The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have given royal fans a sneak peek into an engagement at Buckingham Palace on their Instagram account. Prince William and Kate's social media team shared a behind-the-scenes look at what happens ahead of an investiture ceremony on Kensington Palace's Instagram stories.
MORE: Kate Middleton's secret engagement revealed as George and Charlotte return to school
The insignia are cleaned and polished at St James's Palace
In a series of photos, the insignia (not medals!) were shown being prepared at St James's Palace, where they are all polished and cleaned, ready for presentation. The insignia are then taken over to Buckingham Palace, where they are laid out in order in the Ballroom and the final checks are made by one of the Queen's staff members before the ceremony.
READ: Princess Charlotte surprised with sweet gift at Buckingham Palace
The sword is readied for the investiture
One image also showed the sword, used to dub new knights, being prepared and this once belonged to the Queen's father, King George VI. Finally, the Queen's Yeomen (Her Majesty's bodyguard) enter the Ballroom in their distinctive scarlet embroidered uniforms, marking the start of the investiture ceremony.
The National Anthem is sounded and the orchestra continues to play music, while the recipients are called forwards one-by-one to receive their honour from the Queen, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Cambridge or Princess Anne.
The Queen's Yeomen begin the ceremony
On Tuesday, the Duke of Cambridge presented honours to recipients including England netball champion Geva Mentor, broadcaster and historian Dan Snow and football coach Chris Ramsey. Geva revealed that she had brought along a netball for William's four-year-old daughter Princess Charlotte, adding: "It's so important that kids know what netball is and grow up with it."
Prince William presents Geva Mentor with her honour
William hosted his first investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace in 2013 as he began to step up his royal duties, presenting honours to Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and broadcaster Aled Jones.
Make sure you never miss a ROYAL story! Sign up to our newsletter to get all of our celebrity, royal and lifestyle news delivered directly to your inbox.