The Duchess of Cambridge enjoyed showing off her sporty side once again as she played cricket during the second engagement of the official royal tour of India and Bhutan. Both the Duke and Duchess looked refreshed despite their nine-hour flight as they met children from Mumbai slums at the famous Oval Maidan cricket ground.
Upon arrival, the royal couple were welcomed with bouquets of flowers, though Prince William looked more excited about being gifted a cricket bat. William stayed cool in the Mumbai heat in a white shirt and trousers, while Kate had changed from the beautiful Alexander McQueen bespoke dress she wore on her arrival to India to a long pink and green floaty dress by Mumbai designer Anita Dongre, along with a pair of wedges.
An aide revealed that the Duchess was keen to change into the dress, saying: "She wanted to wear a local designer at the earliest possible opportunity." She revealed that the choice of dress was "a tribute to Mumbai's wonderful design talent".
© Photo: Getty ImagesKate showed off her skills at cricket
Kate ran around cones while playing games with the children before the couple revealed their cricket skills as they played a match with legend cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. While William was caught out by one of the children during the match, Kate managed to bat the first ball bowled by Sachin before she was also caught out on the next ball. The Prince was surprised after he was asked to sign a cricket bat, joking: "You're not going to sell this, are you?"
Bina Sheth Lashkari, who founded the charity Door Step School, revealed how much the children had been looking forward to the visit. She said: "We have shown the children pictures of the Duke and Duchess and where they live. The children know they are going to meet a Prince and Princess and they asked if they are like the Princes and Princesses in fairytales. One of the girls asked if the Princess has big hair, like Rapunzel."
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The couple, who arrived at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel around midday local time, had spent the early part of their day paying tribute to those who died in the 2008 terror attacks. After laying a wreath at the hotel's memorial, the pair spoke to survivors of the attack that day, and praised them for their bravery.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe couple donned sunglasses as they visited the cricket ground
Prince William and Kate also enjoyed a private lunch made by the Taj Mahal Palace chef, Raghu Deora. Reghu revealed that they preferred vegetarian food, saying: "It is all vegetarian because I was told that was what they preferred."
The royal couple rounded off their afternoon with a visit to the Banganga Water Tank to meet SMILE, an organisation supporting local enterprises before closing their first day in Mumbai with a spectacular Bollywood gala.
