Prince William paid a secret visit to Britain's top government spy agency on Thursday as he continues to take on a more senior role within the British monarchy.
The previously unannounced engagement was revealed in the court circular (the published record of official royal events and meetings), stating simply that: "The Prince of Wales this afternoon visited the Secret Intelligence Service."
No location for the visit was included and Kensington Palace has not disclosed any details about its purpose or timing.
The Secret Intelligence Service is commonly known as MI6, and is tasked with collecting British foreign intelligence around the world. In pop culture it is the agency which the fictional spy James Bond is deployed through, and the identities of its employees are strictly protected as a matter of national security.
This is not the first time William has visited MI6. In 2019 he spent time with the service during a three-week learning exercise about Britain's intelligence community.
On the purpose of the prince's latest visit, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told Newsweek it formed part of the monarchy's longstanding support for British intelligence and his own apprenticeship as future king.
Prince William's visit to the Secret Intelligence Service, which was not publicized in advance, has followed the three weeks he spent in 2019 working with the intelligence services, a visit in 2022 on the eve of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and another with the Princess of Wales in 2012," he said.
He noted that it is not known whether the prince met with Sir Richard Moore, MI6's chief during his visit. Moore is the latest to hold the senior position, which is known by the codename "C."
"Visits like that of Prince William are a reminder that the service exists to help keep us safe and that the monarchy values its work," Fitzwilliams said.
The monarchy's ties to Britain's intelligence services were highlighted again this week when it was announced on Thursday that King Charles III had appointed the former director general of the Security Service (commonly known as MI5), Baroness Elizabeth Manningham-Buller, to be the new Chancellor of the Order of the Garter.
