Prince William and Kate rounded off their week on the royal circuit with a visit to Manchester on Friday.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived shortly before noon to carry out their first engagement of the day – a tour of the National Football Museum in Manchester's iconic Urbis building.
The royals kicked off the visit with a reception where they met some of the brightest young locals who are making a difference in their communities. William and his wife Kate, who wrapped up in an Erdem coat, were then given a tour of the museum which hopes to educate fans and non-fans alike about how and why football has become 'the people's game'.
© Photo: PAPrince William and Kate visited the National Football Museum in Manchester
The Duke got his hands on the 1966 World Cup football, nervously putting on a pair of white gloves to hold the ball. He declined to raise the trophy for fear of dropping it, saying he didn't want to "jinx it".
William, who is an Aston Villa fan, also showed off his skills at a penalty shoot out, scoring on the second attempt while Kate politely passed because of her heels. "Oh yes, the heels," William teased her.
The couple met England World Cup winner Roger Hunt, who brought along his medal to show their royal highnesses.
© Photo: PAThe Duke got his hands on the 1966 World Cup football
The second engagement of the day took William and Kate to Manchester Town Hall where they took part in a ceremony at the Cenotaph to lay a wreath honouring Manchester's six Victoria Cross recipients as part of the First World War Centenary campaign. The Victoria Cross is the highest decoration for bravery under enemy fire.
After lunch William and Kate visited The National Graphene Institute at The University of Manchester. They saw the site of the new Manchester Engineering Campus Development, currently under construction, and helped seal a time capsule.
© Photo: TwitterKate met local schoolchildren outside the iconic Urbis building
The day concluded with the couple following in Princess Diana's footsteps. They visited Francis House, a hospice that cares for children and young adults which was first opened in 1991 by William's late mother Diana.
The hospice is celebrating its 25th anniversary and to mark the occasion, William and Kate toured the facilities, met families and volunteers and officially opened Francis House's new lodge facilities.
