Kate is crowned an Island Princess as she wears decorative headpiece given by well-wishers during village visit in South Pacific
The Duchess of Cambridge became an Island Princess as she was crowned with a headdress of fresh flowers today.
Kate and her husband, Prince William, were visiting a cultural centre in South Pacific when the decorative headpiece made from exotic frangipani and bougainvillea was placed on her head unexpectedly.
The Duchess beamed at the tribute as she and William were cheered by thousands of barefoot well-wishers in the Solomon Islands.
Crowning glory: The Duchess of Cambridge happily paraded her new headwear, given to her by well-wishers in Honiara and made from exotic fresh flowers
Dressed in a bright yellow sleeves dress, which cost £180 from Jaeger, and her trusty beige LK Bennett heels, Kate cut a colourful figure as she and William were greeted by fearsome island warriors singing war chants.
The men were dressed in loin cloths, body paint and carried spears, while the women were bare-breasted and wore skirts made from tree bark with bracelets and necklaces from leaves
The Festival Village in the capital Honiara had nine thatched huts each featuring singers, dancers and handicrafts from the provinces that make up the Solomon Islands, 900 miles east of Papua New Guinea.
The dances on display included the vevei, a clapping dance which denotes war or sacrifice, the vevua, a celebratory fan dance and the levu, which is a ceremonial dance performed when ‘big men’ or important guests come to the village.
Island princess: The Duchess of Cambridge waves from a car while wearing her flowery headdress as she leaves the cultural village in Honiara in the Solomon Islands
At one hut, a group of traditionally dressed musicians from the Isabel Province played God Save The Queen on their pan pipes, surely one of the most beautiful renditions of the national anthem the couple have ever heard.
As is often in the tropics, a sudden downpour occurred as the couple walked around, with staff hurriedly holding umbrellas over the Duke and Duchess.
At the Temotu Hut the Pele Dance Group from the Reef Islands danced up to the Duchess, but then scuttled back crippled with shyness.
The Duke turned to his wife and said: ‘Look, they have gone all shy.’
The couple then split with the Duke going on to make a speech to a Commonwealth Youth Conference, while Kate met a group of women and young girls all working to highlight inequality in Melenesian society, where there is a distinct lack of female health facilities and domestic violence can be common.
All smiles: Traditionally-dressed local villagers were in a friendly mood during the day as they happily chatted to the Duchess of Cambridg
Royal beauty Kate is clearly poised to be the next Princess Diana that South Pacific island nations had take to their hearts when she visited Fiji.