Wills and Kate attend their first Official Engagement on their own doorstep

Prince William and Kate Middleton have been welcomed by crowds of hundreds of people on their first official engagement as a couple. Miss Middleton cracked open a bottle of champagne on a new RNLI lifeboat at Trearddur Bay on Anglesey. The prince, who is based at RAF Valley, told the crowd: "I do the talking, she does the fun bit". Miss Middleton sang the Welsh national anthem, as well as a hymn in Welsh.

A palace spokesman said the couple asked for their first joint engagement to be on the island, where they have a rented home. They arrived by black Land Rover, and were met by a welcome party before attending an official ceremony. Miss Middleton wore a cream tailored coat, with brown velvet trim and had her hair swept up into a pony tail and fastened with a black feathered fascinator. The Prince wore a dark suit and winter coat.

Both joined in to sing God Save The Queen, followed by the Welsh anthem, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, as Miss Middleton showed an early grasp of the Welsh language. At the lifeboat dedication ceremony, the prince spoke briefly in Welsh to applause from the crowd. He preceded his speech by paying tribute to Welsh rescue workers who travelled to help those caught up in this week's earthquake in New Zealand.