Prince William and Kate Middleton Will Head Back to Wales During the Queen's Jubilee Weekend

Is this prep for becoming Prince and Princess of Wales?

Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, react during their visit to Pant Farm, a goat farm that has been providing milk to a local cheese producer for nearly 20 years, near Abergavenny, south Wales
(Image credit: Getty/Ben Birchall)

The Queen's Platinum Jubilee has been on royal fans' minds for months now, so it's hard to believe that we have less than a month to go until the celebrations officially kick off.

Between June 2 and June 6, the United Kingdom will celebrate 70 years of Queen Elizabeth II on the throne, and details are being revealed swiftly these days.

For instance, we now know that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will in fact attend the celebrations (after months of deliberations over appropriate security), bringing their children Archie and Lili with them.

Now, we also know what will be on the agenda for some of the more senior royals over the weekend (when they're not standing on the Buckingham Palace balcony, obvs).

"Over the course of the Central Weekend, Members of the Royal Family will visit the Nations of the United Kingdom to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee," Buckingham Palace said in a statement (via Town & Country). "Members of the Royal Family will attend engagements in each nation, including public events marking the occasion."

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be heading back to Wales for the occasion, where they have spent a significant amount of time in recent years—including a successful trip back in March.

This, to me—and this is pure speculation, feels deliberate: While Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles are currently Prince and Princess of Wales (yes, the Duchess of Cornwall does hold that title, but doesn't use it out of respect for Princess Diana), it's widely understood that the Cambridges will be the next to take on those roles when Charles accedes to the throne. Therefore, it makes good diplomatic sense for the younger royals to get well acquainted with the country and its people, so they can better represent it in the future.

During the Jubilee weekend, Prince Edward and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, will head to Northern Ireland, and Princess Anne will visit Scotland. While the Queen's plans weren't detailed in that particular statement, I'm pretty sure we're meant to assume she will be celebrating in England, the U.K.'s largest nation, and the monarch's home country.

Iris Goldsztajn
Morning Editor

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.