The Princess in Reiss and LK Bennett for Coronation Big Lunch

The Prince and Princess of Wales surprised some of their Windsor neighbors by attending a local Coronation Big Lunch this afternoon.

As part of the Coronation weekend, neighbors and communities across the United Kingdom were invited to share food and fun together in a national act of celebration and friendship.

We learn more via this People article. 

People across the U.K. were invited to gather with neighbors for the events as part of the coronation weekend. Originally conceived by the Eden Project, the events are intended to “boost community spirit, reduce loneliness and support charities and good causes.” 

People also reported, “They spent time meeting locals — including some wearing crown headpieces! — and drank out of cups featuring Union Jack designs. And Prince William was handed a can of beer featuring King Charles!”

It turns out that it was a can of organic Coronation Ale.

A quick video. 

High fives from the Princess of Wales 🙏 pic.twitter.com/5UIVyho8eR

— HELLO! Canada (@HelloCanada) May 7, 2023

Another view of the royals.

The Mirror has more in its story about the lunch.

The Prince and Princess of Wales met with families enjoying the Big Lunch in the sunshine today, and told royal fans that Princess Charlotte was tired after making sure her brother Prince Louis behaved himself at the Coronation.

She was also reunited with Lauren Hall, CEO of The Babybank at Windsor, who she met last week and she recognised in the huge crowd.

Back to The Mirror’s piece. 

Prince William spoke to the Rock Choir who had just performed on a stage on the Long Walk and joked that Prince Louis has been enjoying listening to Led Zeppelin recently.

The royal couple also met members of the Berkshire Theatre School who had performed songs from the musical Matilda earlier in the afternoon.

William told the group: “I can see you’re in Matilda T-shirts. Charlotte loves the musical Matilda at the moment. She knows all the songs.”

More from The Telegraph’s coverage. 

Prince William and Kate delighted fans with the unannounced appearance ahead of Sunday’s star-studded Coronation concert at Windsor Castle, with thousands of street parties and Coronation Big Lunches being held across the country throughout the day. 

The couple have been mobbed by the hundreds of Windsor well wishers, shaking the hands of many, posing for selfies and having lengthy conversations.

And from the Daily Mail’s story. 

The heir to the throne also revealed that his father Charles’ neck hurt last night after wearing St Edward’s Crown, which weighs a hefty 5lbs and had to be carefully adjusted by the Archbishop of Canterbury to ensure it didn’t topple off his head.

Speaking to one group of fans, the prince said: ‘I think his neck hurt last night, having the crown…it does weigh a hell of a lot.’

Windsor is a busy spot today, as it hosts tonight’s Coronation Concert. Below, the line for attendees to get into the show.

More from this Guardian story. 

About 20,000 members of the public secured tickets for the coronation concert, which is to be hosted by Hugh Bonneville, the star of Downton Abbey and Paddington, and will feature performances by Take That, Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, Olly Murs, and Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls.

Classical acts including Andrea Bocelli, the Welsh bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel and the Chinese pianist Lang Lang are also on the bill.

Below, Mr. Bonneville backstage this afternoon.

Kensington Palace released a brief video showing Prince William at the dress rehearsal. 

Final preparations for this evening’s #Coronation Concert… 👀 pic.twitter.com/3bc8yfiiV8

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) May 7, 2023

The Prince will deliver remarks at the concert tonight.
Returning to the Big Lunch topic, other royal family members visited local street parties. Below, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh at a Big Lunch with residents and representatives from the Royal British Legion, the Scouts and the Guides, in Cranleigh village.

Princess Anne and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence visited a Big Lunch in Swindon. 

This little guy seemed very excited to give the Princess a posey. 

Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice were also on the royal Big Lunch detail.

They went to a Big Lunch in Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire.

At No. 10 Downing Street, First Lady Jill Biden and granddaughter Finnegan joined the Prime Minister and his wife, Akshata Murty, for their street party.

That is the Prime Minister’s dog, Nova, you see, cruising for a treat.

Now for our look at what Kate wore. 

She was in a new (to us) jacket , the Hollie Double-Breasted Linen Blazer ($545) by British retailer Reiss. 

The tailored garment is a blend of linen/viscose in a classic double-breasted silhouette. It features flap pockets, peak lapels, button cuffs, and a single back vent. It is available at Reiss, at Nordstrom ($545), at Saks ($545), at Bloomingdales ($545), and in limited sizes at Selfridges (from $480). Thank you to Gabi on Twitter and Danielle on Instagram for the ID!

The trousers look like they could be her Frieda Cigarette style by LK Bennett.

The Princes brought back her Veja Esplar Sneakers ($150).

The style is in stock in a mix of sizes at Net-a-Porter ($150) and Neiman Marcus ($150). 

We saw the return of the Princess’s Annoushka Baroque Pearl Drops ($480) suspended from her Classic Gold and Diamond Hoops (£1400, about $1800) by Kiki McDonough.

VIDEOS: 

ITN’s Royal Family Channel has about three minutes of coverage in this video. 

The Royal Family Channel also covers the visit by the Princess Royal and Sir Tim to Swindon. 

 And we see the visit by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh in this video.

The Telegraph’s video from Windsor. 

 The full video is available on the Monarchy’s YouTube channel for anyone who missed yesterday’s service or wants to watch it again.