Prince William and Princess Kate make surprise Windsor street party appearance

The Prince and Princess of Wales have thrilled crowds with a surprise appearance at a Windsor street party celebrating King Charles’ coronation. 

According to news.com.au, the royal duo got out of their car for a Coronation Big Lunch along the Long Walk leading up to Windsor Castle and were greeted by a crowd of hundreds who cheered as they arrived. 

Mingling with the commoners, it has been reported that at one point Prince William was handed a paper cup with an unknown liquid which he sipped from before passing it to his wife. 

“Oh, that’s lovely,” was the Princess of Wales’ alleged response. 

The prince was also snapped holding a can of King’s Coronation Ale as he chatted to the group of street partygoers. 

They spent around 45 minutes with fans including a young girl who, reportedly overwhelmed with emotion at seeing the prince and princess in the flesh, was comforted with a hug from Kate. 

The princess was dressed in a powder-blue blazer and simple white T-shirt - a relaxed look compared to her glamorous dress at the coronation. 

The unexpected appearance follows a similar move on Saturday, ahead of the King’s coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey. 

As the King surprised cheering fans who started gathering outside Buckingham Palace, William and Kate also greeted the public during the walkabout, talking to fans on the opposite side of The Mall, posing for selfies and chit-chatting. 

According to news.com.au, at one point a woman asked Kate: “How are the kids doing? Are they very excited?” 

The princess replied: “Excited, a bit nervous, obviously – a big day ahead. But can’t wait, actually,” she responded, before joking: “Hopefully it’s like swans – relatively calm on the outside, a bit paddle-y on the inside.” 

Elsewhere across the UK, fellow royals also reportedly joined street parties including Princess Anne who stepped out at a street party in Swindon, Wiltshire, 110km west of London. 

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh also rocked up to a party in Cranleigh where they sampled local coronation treats and met with business owners from the area. 

The royal pop ups come as Britain prepares for the King’s Coronation Concert which kicks off on Sunday night in the UK (7am today NZT) and will be broadcast tonight in New Zealand at 8pm on TVNZ1. 

Headlined by “iconic mess” Katy Perry, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli will perform a duet with opera singer Sir Bryn Terfel, while the line-up also includes pianist Alexis Ffrench and singer-songwriter Freya Ridings. 

Lionel Richie and Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen of Take That will also perform. 

Prince William was filmed telling punters while he assumes there will be a few Richie fans he’s most looking forward to seeing Perry. 

Meanwhile, the Prince and Princess of Wales have shared a behind the scenes video from their coronation day. 

New footage showing their family as they left their Kensington Palace home for King Charles' coronation at Westminster Abbey, along with a special glimpse into how they spent their day. 

The video opens with father-of-three William leading his daughter Princess Charlotte, eight, and her brother Prince Louis, five, out of their home and into the vehicles that took them to the service. 
 
It also includes special moments such as the procession to the Abbey, where Charlotte, Louis and their older brother Prince George, nine, can be seen waving to onlookers from their carriage, and the flypast on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. 

The video was posted on their Twitter and Instagram accounts with the caption: "What. A. Day. Thank you to everyone who made it happen #Coronation." 
 
They also retweeted a message from the Royal Air Force which shared pictures of key moments from the afternoon. 
 
William wrote: "Noted the rotary crews did the heavy lifting… perfect flying conditions if you ask me! A big thank you to everyone for making today happen. W." 

Meanwhile, William's brother Prince Harry, 38, travelled to Heathrow Airport immediately after the coronation. 
 
According to The Sun, Harry's car was seen being escorted by a police motorcade in the direction of the airport. 
 
He was then taken into the VIP Windsor Suite at Terminal 5 ahead of his flight home to his family in California. 

This article was first published by the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission. Additional reporting by Bang! Showbiz