Prince William and Kate Middleton mingled with the public and launched a lifeboat in North Wales on Thursday – their first official duty together and the first genuine step toward Kate’s becoming a princess.
Royal life is all about appearances like these, and Middleton, 29 – who is set to wed William, 28, on April 29 – appeared to be enjoying herself, chatting with the locals in Anglesey, where she and William live and where William is stationed as a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot.
The couple named the “Hereford Endeavour” lifeboat, provided by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, in a ceremony at the Trearddur Bay Lifeboat Station – a low-key event in a familiar location, designed to let Kate ease into her royal duties.
Among other activities, Kate sang along to the Welsh national anthem – “Hen Wlad fy NhaDau (Land of my Fathers)” – met with a decided thumbs up from appreciative locals.
Rhian Hughes, 38, a grade-school teacher, told PEOPLE, “It’s fantastic – well done to her. It shows that she’s thinking about where she is. This is a very Welsh-speaking part of Wales so it’s a nice gesture.”
Full Story: Prince William and Kate Middleton tour Anglesey