Duchess Kate and Prince William visit Hold Still photography competition finalists in surprise engagement

Duchess Kate and Prince William made a surprise outing to visit finalists in the Duchess of Cambridge's Hold Still photography competition on Oct. 20.

The couple visited a district of London, where they met Sami Massalami Mohammed Elmassalami Ayed, who is featured in one of the 100 images chosen to go on display across the United Kingdom. They also visited Joyce Duah and her colleagues Amelia Chowdhury and Dipal Samuel, whom Joyce photographed at work at St. Bart's Hospital.

Scroll through the gallery (or click through if you're on desktop) to see the best images from their visits!

Photo: © Matt Dunham - WPA Pool/Getty Images

The duchess looked gorgeous as ever in a red military coat by Alexander McQueen.She also carried a new Grace Han handbag.

Photo: © JEREMY SELWYN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Kate also wore her Amaia Kids face mask, which we've seen her wear quite frequently during the pandemic.

Photo: © MATT DUNHAM/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

First up, the couple met Sami, who volunteers at Hackney Food Hub in central London. He's featured in Grey Hutton's photo, "Sami", which is one of the finalists in the competition.

Born in the Sudan and raised in Brazil, Sami has been working on his PhD in the U.K. and lived above the Children With Voices Community Food Hub. During the coronavirus pandemic, he decided to spend time volunteering there.

"I was immediately drawn to his beaming smile and positive vibe," Grey said in the image description for the photograph on the National Portrait Gallery's website. "I love the way his apron flutters in the wind, cape-like, as if revealing for a moment the superhero within. It's everyday acts of kindness and solidarity like Sami's that have brought communities together through this crisis."

After William and Kate's visit, Sami said the duchess had phoned him to talk about the photograph a few weeks earlier, and he had no idea his colleagues had submitted the image until the National Portrait Gallery notified him.

"The duchess came across as really caring and dedicated," he said, according to HELLO! UK. "I was so impressed she to the time to call me.

"I told her about the work they do at the food hub, and she agreed it's such a vital project. I was lucky enough to help out there for a couple of months, but they always need help through the year."

Photo: © JEREMY SELWYN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

This woman, dining in a local Kentucky Fried Chicken, seemed surprised to see William walk by the window!

Photo: © Jeremy Selwyn - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Their next visit was to meet with Joyce, who took a striking image of her two colleagues Amelia and Dipal writing names on each other's gowns. In her description of her image on the National Portrait Gallery's website, Joyce wrote that hospital staff do this so they can "recognize each other under their PPE and to help the patients who are conscious to feel closer to their carers."

Photo: © Matt Dunham - WPA Pool/Getty Images

"Thank you so much for the image," Kate told Joyce, according to HELLO! UK. "It had such an impact. It captured the moment. It was a look behind the scenes. The story of what you experienced is so important."

"It is important for history purposes to show that actually happened," William added.

After the engagement, Joyce opened up a bit more about her image and why she took it.

"Patients were often in a coma and so coming round confused and didn't know who was treating them," she told the publication. "But also, we couldn't even recognize each other at times without names."

Photo: © Matt Dunham - WPA Pool/Getty Images

William and Kate also met with several other staff members while visiting the hospital.

Photo: © MATT DUNHAM/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Kate and William also took in a billboard of one of the 100 images chosen as finalists in the competition. It's Lotti Sofia's "London." It shows Lotti's friend Pepter looking out a window during lockdown.

"Lockdown has forced a majority of us into mandatory stillness," Lotti says in the image description on the National Portrait Gallery website. "Some may see this as a blessing, and others a curse, because limited activities means limited distractions from our thoughts, worries and ultimately ourselves.

"This picture is a representation of our daily dose of daydreaming that we do while we watch the world go by without us. Be kind to yourselves during lockdown and use this stillness to explore any uncomfortable feelings that may have arisen. They have probably always been there, but only now have we got the time and space to truly acknowledge them and listen.

"We've felt lonely, sad, worried, confused, anxious and everything in between, but we are grateful for every key worker, our health and for the humanity and empathy that has grown out of this dreary time."

Kate was one of those who helped select the 100 finalists. The competition received more than 31,000 entries, and she unveiled them all at the National Portrait Gallery last month.

The 100 images will appear on billboards, bus stop ads, in train stations and outside shops over the next four weeks.

All of the portraits chosen as finalists will also be featured in an exhibition that will open at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire on Oct. 23. It is backed by Co-op, which launched the Co-Operate initiative in April to help those who are vulnerable during the coronavirus pandemic find local and national support.

Photo: © JEREMY SELWYN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images