Kate Middleton ventured out in the UK for the first time after her nude pictures row died down, as she arrived solo at the Newcastle Civic Centre, to meet Olympic volunteers, as Prince William had to pull out to attend the funeral of his former nanny.

About 500 people gathered to welcome Kate Middleton, waving flags and cheering at Newcastle Civic Centre as she arrived, dressed in a burgundy coat and knee-high black boots, to meet the Olympic volunteers. Kate was welcomed by the Lord Mayor of Newcastle Jackie Slesenger.

Kate Middleton received a warm greeting from 14-year-old William Hardy, from Newcastle, who carried the Olympic torch through part of the city. Despite the short route, a calm Kate Middleton took her time to shake hands and spoke to fans, pausing long enough to let them take shots on their mobile phones.

200 children greeted Kate Middleton with gifts, including flowers and jam. Kate Middleton was shown around a community garden where she indulged in planting some seeds before walking through the park. The Duchess of Cambridge then unveiled a plaque after which she was presented with a bouquet of flowers by a girl from a local school.

The park is protected under the Queen Elizabeth II Fields Challenge, which seeks to protect and create hundreds of playing fields across the UK. The community garden was developed in 2009 to provide girls and young women the chance to learn to grow vegetables and plants.

Kate Middleton will complete her outing by visiting the region in Stockton-on-Tees, where the charity ‘Action on Addiction’, of which she is a patron, is working with a local partner organisation to help families where a parent is an addict.

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