Kate Middleton and Prince William (opens in new tab) have been photographed walking outdoors with Prince Edward and Sophie of the Earl of Wessex family, accused of breaking British confinement rules. Kate, Prince William, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Edward, Sophie, Lady Louise, and Viscount James Severn's children visited the Luminate Attraction, an illuminated woodland path at the Queen's Sandringham estate in Norfolk on Sunday They were seen visiting the Luminate Attraction, an illuminated woodland pathway at the Queen's Sandringham estate in Norfolk.

Photos published by the Daily Mail (opens in new tab) show the royals walking the trail in a group of nine. The U.K. is currently phasing in its rules on doorsteps, and Norfolk is part of the second phase. In this phase, people from different households may meet outdoors in groups of no more than six people.

"In my opinion they were clearly breaking covid rules. They were clearly having a good night. I could tell the royal lads were having a great time," a fellow visitor to the attraction told the Daily Mail. 'But I couldn't help thinking that they had their rules and we had ours. It was really blatant." [A royal official, however, denied that the Cambridges and the Wessexes were in a group of nine on the forest walk, saying the contact was incidental. 'Just prior to the public opening, both families were given separate time slots. They arrived and departed in their own family groups. As anyone with young children knows, there were moments during the 90-minute walk, especially at trail bottlenecks, when it was difficult to separate the two family groups."