The Princess of Wales is not one to shy away from a bit of healthy competition, and she really got stuck into a new game while visiting the Isle of Bute in Scotland on Thursday.
The sporty royal and her husband Prince William visited the island's Shinty Club, which serves as both a sports facility and a social hub, and spent time speaking with past and present players.
The traditional Gaelic game is played with a curved wooden stick, known as a caman, and a small leather ball, and initially the couple joined locals in watching an under-17s match from the sidelines.
But it didn't take long for Kate to declare, "I want to give it a go".
William gives his wife some useful advice
Both she and William made their way onto the pitch to take part in a penalty shoot out, with the Prince the first to step up. He managed to mis-hit his first shot with the ball only moving a few inches, before making solid contact on his second attempt.
Then it was time for Kate to have a turn. She was cheered on by the crowd and raised her fist in the air in acknowledgement of their support.
She managed to miss the first ball entirely, prompting her to burst out laughing.
© Samir Hussein/WireImageBut after William suggested she take just one step up to the ball rather than a run-up, Kate struck her second attempt cleanly.
And, now that she was on a roll, she attempted a third.
The near-miss and Kate's confession
The ball whistled by the goalpost and came just inches away from striking kit-wearing bystander Andy McAlindon, an influencer known as Andy The Highlander,
Andy said afterwards: "I was standing by the goal as Her Royal Highness took her third shot and she narrowly missed me. It was a great shot and she said sorry."
In fact, when Kate later came face to face with Andy, she confessed: "I was a bit worried I was going to take someone's teeth out".
© Samir Hussein/WireImageLearning the ropes at the clubhouse
Prior to their penalty attempts, the royals met players in the clubhouse, and as the game was explained to them, William said: "We both played hockey at St Andrews and seen shinty but not played. It looks a bit bruising."
Kate grabbed a ball and stick and said: "It's quite like a rounder ball. And is the ball normally in the air or on the ground? So the idea is that you are hitting it in the air… how do you control….?" She then added: “I want to give it a go”.
The couple asked about local team rivalries, whether the sport is played in schools and if both boys and girls can play.
Kate was also shown the photos of previous teams dating back decades on the wall of the clubhouse.
Barry Martin, chairman of Bute Shinty Club, said: "The Shinty Club is very much part of the community on the island.
© Samir Hussein/WireImage"It's used by lots of groups from the Boys' Brigade, Highland Games Committee and keep fit classes.
"It's (Kate and William's visit) is right up there, it's an honour, and fact they've taken on titles of Duke and Duchess of Rothesay.
"I would have thought they would have seen shinty at St Andrews. I would have thought they would have come across the game before.
"It's a tremendous honour as it's their first visit to the island with new titles."
William and Kate get their hands dirty
The couple later joined a beach litter pick as they joined members of Beachwatch Bute, an organisation that has helped keep the island’s beaches free from litter and marine waste for almost 30 years.
© Getty ImagesArmed with litter pickers and recycled farm feed bags to hold the rubbish, William and Kate stopped to pick up bits of packaging and rope and used their bare hands to pick up finer plastic filaments from fishing gear as they heard more about the charity’s work.
“It’s frightening how much stuff gets washed up on beaches, because if it’s like this here, it’s doubly bad out there,” said William, gesturing out to sea.
As they made their way down the sands, the royal party met volunteers including Suzy Cumming and her son Isaac, eight, who had found a message in a bottle on the beach moments before the royal visitors arrived. "I hope it's a nice message,” said the Prince. “I hope it’s not a message for help from someone stuck on an island!"
Kate gets the giggles as William takes the wheel
William and Kate were then shown a tractor and trailer used by the charity and maintained by volunteer mechanic Robert Murray from West Coast Motors, which also stores the vehicles for Beachwatch when not in use.
After being given a quick tutorial by Sandra, William took the wheel, and with Kate giggling alongside him in the cab, drove it down onto the sand and reversed it towards a large plastic mussel buoy that had washed up.
© Samir Hussein/WireImageAmid horizontal rain, they climbed out to help roll it onto the back of the tractor before driving it back up off the beach.
They ended their day at the community-owned Anchor Tavern Pub and Hub in Port Bannatyne, a pub brought back to life by local residents after it closed in 2020. William praised their model, where a large number of volunteers help keep the project financially viable, while Kate described it as something "special".
