Royals are no strangers to magazine covers. The late Princess Diana covered Vogue four times, while Kate Middleton posed for the cover of the fashion bible’s centenary issue back in 2016. We fully expect the Princess of Wales to appear on a Vogue cover again in the not-so-distant future – but one cover we didn’t expect her to appear on was Mountain Rescue magazine, the only official magazine for mountain rescue in England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. However, we are very pleasantly surprised to find her *and* her husband, the Prince of Wales, on the Summer 2023 cover, looking a little less formal (but just as fabulous!) than they usually do!
Having a Royal Patron is a huge honour and MR volunteers appreciate the support of @KensingtonRoyal HRH The Prince of Wales. @CBMRT Central Beacons recently hosted a VIP visit – you might recognise a couple of the people on the latest MR Magazine cover. https://t.co/ezFpT4EcnS pic.twitter.com/6DN8kllXlK
— Mountain Rescue England and Wales (@MountainResqUK) August 20, 2023
Kate Middleton And Prince William Cover ‘Mountain Rescue’ Magazine
Prince William 41, is a patron of Mountain Rescue, so it does actually make perfect sense to see him and Kate, also 41, on the cover of the magazine. The cover image, which was taken back in April 2023 when the Prince and Princess of Wales took part in activities with the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue team in Wales, shows the royal couple dressed in matching red waterproof jackets and carrying a stretcher along with other members of the team.
The future king and queen also took part in medical training drills during their visit. Additionally, they were pictured abseiling in Morlais Quarry as they took part in a rescue drill, and even met one of the search and rescue dogs on the team.
The official Mountain Rescue England and Wales Twitter account shared a picture of the iconic magazine cover with their followers on August 20th, to share what an “honor” having the Prince and Princess of Wales on the cover was. “Having a Royal Patron is a huge honor and MR volunteers appreciate the support of HRH The Prince of Wales,” the post began. “@CBMRT Central Beacons recently hosted a VIP visit – you might recognize a couple of the people on the latest MR Magazine cover.”
Fan Comments
One fan said it was a "Great picture!" in the comment section, while another said, "I sure do recognize the prince and princess of Wales," followed by a red heart emoji. Another echoed this, writing, "We do recognize them indeed," followed by another red heart emoji. "Wowwww... Beautiful," gushed another fan, preceded by several heart eyes emojis.
Not all of the comments were positive though, as a few Twitter users wondered whether having the royals on the cover was a publicity stunt. "Who’s supporting who though? Some might feel they’re feeding on the good publicity of a rescue service, and using it for a photo opportunity," wrote one user, while another quipped, "Publicity stunt, PR for Monarchy plc."
However, other users thought that having them on the cover was a good thing as it raised awareness the Mountain Rescue, which is never going to be bad! "So what if it’s a staged rescue operation for pictures?" asked another user, adding, "What better way to show the world what entails in a typical mountain rescue with the Royal Patrons decked off as rescuers rather than being in their robes and tiaras? Said upfront people: It’s a VIP visit."