Kate Middleton and Prince William are leading the royal welcome for a special state visit ... included two ceremonial gun salutes (at Green Park and the Tower of London) of 41 shots sounding ...

"Getting up to Villa Park isn't the easiest thing for me but I like to watch as many games as I possibly can either by being there or on TV," Prince William said in an interview to The Sun.

Kate Middleton and Prince William took on an important royal role for the first state visit of King Charles ... podcast PEOPLE Every Day. In Green Park, across the road from Buckingham Palace ...