Duke and Duchess of Cambridge become true South Pacific royalty

Until now they have been members of Tuvalu’s royal family in name only, but after their display at an inter-island singing celebration they can lay claim to being true born.

William and Kate shimmied, swayed their hips and moved their arms as they joined six island communities of the South Pacific nation at a fateles, a local dance, where different groups try to out-sing and  out-dance one another in a friendly rivalry.

The duchess looked the more natural and got to her feet time after time to join the performers, while the duke left it till later in the evening to try out his moves.

At one stage both had colourful skirts tied around them to make them really feel the part of the event.

A tradition associated with the fateles is for dignitaries to spray perfume or scent on dancers they like as a mark of respect and gratitude – so, armed with a bottle of Paul Smith London for Men, both royals liberally sprayed the performers.

The evening saw them beaming, laughing and joking with each other, and at its end William summed it up as “good, really good – an amazing evening”, when he was asked by Tapugao Falefou, a senior government official who helped organise the royal visit, if he had enjoyed himself.

The rousing event capped a busy day for the couple, who were welcomed with a greeting not seen since the Queen last set foot on Funafuti, Tuvalu’s main island, in 1982.

Carried shoulder high by more than 25 men in leaf skirts, William and Kate were processed from their charter jet sitting side by side on ornate chairs in a “carriage” with a thatched roof of leaves.

Looking a little bemused, they appeared to be enjoying the ride, that slowly made its way from the plane to the airport terminal – a tiny, single-storey building with a corrugated iron roof.

The duke later chopped open a coconut with a machete.