William and Kate make hands-on visit to County Durham farm

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge handled sheep and took turns behind the wheel of a tractor during a farm visit.

Prince William and Catherine discussed sustainable farming, climate change and mental health during the trip to Little Stainton near Darlington.

They also visited a youth project in Durham where they met young people who had completed their Duke of Edinburgh Award.

The prince told them his grandfather would have been "so pleased".

William and Catherine dressed casually for their first public engagement following the conclusion of the Royal Family's mourning for the Duke of Edinburgh, which ended on Friday

The visit to Manor Farm also came two days before the couple's 10th wedding anniversary.

They were taken on a tour of the cattle, calving and lambing sheds by the family-run farm's owners, Clare Wise and Stewart Chapman.

Meanwhile, the Queen held a virtual audience for ambassadors from Latvia and Ivory Coast.

The duke and duchess joined the farmers' daughters Clover, nine, Penelope, seven, and Wren, four, and their lambs named Dumbledore and Heather.

Afterwards, Clover said: "It was very exciting, but it was also quite nerve-wracking.

"She [Catherine] asked me about when my friends came over were they surprised at how well I train the lambs."

The royal couple then met farmers from County Durham and North Yorkshire to discuss their experiences of the last year including the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on mental health and the challenges of balancing home-schooling with farming.

The prince said: "The pandemic takes away your coping mechanisms. We all have ways getting through the days when you strip that away and at home all the time it starts to wear on people."

The duke and duchess later visited the Cheesy Waffles Project which supports children and young people with additional needs "transition to a happy and healthy adulthood".

It is supported by The Key, one of 26 charities chosen by William and Catherine in 2011 to benefit from donations made to their royal wedding charitable gift fund.

The couple met users of the project and took part in outdoor activities including golfing and natural artwork.

The prince was introduced to young people who had finished their Duke of Edinburgh Award, including Evan Jones, 18, and Lee Middleton, 23, who had earned their gold awards.

He asked: "Do you know he was my grandfather?

"Sadly he died a few weeks ago. He would have been so pleased that you got your awards."

William and Catherine heard how people had helped out in the community during the pandemic, including afternoon tea deliveries for elderly people and an online bingo session.

Referring to their efforts at a Cardiff care home in 2020, William joked: "We did online bingo and we weren't very good at it.

"We were bingo callers and we got told by an elderly lady some very rude words - she said we needed to try a bit harder."

Manager Erika Denholm said some activities such as trips away and cookery sessions had been halted due to Covid-19 but might resume from May.

William said: "It's that hope, that light at the end of the tunnel - everybody wants something to look forward to now."

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