Kate Middleton and Prince William meet people who have raised money for those in Turkey and Syria

The Prince and Princess of Wales have praised ‘amazing’ communities fundraising for families left homeless after the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.

Kate Middleton, 41, opted to recycle an Alexander McQueen black pleated dress, which she first wore to meet with well-wishers in Sandringham after the Queen’s death, for the outing at Hayes Muslim Centre in London today.

As a mark of respect the couple removed their shoes and Kate covered her head with a scarf, a black and white veil by Pakistani brand Élan, which is part of a set worn by the mother-of-three when she visited the country in 2019.

During today’s engagement, the couple met with representatives from the centre who, through bucket collections and other donations after prayers, have raised over £25,000 for the Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal.

The Prince and Princess joined two pupils from Waldegrave School; Dila Kaya, 14, Lina Alkutubi, 15, and their teacher Natasha Rustam to help make an origami crane, a symbol of hope and healing during challenging times.

The Princess opted for a black and white detailed headscarf as she arrived at the Muslim centre today.

The piece, which was crafted by Pakistani brand Élan, is believed to have been part of a set worn by the then-Duchess of Cambridge when she visited the country in 2019.

As she departed Lahore, she wore a white tunic from Élan, which featured pretty black detailing, over a pair of white trousers.

The white tunic featured pretty black floral embroidery over it’s bodice, sleeves and hem.

While Kate did not wear the scarf with her outfit at the time, it’s believed she is likely to have had the veil as part of the set.

The royal mother-of-three kept the rest of her outfit modest for the occasion today, opting for a black pleated dress from her favourite designer, Alexander McQueen.

She has worn Alexander McQueen – one of her favourite fashion brands – on numerous occasions, most notably choosing its creative director Sarah Burton to design her wedding dress.

The Princess also carried her black Grace Han bag, which she has worn on a number of different engagements.

Today, the couple heard harrowing stories with aid workers who have recently returned from the crisis zone in Turkey and described desperate scenes of rescuers trying to free trapped people with just hammers

Kate said: ‘It’s sad that there’s a need to do funding – it’s amazing there are communities like this here raising (funds).’

Salah Aboulgasem, from Islamic Relief’s Emergency Response Team said: ‘I arrived in Turkey to the worst scenes of destruction I’ve ever witnessed.

‘I met with so many families whose lives were destroyed in an instant. From the onset of the disaster, Islamic Relief teams were on the ground providing instant support, including cash vouchers which are crucial in enabling families to make basic purchases, with dignity.’

Other aid workers who met with The Prince and Princess of Wales included Dan Stewart from Save The Children, recently returned from Hatay in Turkey, plus aid experts Alison McNulty, Operations Director from Action Against Hunger, Mazen Alhousseiny, from Help Age, the local partner of DEC member charity Age International and Inma Lopez De La Cova Pena from the British Red Cross.

Together they discussed with the couple the impact of the disaster on vulnerable groups, such as children and older people and thefcra importance of the incoming aid that is being provided including shelter, food and vital trauma care.

Finally, the couple met with other communities who have made considerable efforts to fundraise as part of the appeal.

This included the Turkish Women’s Association, an organisation based in Richmond, who partnered with a number of Richmond schools to raise more than £10,000 for the appeal with an event at St Stephen’s Church Primary School at the end of February.

Stalls included Turkish coffee, homemade bakes and origami crane making run by pupils from Waldebridge School, which is a symbol of hope and healing during challenging times.

Dr Yeliz Atik, one of the organisers from the Turkish Families in Richmond said: ‘When we heard about the devastating earthquake, we felt compelled to assist those affected.

‘We started to collect aid to dispatch to Türkiye via trucks and planes, but logistical challenges in the earthquake zone forced us to discontinue sending goods.

‘One of our team, Fulya Sensu, inspired us by saying ‘If you can’t send it, you can sell it,’ which motivated us to involve the local community, schools, and businesses and fundraise.

‘With DEC’s collaboration, we have been able to reach and provide aid to those impacted by the earthquake in Türkiye and Syria and we plan to hold more fundraising events in Richmond in the future.’

In the early hours of Monday 6 February, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkey and northwest Syria killing more than 50,000 people and causing colossal damage to housing, infrastructure, schools, and hospitals.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been left homeless and are in need of help.

In response, The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) launched the Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal which is helping to provide life-saving aid to people in the hardest-hit areas, including medical treatment, shelter, food and clean water.

The appeal has now reached over £100 million thanks to the generosity of the UK public.

Saleh Saeed, Chief Executive of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) said: ‘The Royal family is always incredibly supportive when the DEC has to launch an urgent appeal to help communities affected by a large-scale disaster.

‘We were delighted to welcome Their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess of Wales to Hayes Muslim Centre today to hear from our returning aid workers about the shocking impact of the earthquakes on the lives of people in both Syria and Turkey and the crucial humanitarian assistance that is being provided by the DEC. It was also inspiring to showcase to Their Royal Highnesses a couple of fantastic community fundraising efforts here today.

‘The devastation to lives caused by the earthquakes in just seconds is hard to comprehend. The people in Turkey and Syria will need our help to rebuild their lives for many months to come. We are deeply grateful to people across the country who have supported this appeal.’

In February, the Prince and Princess of Wales made a personal donation to the UK’s Turkey and Syria earthquake relief fund.

In a tweet signed from William and Catherine, the couple said: ‘We have been horrified to see the harrowing images coming out of Turkey and Syria in the aftermath of the earthquakes this week.

‘Our thoughts are with the communities affected and we are pleased to support the DEC campaign which will aid the response on the ground.’

Palace sources confirmed the couple had made a personal donation to aid rescue efforts, but it is unknown how much this donation was.

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) separately thanked King Charles III and the Queen Consort for their ‘generous donation’, which they said would help provide medical aid, food, blankets and other urgent help to survivors.

The visit comes amidst a busy week for Kate, who yesterday visited the snowy Salisbury Plain Training Area to take part in a training exercise with the Irish Guards.

Dressed in military fatigues, boots, gloves and a woolly hat the Princess was almost unrecognisable as she dressed in camouflage kit for the engagement.

With her hair pulled back in a sensible plait, Kate managed to look stylish in camouflage as she got stuck into a battlefield casualty drill during her first official duty as the new Colonel of the Irish Guards.

Crouching in the snow, she held the soldier’s leg as she was shown how to wrap the wound and check the casualty’s vital signs during basic battlefield first aid training.

As she placed a tourniquet – used to stop heavy bleeding – on his calf, the Princess apologised and said: ‘It’s the first time I’ve done this’.

The visit today comes as the couple’s nephew Archie and and niece Lilibet have officially been recognised as a prince and princess by the King.

The children of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have had their titles updated on the line of succession on the Royal Family’s website, where they remain 6th and 7th in line to the throne.

Until 9.30am this morning, the children had been referred to as plain ‘master’ and ‘miss’ on the Buckingham Palace webpage. Now they are ‘Prince Archie of Sussex’ and ‘Princess Lilibet of Sussex’.

It came shortly after their California-based parents declared that it is Archie and Lilibet’s ‘birthright’ to be called prince and princess in a new statement defending the decision.

The Duke and Duchess also insisted that the matter had been ‘settled for some time’ with King Charles – despite only being revealed by the couple yesterday.

A spokesman for Harry and Meghan said: ‘The children’s titles have been a birthright since their grandfather became Monarch. This matter has been settled for some time in alignment with Buckingham Palace.’

The King is said to have told Prince Harry that his children would be allowed to be called prince and princess in a ‘private conversation’ after the Queen’s funeral last year.

But their 21-month-old daughter Lilibet saw her royal title of ‘Princess’ used formally for the first time yesterday when the couple told the world she had been christened in California without Charles, Camilla, William and Kate present.