Prince William beams as he makes first public appearance hours after Princess Kate's video

Prince William was all smiles today as he  stepped out in South Wales for a day of engagements, just hours after his wife, Princess Kate, confirmed she will be returning to some public duties following the completion of her cancer treatment.

The Prince of Wales arrived in Llanelli to celebrate Welsh sport and culture and meet local communities.

The future King, still sporting his famous stubble, visited Swiss Valley Community Primary School to meet with pupils who took part in the 2024 Urdd Eisteddfod - a week-long festival celebrating Welsh language and culture.

William, who beamed proudly after his wife's latest health update, was warmly welcomed by crowds of people who braved the weather and gathered outside the school to give him cards and gifts following Kate's good news.

The prince sparked laughter after a child told him had a bug on him as he was greeting and thanking well-wishers.

He asked the young boy, who was a sea cadet, if he wanted to keep it, and handed it to him.

He said: "Good spot, it must have followed me here."

One of the pupils he met was 10-year-old Ruby Davies, a second-language Welsh learner, who went viral earlier this year for her enthusiastic Eisteddfod win in the individual recital category.

Ruby handed the prince a book of postcards written by the students and gave him friendship bracelets for his children.

William told her: "I've watched your video a few times Ruby. You did brilliantly, you don't seem nervous about performing on stage at all."

She replied that she was "a little bit" but also said she was "really excited".

The royal added: "It was very impressive, you're going to have to teach me how to speak Welsh."

William watched a showcase of the school’s entries to Urdd Eisteddfod and met the performers and their teachers who told him about the impact of the festival.

Swiss Valley is a Community Primary School with over 200 pupils starting at Nursery up until Year 6.

It was the first English medium school in Carmarthenshire to successfully attain the Siarter Iaith Bronze and Silver Awards for promoting the Welsh language. In recent years, the school has competed in a range of Welsh Learner Competitions at the National Urdd Eisteddfod.

William had a packed schedule today as, following the school visit, he headed to the Wales Air Ambulance headquarters to mark Air Ambulance Week and met with staff.

Later, he also visited Parc y Scarlets, the home of the Scarlets Rugby Union team, to celebrate the contribution of Welsh female rugby players in support of the Welsh Rugby Union’s "Missing Caps" campaign and ahead of the 2025 Women’s World Cup.

It comes just hours after the Princess of Wales appeared in a deeply personal video to confirm she will return to public duties following the completion of her chemotherapy course.

Princess Kate gave a heartfelt message about her cancer journey and described the past nine months since her serious health issues began as "incredibly tough for us as a family" and how the "cancer journey is complex, scary and unpredictable for everyone", with the experience giving her a "new perspective on everything."

In the video, Kate said: "Doing what I can to stay cancer-free is now my focus. Although I have finished chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must continue to take each day as it comes.

"I am however looking forward to being back at work and undertaking a few more public engagements in the coming months when I can."