While the world watches with baited breath to find out exactly what Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s roles within the royal family will look like from now on, the other senior members of The Firm have been out and about putting on a brave face in front of the cameras.
Just hours after he emerged from a crisis meeting with The Queen, Prince Charles and Prince Harry to talk about the Sussex family’s future, Prince William was back on duty for an official awards ceremony at Buckingham Palace, presenting Investiture Awards to esteemed Britons.
The Duke of Cambridge presented MBE (Member of the British Empire) awards, OBE (Order of the British Empire) awards and knighted several honourees at the formal ceremony, including deaf actor Alex Duguid, who is the star of popular UK TV shows Emmerdale and Coronation Street.
Prince William presented Alex with an MBE and congratulated him for his service to the deaf community.
During the awards ceremony, the Duke used British Sign Language to communicate with the actor, signing “Congratulations Alex”, to which the star replied, “Thank you”.
You can watch a clip of the wonderful moment in the video player above.
Prince William used sign language to communicate with a deaf actor during an awards ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
(Credit: Getty)The official Kensington Palace Instagram account wrote a heartwarming tribute to Alex on Wednesday, alongside a video of his interaction with William.
“He [Alex] is an example of how profoundly deaf people can have an impact on their community, their peers and their country. He is passionate about BSL [British Sign Language] and the need to promote and protect it,” Kensington Palace wrote on Instagram.
“Alex has spent the past thirty years giving up his time raising hundred of thousands of pounds towards community projects benefiting South Tyneside’s deaf community, and teaching BSL classes through the organisation Signature, helping hundreds of people communicate with deaf people.”
WATCH BELOW: The video that proves Prince William and Duchess Catherine are more in love than ever. Story continues after video.
Other incredible Britons acknowledged for their contributions to British society during the ceremony included priest Father Brian D’Arcy, presented with an OBE for his work on Cross Community Relations in Northern Ireland, former England cricket captain Sir Andrew Strauss, who was knighted for services to sport.
An MBE was presented to Margaret and William Foster, who have fostered 183 children over 34 years, as well as musician Mia Matangi, who goes by the stage name M.I.A, who funded Youth Action International’s work to help youth break out of cycles of violence and poverty in war torn African communities.
