William, Kate and Harry launch the Tour de France

,

and

, gave this year's

competitors a royal send-off on Saturday. The trio stepped out at

to officially begin the race following its ceremonial start in Leeds city centre. Despite not joining his parents and uncle on Saturday,

, the item given to winners throughout the Tour de France.Royal fans, who lined the Yorkshire streets to cheer on the cyclists, were also keen to talk about

, with one little girl asking where he was to which Kate replied

.The Duchess also gave an insight into what the little Prince enjoys playing with, telling one well-wisher that George is "interested in helicopters and anything with wheels."

William, Kate and Harry saw the

, which will head through the UK, Belgium and Spain before finishing in Paris on 27 July.For the occasion, the 32-year-old Duchess sported a vibrant green coat and nude heels while William and Harry wore smart blue trousers and navy suit jackets. Following her appearance at Harewood House, Duchess Kate present the yellow jersey to German cyclist Marcel Kittel, who won the first leg of the race.

Kate also met athletes supported by SportsAid, the charity of which she is patron, at the finishing line in Harrogate.William, Kate and Harry are all big supports of British cycling. They were there to cheer on Team GB's men's sprint team at the London Olympics in 2012, with the Duke and Duchess enthusiastically celebrating together as Sir Chris Hoy and his teammates won gold in a breath-taking race.