NATION'S SWEETHEART ‘EXCITED CROWDS WERE CHANTING “WE WANT KATE!”'

THIS WEEK MARKS YEARS SINCE THE DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE BEGAN HER FIRST OVERSEAS TOUR AS A ROYAL – HERE’S HOW SHE WON HEARTS ACROSS THE GLOBE

- LIANA JACOB

When Kate set off on her first official overseas tour as a fully-fledged royal, the world watched to see how she’d cope. It was the summer of 2011 and she was back in the spotlight two months after her wedding to Prince William.

The couple, who became Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on their marriage, travelled around Canada, taking in Ontario, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, Northwest Territories and Alberta, before heading to Los Angeles. The 11-day trip changed the public face of British royalty, introducing the idea of a modern monarchy that was relatable, approachable and down-to-earth.

Clearly still in the honeymoon period, there were romantic displays of affection between the newlyweds, with William putting his arm around his wife as she gazed at him, besotted.

Express royal correspondent Richard Palmer was there to witness it all. “There was this informality about William and Kate that no one had seen before,” he recalls. “They just seemed quite natural and not as rigid. Kate was still nervous about showing affection in public, but at the Calgary Stampede rodeo, there was some really great banter between them. A reporter who’s skilled in lip-reading spotted Kate pointing out the chaps worn by a rodeo bull rider, saying to William, ‘We should get you in a pair of these!’ It was quite racy.”