Prince William's top secret meeting before Kate Middleton's return to the spotlight

The future King paid a secret visit to MI6 in June 2024 - just two days before his wife Princess Kate made her highly-anticipated appearance at a major royal event

The Prince of Wales held a secret meeting as his wife Princess Kate prepared to step back into the spotlight for the first time in months.

Kate delighted royal watchers when she joined the royal family at the Trooping the Colour in June 2024. It was the first time she had attended a public engagement since sharing the news of her cancer diagnosis.

And while preparations for her return were underway, her husband took a secret meeting with the British Secret Intelligence Service, MI6.

The trip was not publicised in advance and only later appeared in the Court Circular, the daily list of official royal engagements, which is published the next day. The entry simply read: "The Prince of Wales this afternoon visited the Secret Intelligence Service" with no location or additional details given.

MI6 deals with foreign intelligence and protects the UK from risks abroad. William has visited on a number of occasions.

There are close ties between the royal family and the British Secret Intelligence Service. Both the late Queen and King Charles attended in the past, and in 2019, William spent three weeks quietly working with each of the UK's Intelligence Services – MI5, MI6 and GCHQ.

According to the Telegraph, the future King spent his time at MI6 learning in detail the reality of its network of spies and handlers tasked with gathering foreign intelligence to protect Britain.

A spokesman said the Prince had seen first-hand how staff at the service, made famous around the world by the fictional James Bond franchise, "identify and exploit opportunities as well as navigate risks to its national security, military effectiveness and economy from those who wish the UK harm".

It's thought he also took part in training exercises for new recruits, in which they practise identifying which threats to investigate and map out how to do so.

William's second week was spent with MI5, and was focused on how they run counter terrorism investigations on home soil using "analysis and surveillance". Security sources told The Sunday Telegraph that the Duke was given an overview of the powers the service has and the tools at their disposal when investigating alleged terrorism.

His third and final week, meanwhile, was spent on assignment at GCHQ in Cheltenham. The Government Communications Headquarters is an intelligence and security organisation responsible for providing signals intelligence and information assurance to the government and armed forces of the United Kingdom. During his placement, William "spent time with those using cutting-edge technology, technical ingenuity and wide-ranging partnerships to identify, analyse and disrupt threats".

William later said of his experience working with MI5, MI6 and GCHQ: "Spending time inside our security and intelligence agencies, understanding more about the vital contribution they make to our national security, was a truly humbling experience.

"These agencies are full of people from everyday backgrounds doing the most extraordinary work to keep us safe. They work in secret, often not even able to tell their family and friends about the work they do or the stresses they face."

He added: "They are driven by an unrivalled patriotism and dedication to upholding the values of this country. We all owe them deep gratitude for the difficult and dangerous work they do."