The Duchess of Cambridge lent her support to Great Britain women's team hockey team by taking part in a training session at the Olympics venue in Stratford, east London, and even smashed home a goal.
Kate got stuck straight in after changing into a grey Team GB sweatshirt and Adidas trainers when she took to the pitch to showcase her skills. The 30-year-old looked nervous as she joined the Great Britain Olympic team at the London 2012 Olympic Park.
But her nerves were quickly dispelled as Kate - who captained Marlborough College first XI as a teenager - wowed the crowds with her skills.
Addressing the women’s team, she said: 'I really hoped to be here, I would love to see you play in the Games.
'Now I have seen the set-up and got to see behind the scenes it would be really exciting to come back and see everyone in action. Good luck with everything.
'I was really looking forward to coming here but now I am here and have discovered I have to play, I am not feeling so confident.
'The colour of the pitch is, well, eye-catching. My trousers really clash. The last time I played was 2005, maybe. It feels like I haven’t held a stick for 10 years.
Her nerves were quickly dispelled as Kate wowed the crowds with her skills
Hopes are high for Team GB in this summer’s Olympic Games, with both women’s and men’s teams ranked 4th in the world and expected to be medal winners.
The Duchess specifically asked to meet the hockey squad as part of her role as Team GB and Paralympics GB 2012 ambassador.
She was said to be 'very excited' about the visit, her first to the Olympic Park, as she chatted with physios, coaches and members of the first team squad, whom she questioned on training methods.
After changing, she nervously looked on as she saw the watching crowd.
'Oh please don't tell me I have to do it in front of all these people,' she laughed. 'I don’t want anyone to watch.'
Kate, who arrived wearing the official Team GB supporters’ scarf, added: 'I used to play at school and I remember my muscles at the beginning of the season were agony.
'Do you still get bananas and oranges at half-time? I don’t know if that was purely a school thing?
'I was striker so you had to get the timing exactly right, well, that was the idea. I played on the left wing. I really enjoyed it and it is great to be here.
'I haven’t played since I stopped so I am really nervous now.'
Kate arrived at the blue and fluorescent pink pitch at 10.30am in a minibus after a brief tour of the park. She was playing with captains Kate Walsh, 31, and Barry Middleton, 28, plus Emily Maguire, 24, and Niall Stott, 31.
Meeting Mr Middleton, she joked: 'Well we have something in common.' He replied: 'Yes I get asked about that a lot, whether we are related.'
She took three shots from the left hand side of the goalmouth and missed, before moving to the centre where she scored first time to loud applause. As she came off she said: 'Wow, that was no pressure then. I was determined to keep on going until I scored.'
She was handed a white sleeveless team top with Cambridge 1 on the back and a polo-style shirt for husband Prince William. She thanked the team for 'a great experience', adding it was 'nerve wracking but great. I really miss playing'.
Performance director David Faulkner, who was a member of the 1988 Olympic gold medal squad, said: 'We are six weeks away from team selection and are going into the Olympics in a really strong place.
'We are delighted that the Duchess has asked to visit us. It’s a real boost to morale and has caused a real buzz within the squad.'
Speaking afterwards, Kate Walsh said: 'Actually she was really good.
'She told me that she missed playing as part of a team. She also told me that she used to hit the penalty corners and you could see that. She got low and her shots were really sweet.
'We put her too far out to the left on goal but we were determined to keep going until she got one in. It takes a bit of getting used to after such a long time away from the game.'
The Duchess was wearing eye-catching skin tight coral three quarter length jeans, blue heels and a smart blue blazer with an official Team GB supporters' scarf
Kate also met with the physios and coaches and chatted knowledgeably about training methods
