Kate admits Royal Family 'very tired' as she greets well-wishers at Sandringham
Watch: Moment Kate holds well-wisher's hand during Sandringham visit to view Queen's flowers
The Prince and Princess of Wales have travelled to Norfolk today to view flowers laid for Queen Elizabeth II at the Sandringham estate.
William and Kate greeted well wishers outside the late monarch's estate in north Norfolk who had come to pay their respects for the Queen after her death a week ago.
They walked past the hundreds of bouquets and gifts left for the late Queen, reading messages from members of the public as they went.
Kate, 40, spoke to several members of the public, and stopped to speak to one lady for several minutes as she held her hand.
Speaking to another well-wisher, the mum-of-three admitted that the Royal Family are "very tired" at the moment.
A 56-year-old woman, Amanda Horn from Norfolk, told Kate: "You look very tired". The royal mum agreed: "We are all very tired, but the crowds and peoples’ support is keeping us going."
The mother-of-three told another crowd member that her eldest child, Prince George was said to understand the loss of his great-grandmother more than his younger siblings but that they are "keeping things as normal as possible for the children."
The royal couple represented senior members of the Royal Family as the King returned to Highgrove House following a week of duties since the death of his mother.
The monarch returned to his Gloucestershire home for a day of rest, as laid out in the “London Bridge” plan. It is understood he will use the day to begin opening red boxes of state papers which contain cabinet documents and daily parliament summaries.
Much of the focus in the days since the Queen’s passing has been in Scotland, where she was staying at Balmoral at the time of her death, and London, where her coffin was transferred to on Tuesday and where Her Majesty lies in state at Westminster Hall until her state funeral on Monday.
But the Sandringham estate also held a special place in the heart of Her Majesty. It’s where the Queen was able to enjoy the simple pleasures in life such as walking the dogs and taking afternoon tea with the local Women’s Institute.
The Sandringham estate was also one of her father’s, King George VI, favourite royal estates. He and his wife, the Queen Mother, would take their two daughters on private bike rides around the 20,000-acre estate when they were younger.
Elsewhere, Thursday is the first of four full days of the Queen lying in state at Westminster Hall in London before her funeral on Monday.
Mourners are able to queue 24 hours a day to pay their respects while three ceremonial units, the Gentlemen at Arms, the Royal Company of Archers and the Yeomen of the Guard stand guard in a 24-hour vigil, switching places every 20 minutes.
The lying-in-state will end at 6.30am on Monday before the funeral.
