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The Prince and Princess of Wales pay special visit to London Olympic Park venue - best photos

The royal couple are taking part in a charity event

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Phoebe Tatham
Content Writer
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The Prince and Princess of Wales travelled to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on Thursday to take part in a special charity event.

READ: Prince William's secret weekend trip to Balmoral revealed - details

William and Kate visited the Copper Box Arena to take part in a unique event with Coach Core, who are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year.

Princess Kate opted to wear a striking navy boucle blazer embellished with gold detail buttons. She teamed her smart jacket with a pair of black flared trousers and a matching blue pendant. Kate finished off her look with teeny silver hoop earrings and a touch of pink lipstick. 

WATCH: Princess Kate gets the giggles thanks to Prince William

The Royal Foundation launched the programme back in 2012 in response to the London riots, which took over the city that August. The programme moreover aims to bolster the impressive legacy of the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

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Kate affectionately placed a hand on William's back

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Since its launch, the now independent charity has provided sports coaching apprenticeships to more than 750 disadvantaged young people, many of whom have now started meaningful careers or re-engaged with their education.

princess kate william© Photo: Getty Images

The duo appeared in high spirits

The Duke of Sussex worked alongside Kate and William to help establish the scheme. Delivering a speech in 2016, Prince Harry said: "By training the next generation of coaches to put the child first and the sport second, we hope the ripple effect of positive experiences in sport are felt by their participants in their communities". 

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Prince William and Princess Kate at the 2012 Olympic Games

The charity aims to create the next generation of sports coaches who will themselves go on to inspire their communities. Over the years, Coach Core has received support from a number of famous ambassadors including England Lioness and Manchester City captain Steph Houghton, 6-time Olympic medallist Max Whitlock, tennis legend Judy Murray and elite gymnastics coach Scott Hann.

princess kate outfit© Photo: Getty Images

Kate looked lovely in her navy ensemble

During Thursday's visit, William and Kate met a handful of young charity workers before getting stuck in with a variety of sports sessions.

Delivering a speech at the special event, the Prince of Wales said: "Catherine and I are, as always, delighted to be here with you today to celebrate the incredible achievements of Coach Core's apprentices over the last decade.

prince william london event© Photo: Getty Images

The royal looked dapper in a subtle check suit

"Sport has an incredible way of providing hope, connection and opportunity and when Coach Core was established ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012, it was designed to use that power to help change young people's lives."

Addressing the apprentices, William added: "We all face barriers and challenges in life, and these can sometimes take incredible bravery to overcome. Not only have you faced these down, you have positively impacted the lives of others along the way and inspired many more.

"We are incredibly excited to see what the future holds for all of you."

olympic park© Photo: Getty Images

London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

The couple's London outing comes after the Prince and Princess of Wales put their journalism skills to the test. Taking over Radio 1's Newsbeat, William and Kate prepared a special programme to discuss the importance of mental health alongside a host of experts.

During the candid chat, the royal couple sat down with mental health advocate António Ferreria, Emma Hardwell from charity The Mix, music therapist Ben Cowley and Dr. Abigail Miranda from the Anna Freud Centre for Children and Families to "have a meaningful conversation about mental health."

william kate radio one© Photo: Getty Images

The royal couple recorded a special show for Radio 1's Newsbeat

Prince William urged people to build a "toolbox" of techniques and coping strategies to help them deal with unexpected obstacles.

"A lot of people don't realise what they need until it actually comes along," he said. "You can be living one life one minute and something massively changes, and you realise you don't necessarily have the tools or experience to be able to tackle that.

"If we can't look after ourselves, we're not going to be able to tackle the issues we feel we have to on a day-to-day basis," he continued.

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