Kate Middleton glowing as she returns to work after maternity leave – live updates

She's back! The Duchess of Cambridge has made her much-anticipated return to official duties, following her six-month maternity leave with Prince Louis. On Tuesday, Kate paid a visit to the Sayers Croft Forest School and Wildlife Garden in Paddington, London where she met a group of children who were taking part in various outdoorsy activities.

Given the relaxed tone of the engagement, Kate dressed down in biker jeans, a jumper and sporty jacket and had her hair loose. The radiant Duchess toured the Wildlife Garden, which consists of an edible garden area and a forest garden. Kate, who is passionate about mental health, was able to see first-hand the positive impact that the Forest School has on children's emotional and physical wellbeing, and see how inner-city youngsters can engage with nature.

Click through to see the best photos of Kate's day out…

Kate was in high spirits and looked excited to be back at work, meeting a group of children on her first official engagement following maternity leave. She showed off her trim figure in brown skinny jeans, a green jumper and matching green jacket, wearing her trusty Penelope Chilvers boots which she has owned for years.

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The royal wore her short brunette hair down, slightly tousled to frame her pretty face. Kate appears to have added some lowlights to her tresses with a few inches taken off.

The Duchess gave a friendly wave and her winning smile to passers-by as she arrived at Paddington. 

This was Kate's first official engagement since giving birth to Prince Louis in April. She has made other high-profile appearances during maternity leave, such as attending Prince Harry and Meghan's royal wedding in May and celebrating the Queen's birthday at Trooping the Colour in June, but Tuesday's school visit marked her official return to work.

The Sayers Croft Forest School in Paddington had over 5,500 visits by schoolchildren from across Westminster and neighbouring boroughs last year, giving inner-city children the opportunity to learn and engage with nature. The Sayers Croft centre is based in Surrey and aims to involve children and the local community in the environment.

One little girl took a particular shine to Kate. Zoe Stroud, the interim head at Sayers Croft, said of the children: "They're not that shy, but they do know she's a princess."

Kate helped children search for spiders and other "mini beasts" in the garden, as well as plant seeds.

She also helped the youngsters fetch water from the tap.

The Duchess spoke to instructors and teachers about the positive effect that outdoor learning and being around nature can have on children's mental health, wellbeing and development.

Kate was handed a beautiful bouquet of flowers as she left the Forest School. The Duchess spent around an hour at Paddington before saying goodbye to the children.