William went three times in November to The Passage – a charity he first visited with Princess Diana in 1993 before becoming its royal patron last February. The Prince, 38, worked with other volunteers preparing hot meals for people who had been moved off the streets and into emergency hotel rooms. He also spent time at two of the charity’s residential projects in London, where he served food and chatted to residents.
Mick Clarke, chief executive of the charity, which provided 70,000 meals during the first two lockdowns, said: “We were delighted to welcome our royal patron, the Duke of Cambridge, as a volunteer.
“Volunteers are, and always will be, the lifeblood of our organisation.”
In October William wrote a foreword for A Taste Of Home, a celebrity cookbook published to raise money for the charity.
He said at the time: “I am the first one to admit that I am not an excellent chef.”
Meanwhile it has emerged that the Queen has cancelled all garden parties at Buckingham Palace and Holyroodhouse this year as coronavirus plays havoc with royal plans.
Palace officials pulled the plug on the late spring and early summer garden parties in London and Edinburgh after England entered its third national lockdown.
It is the second consecutive year that the four main garden parties have been cancelled due to the pandemic. They usually host a total of 32,000 guests in recognition of their service to the nation.
Officials were worried that deadlines to sign contracts to stage the events were approaching and it was impossible to plan them with any certainty.
They will not be the only royal appointments called off this year.
The Queen will once again be forced to postpone investitures and cancel receptions and other events amid fears that such gatherings will spread the virus. Palace officials have refused to say if the Queen, who will be 95 in April, will be inoculated against the virus but it is almost certain that she will.
Even then, there is still a risk that others who have not received jabs might spread the virus at large events.
The new lockdown has also dashed any hopes the Queen might have had of spending part of the winter at Sandringham. She and Prince Philip, 99, are expected to remain at Windsor Castle surrounded by a small bubble of staff.
They are likely to still be there on February 6, the Queen’s accession day when she completes 69 years on the throne.
The restrictions have also thrown into doubt any ideas of marking her 95th birthday on April 21 in public.
Prince Philip’s 100th birthday on June 10 may be celebrated privately, while Trooping the Colour, Chelsea Flower Show, Royal Ascot and Garter Day at Windsor will be difficult to plan.
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall are likely to remain at Highgrove, their country retreat in Gloucestershire.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will stay at Anmer Hall on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, where they will once again combine remote duties with home-schooling Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, five, and two-year-old Prince Louis.
Last year, the Royal Family cut the number of engagements they undertook by more than half compared with 2019 because of the pandemic.
Another lockdown also means further financial losses from tourist visits. The Royal Collection, the department of the Royal Household that oversees visits to residences, has so far lost at least £64million.
