Kate Middleton and Prince William Make First Joint Appearance in 3 Weeks to Champion Mental Health

Kate Middleton and Prince William are back on royal duty!

After taking a break from public outings in recent weeks to spend time with their three kids during the children's time off from school, the Prince and Princess of Wales stepped out in Scarborough on Thursday to launch funding to support young people's mental health. They will meet with local organizations that will benefit from £345,000 worth of funding, created from a collaboration between The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales and the Two Ridings Community Foundation.

Kate and Prince William, both 40, accessorized their outfits with red poppy pins. The poppy has been used since 1921 to commemorate military members who have died in wars. The red flower is primarily associated with the U.K. and Commonwealth countries for Remembrance Day on November 11, though the U.S. also uses the symbol.

Chris Jackson/Getty Images Kate Middleton and Prince William

Their first stop of the day was to The Street, a community hub that hosts local organizations to grow and develop their services. They met young people who have been supported by local community organizations to understand how grant decisions were made and learn more about how this funding will make a difference in Scarborough. The royal couple then met three local charitable organizations benefiting from the funding and see firsthand how it will make a difference in their community.

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Chris Jackson/Getty Images Kate Middleton and Prince William

"Ensuring that young people have access to a wide range of mental health support is something that The Prince and Princess of Wales feel extremely passionate about," Amanda Berry, CEO of The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales, said in a statement. "Tackling the stigma around mental health and ensuring that help is there for those who need it continues to be one of society's biggest issues."

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"The Royal Foundation is therefore delighted that by working with Two Ridings Community Foundation, we have played a pivotal role in galvanizing funding to support the organizations doing this vital work in the community, creating a long-lasting impact for young people in Scarborough," Berry continued.

During the outing, Kate and Prince William met a little girl who was dressed up like a princess in a blue dress — who happened to crash the Prince of Wales' speech! The couple laughed as the little girl approached them in the middle of William talking, as seen in a video posted on Twitter by Greatest Hits Radio Yorkshire Coast.

William said, "For Cathrine and I, the legacy of today, bringing people together and collaborating, showing what can be done when a community helps together collaboratively is something we'd like to follow on and I hope can be represented more widely across the country."

The couple then headed outside, where they spent time meeting members of the public — and posing for a few selfies.

The outing marked Kate's first public engagement in recent weeks. The Prince and Princess of Wales took a break from royal outings in late October as their three children — Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4 — were off from school. Prince William and Kate have previously scaled back their schedules during school vacations to spend time with their kids.

Meanwhile, Prince William has had a busy week. On Tuesday, he attended the 10th annual Tusk Conservation Awards, supporting the organization he's been involved with since 2005 when he was a recent college graduate.

On Wednesday, the Prince of Wales participated in a roundtable discussion on the development and acceleration of African-led conservation at St. James's Palace.

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Chris Jackson/Getty Images Kate Middleton

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He later attended the Royal Africa Society's biennial film festival, Film Africa, in London, where 48 films from 16 countries played across seven venues. Prince William became patron of the Royal African Society in December 2016 after his grandmother Queen Elizabeth passed down the patronage.