The Duke of Cambridge is Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Navy Submarine Service and tour the offices of Vanguard replacement programme in Barrow.

Published on Friday 5 April 2013 16:33

THE Duke and Duchess of Cambridge braved the bitter cold to attend the opening of an outdoor centre in Scotland today.

The Duchess of Cambridge appears to be carving a niche as a specialist in engagements in the freezing cold. Only weeks after mucking in at a snowy scout camp in Cumbria, today she braved sub-zero temperatures to help open an outdoor centre in Ayrshire.

The Duchess, Prince William and Prince Charles officially opened the Tamar Manoukian Outdoor Centre, where they were greeted by hundreds of local people and 600 members of the youth groups that use the facilities.

The centre is based at Dumfries House, where Prince Charles has led a regeneration project since 2007.

The Duchess, dressed in a red Armani coat and a yellow tartan scarf with black tights, boots and gloves, smiled as 11-year-old well-wisher Dayna Miller showed her a “Princess Catherine” doll that her mother had given her as a Christmas present.

 “She looked at it and she said ‘does my hair look like that?’” said Dayna, of Coylton. She added: “Kate’s much prettier than the doll.”

The Duke of Cambridge is Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Navy Submarine Service and during their visit they will tour the offices of Vanguard replacement programme and meet with the crew of Artful and their families, who are now based in Barrow.

Among the groups at today’s event were the Boys’ and Girls’ Brigade and the Sea, Army and Air Cadets.

The Prince, known as the Duke of Rothesay when in Scotland, created the umbrella organisation Youth United in 2009 to promote the young people’s associations.

Rod Jarman, Youth United’s chief executive, said it aimed to ensure that membership of at least one group was available to every young person in the UK. A particular focus is on deprived areas.

Northern Scotland’s most senior sea cadet, Hannah Strachan, 17, from Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, met Charles and William. “They were really friendly,” she said. “I think it’s great they came today, it shows that they know we are here.”

Stephen Kay, head of education and training at Dumfries House, said: “It’s all part of the Prince’s vision of getting people out and into activities.

“To have him and the Duke and Duchess here today has been great. The young people have got the chance to see there’s a lot of interest in what we’re doing here.”

The Prince of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Dumfries House.

Dumbfries House, where the Tamar Manoukian Outdoor Centre was opened.

Catherine, Countess of Strathearn visits the Astute-class Submarine Building at BAE Systems

The visit ended with a flypast by two Typhoons of 6 squadron RAF Leuchars, the base near St Andrews where Kate and William met as university students.

The couple then went to Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, where they met the crew of the Royal Navy’s Astute Class nuclear submarine Artful.

Catherine, Countess of Strathearn talks to Maizie Yeardley during a visit the Astute-class Submarine Building at BAE Systems on April 5, 2013 in Barrow-in-Furness, United Kingdom.