The face of a boy wearing a plaster cast lit up as Prince William bent down and penned his autograph on it today during a royal visit. The prince stepped onto the beach at Newquay as part of a two-day set of engagements in the Duchy of Cornwall.

The Prince of Wales arrived in the south-west today (May 9) where he spent some time before his onward travels to the Isle of Scilly tomorrow. The two-day stint, away from Princess Kate who is recovering privately from cancer treatment, has been viewed as a positive move.

Royal fans believe his time away from his family, especially an overnight stay away from home, can only mean Kate is in good hands and is making progress in her treatment.

But despite the Waleses’ personal troubles, William made the day of a boy on the beach when he secretly took out a pen and began signing a plaster cast in Newquay.

The cast, on what appears to the the child’s right hand, covered his hand. The prince quickly said: “Shhh, don’t tell anyone. I’m not meant to do that!”

William’s trip to Newquay was to view a site in Nansledan to see a new housing project being built to address the issue of homelessness. It is the first of its kind for the Duchy, a title which William inherited from his father when Charles became the King in 2022.

Inspired by William’s Homewards initiative, which aims to tackle homelessness across the UK, the housing will be delivered in partnership with local charity St Petrocs. It aims to provide 24 homes with wraparound support for those dealing with homelessness.

Focusing on his own personal projects and passions, Prince William has publicly ignored the fact that brother Harry is back in the UK. The pair had not been tipped to meet as tensions between them continue.

It seems Prince Harry’s celebratory Invictus Games anniversary service came at a bad time for both William and the King, whose diary was “too full” to slot in a meeting with his Stateside son.

Prince Harry is tipped to join wife Meghan in Nigeria towards the latter end of this week, with details of his return flight to California unknown. Meanwhile, King Charles has not let the drama of Harry’s return interfere with his return to work.

The King was all smiles and jokes as he greeted people at a military school in Wiltshire earlier today, admitting he was “allowed out of his cage”, in a subtle nod to his cancer recovery.