Crowds help warm William and Kate during Scottish visit

The Earl and Countess of Strathearn braved the bitter cold to attend the opening of an outdoor centre in Scotland.

The couple joined the Duke of Rothesay at Dumfries House in Ayrshire where Charles has led a regeneration project since 2007.

Hundreds of locals and 600 members of youth groups including the Girl Guides and Scouts turned out for the official opening of the Tamar Manoukin Outdoor Centre.

As Charles prepared to address the crowd, William rubbed his cold hands and told his father to “make it brief”.

Kate, dressed in a red Armani coat and yellow tartan scarf, smiled as she was handed a “Princess Catherine” doll by one young well-wisher.

Royal fan Dayna Miller, 11, from nearby Coylton, showed Kate the doll which she got as a Christmas gift.

The youngster said: “Kate’s much prettier than the doll.”

Gwen McLelland, 68, lives near the 18th Century home and took her nine-year-old granddaughter Eve Park along to see the royals.

She said: “The duchess thanked us for coming out in the cold and we told her it was worth it.”

The visit ended with a flypast by two Typhoons of 6 squadron RAF Leuchars.