Prince Edward and Duchess Sophie delighted royal fans in Staffordshire today with their joint appearance. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh are back to work this week after a mini holiday break in Switzerland.

They were pictured enjoying a skiing holiday in St Moritz. But today, they visited The Right Stuff Amateur Boxing Club – a female-only Olympic boxing club in Stafford.

Sophie and Edward were pictured laughing with members of staff as well as speaking to the young athletes during their visit which aimed to highlight the importance of youth and community development initiatives.

Edward was pictured steading a punchbag for a young boxer during the visit.

The royal used his weight to hold the red heavy-duty bag in place for 11-year-old Lacey Douglas as the youngster showed off her right.

Meanwhile, Sophie looked stylish in an ivory Joseph Lima double face cashmere coat which she paired with Reis’ Fallon wool blend roll-neck dress in oatmeal. She accessorised the look with a pair of brown suede boots by Gianvito Rossi, the Isabel Marant Oskan Moon shoulder bag in brown and a pair of diamond earrings by Amrapali.

Later in the day, Edward is scheduled to attend the 10th Anniversary of the Staffordshire Police Cadets at the Staffordshire Police Headquarters. He is also set to visit the Rising Brook Community Church, also in Stafford.

It comes as the royal is said to be stepping up to help his brother, King Charles, as the monarch undergoes cancer treatment.

Prince Edward, who is 14th in line to the British throne, will carry out eight engagements in total this week including today, Wednesday, March 6 and Friday, March 8, ahead of celebrating his milestone 60th birthday on Sunday.

Tomorrow, Edward is set to visit Freewheelers Theatre at The Lighthouse, Parish Church Hall and Surrey Hills Community Radio, both in Leatherhead.

On Friday, both Edward and Sophie will attend an Ability rehearsal at Northern Ballet Headquarters and a performance of Romeo and Juliet at Leeds Grand Theatre, both in Leeds.

In addition to the ballet, Edward and Sophie are scheduled to attend the Community Sports Awards at Headingley Stadium, also in Leeds.