Royal Watch News

Duchess Catherine and Prince William arrive in Tuvalu

Sep 18, 2012, 12:01 GMT

Duchess Catherine boards a plane to Tuvalu

Britain's Prince William and Duchess Catherine were carried on thrones from a private jet when they arrived in Tuvalu today (18.09.12).

The royal couple were greeted by around five thousand locals at the airport in Funafuti after they flew in to the small cluster of islands in the South Pacific, and were transported on the thrones behind a procession of performers.

William and Catherine's arrival in Tuvalu - the last stop on their Diamond Jubilee tour of Asia - comes after they enjoyed a relaxing spell on the island of Tavanipupu, where they treated themselves to a romantic dinner for two on a private jetty last night (17.09.12).

Pamela Kimberly, the resort's co-owner, is quoted by the MailOnline as saying: 'I was astounded at how down to earth and lovely they were. They just seemed to love it. They were happy and relaxed.

'When they arrived, we gave them a pina colada each made from rum, fresh pineapple juice and coconut cream. William liked it so much, we gave him another one. He had two, she had one.

'They got straight into the snorkelling and saw lots of beautiful fish. They were just swimming and enjoying the island. They had dinner on their own private jetty. This morning they walked out on the big dock.'

While they had a great time, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - who have been left devastated following a French magazine's decision to publish topless pictures of the brunette royal last week - were subjected to adverse weather conditions while they enjoyed their dinner.

Pamela added: 'At least the weather was glorious for them this morning. Last night it poured down for hours.

'But that did not stop William and Kate wanting to eat outdoors beneath a bamboo gazebo at the end of their jetty.

'They had some shelter but that's not completely waterproof, I can tell that but they just wanted to be outside.'

Earlier during the pair's trip to the Solomon Islands, William - a big fan of English Premier League club Aston Villa - showed off his soccer skills as he challenged 13-year-old goalkeeper Philemon Fatai to a penalty shootout, but the president of the Football Association lost.

What's more, the prince encouraged a group of youngsters to start supporting Villa before revealing Catherine is 'not so keen on the football'.