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12 of the best moments from Prince William and Kate Middleton's tour of Scotland

The Cambridges returned to the University of St Andrews

william kate best photos scotland
Danielle Stacey
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
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william plays football scotland© Photo: Getty Images

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have just enjoyed a week-long tour of Scotland, where Prince William carried out his role as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

There were plenty of highlights from their trip, including a walk down memory lane as William and Kate visited the University of St Andrews where they first met as first-year students 20 years ago.

The couple are renowned for their love of sports and there were plenty of action shots, as the Duke enjoyed a kickabout and when the Duchess joined him on the tour, they couldn't help but get competitive.

Take a look at the best photos from the Cambridges' visit to Scotland…

READ: The secret gadget Kate Middleton and Prince William swear by for their Instagram videos

WATCH: Adorable moment the Duchess of Cambridge is asked if she's a prince

william watches scottish cup final© Photo: Getty Images

William joined football fans from across the Scottish emergency services, alongside their friends and family members at the Cold Town House rooftop bar in Edinburgh, to watch the Scottish Cup Final.

MORE: 17 photos of Prince William and Kate living their best life at university

Keep clicking for more photos...

william knockhill circuit

The Duke with Alejandro Agag, CEO of Extreme E, and Chairman of Formula E, after he tested an electric car at the iconic Knockhill Racing Circuit.

kate wears similar outfit diana© Photo: Getty Images

Kate made us all do a double-take as she stepped out wearing a near-identical outfit to one Princess Diana wore in 1992. The Duchess donned a royal blue blazer from Zara and a pleated skirt from Hope for her first outing of the tour.

MORE: Kate Middleton's royal blue outfit is almost identical to Princess Diana's

william kate land yachting© Photo: Getty Images

Duke vs Duchess! The couple couldn't stop laughing as they raced land yachts across West Sands Beach in St Andrews, but it was William who proved the winner, much to his delight.

GALLERY: So in sync! 15 times Prince William and Kate twinned with their outfits

william kate arrival st andrews uni© Photo: Getty Images

Back to where it all started! The Duke and Duchess returned to the University of St Andrews where they first fell in love. The night before their visit, the couple even enjoyed a date night at Forgan's restaurant in the town.

"There was a crowd outside once they left but as far as inside goes it was quiet," said manager Marc, who declined to give his last name.

"There was no pomp and ceremony or fanfare, they were very nice and when they left they were very complimentary."

MORE: Kate Middleton and Prince William's secret outing in Scotland revealed – and you'll be surprised

cambridges emma thompson emma stone© Kensington Palace

Before watching Cruella at a drive-in cinema event at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, William and Kate got to speak to the stars of the movie themselves – Emma Thompson and Emma Stone, who spoke about filming in London.

Emma Stone told the couple: "And then we were in front of Buckingham Palace at one point, I was riding a motorcycle around the Mall."

William joked: "We should have had you had you stopped Emma, it’s very dangerous."

MORE: Kate Middleton and Prince William pay tribute to Prince Philip for arrival at drive-in cinema date

kate wears queens earrings scotland© Photo: Getty Images

For the event itself, Kate debuted a pair of the Queen's earrings for the first time. She borrowed diamond and sapphire earrings from the Dubai Looped Sapphire Demi-Parure, which was gifted to Her Majesty during her Middle East tour in 1979..

kate middleton smiles at baby© Photo: Getty Images

On the final day of their visit, the couple took part in a gardening session with Fields In Trust, and spoke to families at Starbank Park in Edinburgh.

Kate was spotted cooing over nine-month-old Penelope Stewart.

Her mother, Natalie Randamy said: "We were just talking about Penny sleeping through. They were reminiscing about nine months being a bit of a game-changer for them. Kate was saying Charlotte has the same dress from Next as Penny but just in a bigger size."

MORE: Kate Middleton debuts adorable jewellery in tribute to her children

kate middleton meets mila sneddon edinburgh© Photo: PA

The Duchess kept her promise to a little girl who wanted to meet a princess dressed in her favourite colour pink.

Kate proved true to her word when she invited little Mila Sneddon and her family to the Palace of Holyrood - the Queen's official Edinburgh home - and wore an ME+EM outfit that matched the five-year-old's dress.

The outgoing little girl, who is battling cancer, has captured the Duchess' heart – and when they met she told the youngster she wanted to give her a "big squeezy cuddle".

Little Mila starred in Kate's Hold Still photography project and the pair first spoke over the phone last year when the Duchess made her promise.

MORE: Kate Middleton wows in bubblegum princess dress as she keeps sweet promise to little girl

kate middleton mila waves© Photo: Getty Images

We love this photo of Mila waving at Kate when she later joined the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at their final engagement of their tour – the Beating of the Retreat by Edinburgh schoolchildren.

MORE: Kate Middleton looks incredible in waist-cinching statement coat dress

william general assembly scotland© Photo: Getty Images

During his speech at the Closing Ceremony of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Duke paid tribute to the people that had met during their trip, saying: "These people make Scotland the vibrant, friendly, innovative and determined place Catherine and I love, and is so important to us. I am shaped by this place.

"The abiding affection I feel for it is rooted in my experience of its everyday life - in people, relationships, and its ethic of neighbourliness."

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