Duke and Duchess of Cambridge go land yachting in town where they first met

Watch: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge try out land yachting

Prince William and his wife Kate kept up their sporting rivalry as they tried their hands at land yachting with young carers during a visit to St Andrews, where they first met 20 years ago.

The couple are in Scotland on a week-long visit and on Wednesday they got to show their competitive side as they gave the beach sport a go.

William and Kate met at university in the Scottish town in 2001 and married 10 years later.

The couple took a trip down memory lane as they met students at the university to see how they have coped during the coronavirus pandemic.

In the morning, they joined six teenage carers who were on a day course with Blown Away, and the royals quickly got to grips with the yachts.

William told Jamie and Guy McKenzie who run the business: "I want to go faster. I need to make sure I’ve got the right angle."

William also shouted "Wahoo!" as he raced his wife, pulling away into the lead.

She shouted: "I’m catching you!" as she made up ground.

They looked like they might crash into each other at one point, but William steered away.

In 2019, 6,785 young people in Fife identified themselves as a carer, looking after a family member with a physical disability, illness addiction or mental health issues.

That figure equates to approximately one in eight young people in the region.

Fife Young Carers, who organised the yachting, supports 597 young people, with the figure rising monthly.

Read more: Surfing, a sheer dress... and studying: 21 photos of Prince William and Kate at university

William, 38, arrived in Scotland on Friday, and Kate, 39, joined him the following Monday.

On Tuesday they visited the Orkney Islands, where they opened a new hospital in Kirkhall and then went to a marine energy centre.

They took time to speak to a group of four and five-year-olds who were waiting to catch a glimpse of them, with one asking Kate "are you the prince?" which she took with good spirit.

William joked around with the children, asking them if they liked his shoes and complimenting their trainers.

The duke and duchess are known for their sporting rivalry and they relished another chance to compete at the beach on Wednesday.

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Afterwards, the duke and duchess tweeted: "Fife Young Carers’ hugely impactful work sees them offer young carers some respite from their caring role, and the opportunity to have fun spending time with people of their own age.

"Thank you to Blown Away for hosting today’s fun session in St Andrews!"

Kate, in a jumper by Highlands firm Campbell’s of Beauly, asked the carers if their friends understood what they were doing.

"Is it hard for them to relate to what you are doing? Do you think people in general are understanding?" she asked.

As they spoke about their lives, she also asked: "Do you find it hard to find time for yourselves and do things?"

William praised the centre's workers, saying: "You guys do really well. You should be very proud of yourselves, guys."

Kirstie Howell, service manager for Fife Young Carers said of the session: "It’s a chance for these young people to get away from their care roles and just allowing them to be young people again."

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