The Duke of Cambridge joked today that he is ‘allergic’ to selfies, but was happy to pose for a traditional picture when asked by a Norwegian royal super fan.
William’s admission came as he met hundreds of well-wishers with Kate in a snow covered Oslo park as the second leg of their Nordic tour began in earnest.
The duchess, who is around six months pregnant and wore a luxury alpaca fur hat and a Catherine Walker coat, seemed to relish the chilly weather and told Christian Wallis, 29, originally from Bedford but now running hotels in the Norwegian capital: ‘It’s cold in a nice way, it’s good to get proper snow.’
The couple were joined by members of the Swedish royal family during their walkabout and they happily shook hands, said hello to well-wishes and collected gifts from the crowds who had patiently waited to see the couple.
Prince William was happy to stop for a picture with Norwegian royal super fan Kristin Larsen taken during a stop in a snow covered Oslo park
The pregnant Duchess of Cambridge greeted people during the second leg of their Nordic tour, where she was snapped by eager fans on their mobile phones
William and Kate had earlier enjoyed a welcome lunch with King Harald V of Norway, his wife Queen Sonja and members of their family including Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit.
The duke led the way into the park after lunch at the royal palace followed by Queen Sonja, the Crown Prince and Princess and their daughter Princess Ingrid Alexandra.
When he stopped in front of Kristin Larsen, 46, she held up her smartphone and asked for a picture, but William laughed and said ‘I’m allergic to selfies’.
His father, the Prince of Wales, regularly ducks out of selfie requests as does Prince Harry, but William suggested a picture and happily posed with the well-wishers.
Ms Larsen was overwhelmed following her encounter with the Duke and said with tears in her eyes ‘I’m just so excited this is amazing I’ve been waiting here for hours and didn’t think he would stop, I’m so glad he posed for a picture.
‘I was in England when his grandmother was celebrating her 90th birthday so to meet her grandson and his wife is incredible.’
William and Kate posed for pictures together so that the adoring crowds could snap photos
A royal rainbow! The Duke and Duchess are given a guided tour of the sculpture park on the Palace grounds with their royal hosts, including Princess Ingrid Alexandra, 14, who is second-in-line to the throne after her father Haakon (far right)
The Duchess, who is preparing to welcome her third child in just two months, was beaming as she chatted to locals and posed for photographs as she wandered around the stunning grounds of Slottsparken with the Norwegian royal family
The Duke of Cambridge appeared to be in a playful mood as he walked around the palace grounds with Kate and the Norwegian royals this afternoon – as well as a large security detail, and Kate’s personal assistant
The couple are given a tour of the Princess Ingrid Alexandra Sculpture Park within the palace gardens, which opened last year to mark the 25th anniversary of 80-year-old King Harald V’s reign and is named after the young princess (far left)
William and Kate have spent the past two days visiting the Swedish capital, Stockholm, and before flying to Norway received a short briefing on Sweden’s armed forces.
William and Kate spent 40 minutes walking among crowds before being shown the Princess Ingrid Alexandra Sculpture Park – named after the 14-year-old royal – featuring sculptors designed by and for children.
At one point, the duchess revealed it was he mother Carole Middleton’s 63rd birthday on Wednesday – the couple’s last full day in Sweden.
It is not known whether the duchess spoke to her mum by phone or celebrated with her early before starting her four-day Nordic tour.
But on meeting Tonje Tejera, 50, a hotel receptionist, and mum-of-four on her 50th, Kate said: ‘Happy birthday – it’s my mother’s birthday yesterday.’
And William told her jokingly: ‘Where is the party? I should come.’
The Duchess kept her hair and makeup to a minimum, sporting a subtle slick of nude lipstick and a smoky eye. Her tresses appeared to have had a quick refresh; lucky royal hairdresser Amanda Cook Tucker was on hand for any hair emergencies
Warm welcome: Huge crowds came out to catch a glimpse of the royals, who handed bunches of tulips to Kate and children’s books to William, while many begged the Duchess for a selfie
The Duchess was in excellent spirits despite the chilly conditions as she chatted to locals. She was joined by her private secretary Catherine Quinn, who wore a simple black coat and was on hand to hold any gifts passed to Kate
The 80-year-old queen consort defied the years in a jaunty orange coat teamed with a patterned green scarf, and looked ready for the icy conditions in a pair of black wellington boots. William also cosied up in a red scarf as he chatted to the queen
Queen Sonja and Kate’s vibrant orange and blue coats provided a welcome burst of colour as their royal companions stuck to darker colours during the walkabout in chilly Oslo, where temperatures were just a few degrees above freezing today
In the afternoon, the Duke and Duchess dropped in on an entrepreneurs and start-up companies event at MESH, a co-working space in Oslo
A right royal welcome! After arriving at Oslo’s Royal Palace for luncheon with King Harald V (second right) and Queen Sonja (far right), Kate, 36, removed her coat to reveal a £169 cobalt blue maternity dress from Séraphine featuring a lace bodice
Kate looks a little embarrassed as her husband tries out some apparatus at MESH, The Nordic Creators’ Community and Oslo’s first co-working space – with a virtual reality tour of his alma mater, St. Andrew’s University – where him and Kate first locked eyes
William and Kate, dressed in an elegant blue Séraphine dress with a lace bodice, looked delighted at the gifts from their royal hosts. Crown Princess Mette-Marit looked chic in a navy coat dress paired with a colourful red belt
When Erling Okkenhaug, 67, activist for the built environment, told of his admiration for Charles’ crusade for traditional architecture, William said: ‘He knows his stuff, he knows his stuff about architecture. It’s an argument I don’t have with him.’
Later, during the walkabout, the duke was given books for Prince George and Princess Charlotte written by Norwegian children’s author Thorbjorn Egner.
Kristin Mac Quarrie, 53, gave William the books Karius and Baktus and Kardemommeby – adding one taught of the importance of cleaning teeth.
William said: ‘Oh fantastic. Good lesson, perfect. That’s really kind of you thanks very much. Lot’s of pictures in there. Got to have pictures for the children.’