Kate Middleton and Prince William arrive in Stockholm/2018

Kate Middleton and Prince William arrive in Stockholm



The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge got competitive on a 'bandy hockey' rink today on their first engagement of a tour to Sweden and Norway.



Wrapped up in thick coats, bobble hats and snow boots, William and Kate were each handed a stick and ball and invited to take three shots at goal from a red carpet that had been hilariously rolled out onto the ice.



William stepped up first and scored with two of his attempts.



Kate, who was a formidable field hockey player at school, had a better stance but was on target just once.



The couple, who this morning embarked on a four-day official tour of Sweden and Norway, starting in Stockholm, were at an outdoor rink in the capital for an introduction to the popular local sport.



Pregnant Kate kept the cold at bay in temperatures of -1°C, wrapping up in a Burberry shearling coat teamed with skinny jeans and Sorel snow boots, while she and William both donned bobble hats to keep their ears warm.



Ever the diplomatic dresser, the Duchess wore a burgundy jumper by popular Swedish brand Fjällräven.



Before the game Kate and William drank an alcohol free tipple from a flask brought in a Bandy Portfolj - or Bandy Briefcase - a traditional office-style briefcase that traditionally contains a flask of warm wine or coffee laced with alcohol. The drink in the flask is normally called 'Glögg' a gluhwein type drink.





Anna Widing, 29, an international Bandy player, talked the couple through what they needed to do before the shot out.



She says, 'Kate had played field hockey and I was expecting her to be good — and she was very good. She knew how to hold the stick and she had a very good swing. I was impressed.'





She agreed that William — who wielded his stick with confidence — had a strong shot. 'I could see that maybe they like to beat each other,' she adds. 'Also they were pushing each other to do well.'



The half-back, who laid on the winning shot for Sweden in the victorious world championship team, says, 'It was a privilege for us to show our sport to them. We have been to China to show the sport and to come back here and show it to the royals from Britain is an honour.'





After their moment on the ice — accessed by a red carpet rolled out across the mini rink — the couple shared some hot chocolate with a group of schoolchildren, aged five to 11, who had been playing earlier. The royal couple were then given a selection of Bandy hockey jerseys as presents for George and Charlotte. 



Bandy hockey is actually believed to have originated in the Fens of East Anglia in the late 1800s - indeed the first international match is said to have been played between Bury Fen Band Club and Haarlemsche Hockey & Bandy Club from the Netherlands in 1891 - but is now one of the most popular winter sports in the Scandinavian region.



It is very similar to traditional ice hockey but players use a ball instead of a puck.



The couple stood on the sidelines as two teams of burly players demonstrated the fast-paced sport.



William and Kate arrived in the Swedish capital on a private jet last night for a four-day official tour of Scandinavia, leaving London after picking up their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, from school and nursery.





They are accompanied by a 13-strong entourage, plus security, including Kate's hairdresser, Amanda Cook Tucker, who caused a minor furore yesterday when she published a photograph of the duchess's hair products on social media,



The party also includes two private secretaries, four press officers, their senior advisor Sir David Manning, William's equerry, one orderly, a PA, a programme co-ordination and a tour manager.



The trip is being carried out at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as part of a pre-Brexit charm offensive.



They have a busy programme planned – 22 engagements in all – although the schedule has been slightly amended to take account of Kate's advancing pregnancy.



Although she still only displays a modest baby bump, her third child is due in April.



In Oslo on Thursday William will now undertake two engagements on his own while Kate returns to their residence to prepare for a black tie dinner at the Norweigan royal palace, hosted by King Harald, attended by government minister, business leaders and high profile figures from the creative industries.





A Kensington Palace spokesman said: 'With three late nights there will be a slight adjustment to the pace of the programme.'



Today the royal couple will enjoy lunch with the King and Queen of Sweden in the Royal Palace of Stockholm, then, accompanied by the popular Crown Princess Victoria and Crown Prince Daniel, enjoy a walk through the picturesque cobbled streets of the capital city to the nearby Nobel Museum.







Kate Middleton and Prince William arrive in Stockholm



The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge got competitive on a 'bandy hockey' rink today on their first engagement of a tour to Sweden and Norway.



Wrapped up in thick coats, bobble hats and snow boots, William and Kate were each handed a stick and ball and invited to take three shots at goal from a red carpet that had been hilariously rolled out onto the ice.



William stepped up first and scored with two of his attempts.



Kate, who was a formidable field hockey player at school, had a better stance but was on target just once.



The couple, who this morning embarked on a four-day official tour of Sweden and Norway, starting in Stockholm, were at an outdoor rink in the capital for an introduction to the popular local sport.



Pregnant Kate kept the cold at bay in temperatures of -1°C, wrapping up in a Burberry shearling coat teamed with skinny jeans and Sorel snow boots, while she and William both donned bobble hats to keep their ears warm.



Ever the diplomatic dresser, the Duchess wore a burgundy jumper by popular Swedish brand Fjällräven.



Before the game Kate and William drank an alcohol free tipple from a flask brought in a Bandy Portfolj - or Bandy Briefcase - a traditional office-style briefcase that traditionally contains a flask of warm wine or coffee laced with alcohol. The drink in the flask is normally called 'Glögg' a gluhwein type drink.





Anna Widing, 29, an international Bandy player, talked the couple through what they needed to do before the shot out.



She says, 'Kate had played field hockey and I was expecting her to be good — and she was very good. She knew how to hold the stick and she had a very good swing. I was impressed.'





She agreed that William — who wielded his stick with confidence — had a strong shot. 'I could see that maybe they like to beat each other,' she adds. 'Also they were pushing each other to do well.'



The half-back, who laid on the winning shot for Sweden in the victorious world championship team, says, 'It was a privilege for us to show our sport to them. We have been to China to show the sport and to come back here and show it to the royals from Britain is an honour.'





After their moment on the ice — accessed by a red carpet rolled out across the mini rink — the couple shared some hot chocolate with a group of schoolchildren, aged five to 11, who had been playing earlier. The royal couple were then given a selection of Bandy hockey jerseys as presents for George and Charlotte. 



Bandy hockey is actually believed to have originated in the Fens of East Anglia in the late 1800s - indeed the first international match is said to have been played between Bury Fen Band Club and Haarlemsche Hockey & Bandy Club from the Netherlands in 1891 - but is now one of the most popular winter sports in the Scandinavian region.



It is very similar to traditional ice hockey but players use a ball instead of a puck.



The couple stood on the sidelines as two teams of burly players demonstrated the fast-paced sport.



William and Kate arrived in the Swedish capital on a private jet last night for a four-day official tour of Scandinavia, leaving London after picking up their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, from school and nursery.





They are accompanied by a 13-strong entourage, plus security, including Kate's hairdresser, Amanda Cook Tucker, who caused a minor furore yesterday when she published a photograph of the duchess's hair products on social media,



The party also includes two private secretaries, four press officers, their senior advisor Sir David Manning, William's equerry, one orderly, a PA, a programme co-ordination and a tour manager.



The trip is being carried out at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as part of a pre-Brexit charm offensive.



They have a busy programme planned – 22 engagements in all – although the schedule has been slightly amended to take account of Kate's advancing pregnancy.



Although she still only displays a modest baby bump, her third child is due in April.



In Oslo on Thursday William will now undertake two engagements on his own while Kate returns to their residence to prepare for a black tie dinner at the Norweigan royal palace, hosted by King Harald, attended by government minister, business leaders and high profile figures from the creative industries.





A Kensington Palace spokesman said: 'With three late nights there will be a slight adjustment to the pace of the programme.'



Today the royal couple will enjoy lunch with the King and Queen of Sweden in the Royal Palace of Stockholm, then, accompanied by the popular Crown Princess Victoria and Crown Prince Daniel, enjoy a walk through the picturesque cobbled streets of the capital city to the nearby Nobel Museum.