A tour that has combined triumphs and tears in equal measure came to an end as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge flew back from the South Pacific. Just as they have throughout a Diamond Jubilee trip overshadowed by the row over intimate photos of them, the couple impressed with their friendly, gracious manner as they headed home via Australia.
During their brief stopover in Brisbane, William and Kate were met by consular officials who laid down a small square of red carpet and led them through a public area of the terminal through to a VIP suite. Watched by five TV crews and dozens of photographs, they smiled and waved to around 200 onlookers awaiting them.
It was a historic moment as this is the first time the Duchess has set foot Down Under. Also on her way to London was Australian Shelley Jelonek, 35, who enthused to the Daily Telegraph: "She looked amazing, she is so graceful. It's really impressive that they came up through the normal terminal. I have even more respect for them now." Her nephew Cameron Young, 11, who had taken the day off from school to see the royals, said he thought the Duke was "really cool".
Their stop came just hours after a French court banned the publication of further private pictures of them.
Clearly feeling a sense of closure, the future King and his wife released a statement saying they "welcome the judge's ruling".
The court described the pictures in edition of Closer magazine as a "brutal display" of their private lives. It added: "These snapshots which showed the intimacy of a couple, partially naked on the terrace of a private home, surrounded by a park several hundred metres from a public road, and being able to legitimately assume that they are protected from passers-by, are by nature particularly intrusive."
Their minds were taken off their problems by a colourful last day in Tuvalu which involved dancing and feasting. After joining the locals of one of the world's smallest countries in a traditional jig wearing a "titi saka" or skirt, they ate pork, lobster, coconut crabs and local fresh fruit.
