Prince William displayed his affection for Princess Catherine during a royal visit to the Isle of Bute in Scotland, where she tried her hand at shinty and caught the eye of royal fans with her sporting efforts.
The couple, known as the Prince and Princess of Wales, made their first ever royal visit to the Isle of Bute on Thursday, September 17, following their trip to the islands of Iona and Mull in the Inner Hebrides last year. They embraced the island's love of shinty by meeting players past and present at the Bute Shinty Club, a social hub as well as a sports facility.
Princess Catherine's Shinty Debut
When Catherine held a curved shinty stick, known as a caman, and the game's small leather ball, she declared: "I want to give it a go." After watching an under 17s match from the sidelines with many locals, the couple tried playing the sport and quickly learned hand-eye co-ordination was key as they practiced taking penalties.
William fluffed his first shot with the ball moving just a few inches before making solid contact to cheers from the spectators. Catherine fared little better at the start, swinging and missing, but her next shot was cheered as it flew at the goalkeeper. She peppered the goal with more shots, almost hitting press closest to the netting, and apologised saying "sorry".
Fans Spot Sweet Moment
Catherine did all this in a chocolate brown Burberry trench coat – which costs a staggering £1,895 – a green turtleneck jumper and dark jeans for the visit, looking effortlessly chic and autumnal. But one moment from the visit caught the eye of royal fans, with people noticing how Prince William was looking at his wife as she flexed her sport skills.
One person posted a picture of Catherine playing shinty as a number of players, and her husband watched on in the background. The fan said of the sweet moment: "All the men are in awe! Look at Prince William's face."
Further Royal Engagements
The couple later joined a beach litter pick, and William got inside the cab of a tractor used to help the clear-up with Catherine by his side.
Meanwhile, the Duke of Sussex, who the King has emphasised is no longer a working member of the Royal Family, was seen for the first time in public since returning to the UK when he attended the inaugural Invictus Spirit Awards in London. Prince Harry attended the ceremony at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, south-east London, dressed in black tie and wearing his military medals. At a champagne reception in an adjoining courtyard, he told guests he was "incredibly excited" to meet the winners and nominees after being part of the judging panel, alongside the Duchess of Sussex, for the awards.
