concert two years ago.

And in a nod to the blue on Korea's flag, the royal wore her a pair of sapphire and diamond drop earrings that previously belonged to her late mother-in-law Princess Diana (a jewelry repeat from just last week, which perfectly complements their shared engagement ring).

Prince William and Princess Kate met the presidential couple at their hotel in London. They then traveled together to Horse Guards Parade, where they joined King Charles and Queen Camilla for the ceremonial welcome, which included two ceremonial gun salutes (at Green Park and the Tower of London) of 41 shots sounding across the city.

After a royal salute, the Republic of Korea’s national anthem was played and the president, accompanied by King Charles, carried out the official inspection by walking along the Guard of Honour of F Company Scots Guards.

The formal ceremony ended with the president and first lady joining King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate in a carriage procession along The Mall to Buckingham Palace. The King and the president rode back to the palace in the Irish State Coach while the Queen and first lady took the Australian State Coach. The Prince and Princess of Wales were in the Scottish State Coach with Choo Kyungho, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance. 

Back at Buckingham Palace, they were met by a second Guard of Honour of the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards. The King and Queen will host a viewing of a special exhibition in the Picture Gallery of items from the Royal Collection relating to the Republic of Korea and a private lunch for their guests.

Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife will later take part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Korean War Memorial to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the war before they partake in another traditional stop-off for any incoming state visit: a trip to Westminster Abbey, where tribute will be made in the form of a wreath laying at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior.

Later, royal watchers will be treated to a glittering array of jewels and tiaras on show at the state banquet staged in the ballroom at Buckingham Palace.

This is the second state visit that King Charles has hosted since he became monarch in September 2022. The first was the occasion when the President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa came to London a year ago.

Prince William and Princess Kate's key role in welcoming their guests mirrors when they did the same thing to welcome President Ramaphosa.

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The day after Queen Elizabeth's death in Sept. 2022, King Charles made William and Kate the new Prince and Princess of Wales, recognizing their seniority in the family and signaling their critical roles ahead.

“Charles is leading the way for them already, and [William and Kate] are both involved in decision-making behind the scenes. They are ready and willing to do the job — and Kate is very much a part of that,” a friend of the princess recently told PEOPLE.

In the last year, the Prince and Princess of Wales have forged ahead with work that will be central to their lives for decades to come. Princess Kate has taken her early childhood initiative to a new public level with Shaping Us, a campaign focused on kids under age 5, while Prince William is concentrating on a new homelessness project, Homewards. He has been increasing his global role, too, meeting President Joe Biden in Boston last December and traveling to the border between Poland and Ukraine in March.