What a difference a week makes. The monarchy may have been rocked to its foundations by the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and the ongoing police investigations, but the rest of the royal family was out in force, keeping calm and carrying on as they are famous for doing.
While both the Queen and Duchess of Edinburgh signalled their support for survivors of sexual violence, the King awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Awards to higher education institutions, including London Metropolitan University, which was recognised for its world-leading research unit dedicated to ending violence against women and girls. It's important to point out that these were all long-planned engagements, rather than photo opportunities hastily planned in response to the Epstein scandal.
The Queen hosted Gisèle Pelicot at Clarence House, having first written to the courageous abuse survivor last year. Sophie, meanwhile, was in Somalia and Kenya at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, in her role with its Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative.
But the royal outings that garnered the most coverage were those made by the Prince and Princess of Wales.
I think the public's reaction to them spoke volumes about how they will emerge from this huge crisis for the monarchy intact.
It was not a foregone conclusion at the start of the week, however. I was at the BAFTA Film Awards last Sunday as the future King and Queen were heckled on the red carpet by a TV journalist, who asked: "Your Royal Highnesses, is the monarchy in peril?"
Amid the noise of a booming sounds system and loud cheers from film fans lining the route, they may not have heard. I certainly didn't from my vantage point at the end of the carpet. But they must have known the atmosphere might be different given the seismic events of the previous week.
© Andrew Parsons / Kensington PalaceThey had a taste of this in 2021, in the wake of Oprah Winfrey's interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, when William was compelled to reply to a broadcaster that: "We are very much not a racist family."
The key difference now is that his uncle Andrew is under police investigation and the royal family cannot openly comment on the situation, however much they may want to.
William's off-the-cuff remark
A remark the Prince made inside, however, was widely interpreted by some as an insight into his state of mind that night.
© WireImageI was there to report it and, to give context, it was said lightly, as part of a warm and enthusiastic conversation about nominated films. Asked if he had watched the heartbreaking screen adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's novel Hamnet, William replied that he hadn't, adding: "I need to be in quite a calm state and I am not at the moment. I will save it."
Catherine, he said, had been in "floods of tears" after watching it. I can absolutely sympathise with anyone choosing to avoid a challenging watch when they are not feeling on top form, I know I do the same.
The Waleses continue to be themselves
Regardless, it gave some clue as to the strain the royal family is currently under. But on the face of it, the Prince and Princess were their ever professional selves and more than that, they were just themselves, interacting with members of the public as easily and naturally as always.
© POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesOn a visit to the renowned Crick Institute, a biomedical research centre in central London, William received a spontaneous round of applause from scientists who had come out of their labs to see what the sudden presence of the media was all about. He made the odd self-deprecating remark about needing to dust off his A-level biology and gamely wore a lab coat, gloves and glasses to join in a class for local school pupils.
But it was away from London that the couple really immersed themselves in meeting the community. In Llanidloes and Newtown, towns in Powys, mid-Wales, they were greeted with more warmth and bigger crowds than royal correspondents have seen in some time, suggesting that despite the drama of the past weeks, the couple are held in just as much affection as ever.
© Getty ImagesThere were hugs and selfies, armfuls of daffodils and at least half a dozen unplanned stops to chat, leading the day's engagements to overrun by 50 minutes. One elderly man put a reassuring hand on the heir to the throne's shoulder to tell him "God Bless" and that people were thinking of his family.
Another wellwisher told him, "The future of the monarchy is safe in your hands, sir."
After an unprecedented period of crisis for The Firm, this must have been music to his ears.
© Getty ImagesKey to this support has been the understanding that William has long sought to distance the rest of the family from his disgraced uncle's behaviour.
His close and loving partnership with Catherine also inspires confidence for the future of the monarchy. Both continue to be the most popular royals with approval ratings of 77 per cent and 74 per cent for the Prince and Princess respectively in January polling by YouGov.
If this week's "Walesmania" is anything to go by, this is a couple who are proving to be Andrew-proof.
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