Pregnant Kate and William catch up with Swedish royals

Pregnant Kate and William catch up with Swedish royals

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

So they were no doubt glad of a chance to pause for lunch at Stockholm's royal palace with the King and Queen of Sweden, their daughter Crown Princess Victoria and her husband Prince Daniel. 

It was the first time the two couples have caught up publicly since Victoria and Daniel attended William and Kate's wedding in 2011. 

The Duchess changed out of her fur-trimmed Burberry coat and snow boots, in favour of a simple green shift dress custom-made by royal favourite Catherine Walker. 

Princess Victoria, 40, looked striking in a floral applique dress with a frothy bow at the neck.  

Afterwards, they enjoyed a walk through the picturesque cobbled streets of the capital city to the nearby Nobel Museum.

It gave them the chance to meet members of the Swedish public in Stortorget, the oldest square in Stockholm.

Inside the museum, the duke and duchess will meet a number of Nobel Laureates and hear more from the museumn's curator about science in Sweden and the Nobel Laureate system.

There will be another afternoon event to celebrate Swedish design – including iconic global flat-pack furniture brand Ikea – with a particular emphasis on sustainable furnishings.

Their final event of a busy first day will be dinner at the residence of the British Ambassador, where they are staying for the duration of their trip to Stockholm, attended by members of the Swedish royal family, government and popular culture.

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 usually contains a flask of mulled 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 shoot 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 Ka