The Princess of Wales playfully told residents on the Isle of Bute that she might take a dip in the sea next time, despite the water temperature hovering around a brisk 13C (55F).
Kate also caught the attention of royal admirers when she climbed smoothly out of a tractor and down onto the beach while taking part in a community litter-picking event.
Kate and Prince William were making their first official visit to the picturesque Scottish island, located off the western coast in the Firth of Clyde, to highlight local volunteering and the strong community spirit.
The visit came amid a public dispute between William’s father, King Charles, and his uncle, Earl Spencer, following the release of Spencer’s memoir about Princess Diana.
New video captured the royal couple—known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay during engagements in Scotland—as they toured the island and met residents during Thursday’s walkabout.
In one clip, Princess Kate joked with members of the crowd about returning for a swim, saying: “Next time I’m going to go for a swim, apparently there’s a sauna that appears, live music, apparently that’s really good.”
Her playful remark prompted laughter from onlookers, while locals pointed out that the chilly water would probably appeal only to experienced cold-water swimmers.
Sea temperatures around the Isle of Bute can fall to about 7C (45F) during the winter.
Princess Kate joked with islanders about returning for a swim, saying: “Next time I’m going to go for a swim”
The Princess of Wales made the playful comment despite sea temperatures around the island dropping as low as 7C in winter
Kate told residents that Princess Anne enjoys sailing around the Isle of Bute
Kate was pictured stepping out of a tractor driven by Prince William as the couple joined islanders for a beach clean-up
She quickly swung herself out of the cab and jumped onto the sand before firmly closing the tractor door, remaining completely steady throughout
Royal fans admired Kate’s athletic ease as she took part in the activity while maintaining her polished style
Speaking about Princess Anne’s affection for the area, Kate said: “The Princess Royal comes sailing around here, I can see why. She often shows us her photographs. It’s really beautiful.”
Another video showed Kate leaving the tractor cab with William at the wheel before the pair joined local volunteers on the beach to collect litter.
The Princess kept her look stylish and practical in a chocolate-brown trench coat worn over an olive-green ribbed turtleneck, finished with an olive Baker Boy hat.
Once the door opened, Kate effortlessly pivoted out of the cab and hopped down to the beach, closing it behind her without a stumble.
This was not the first occasion on which Kate has demonstrated her athletic ability while looking effortlessly elegant.
In October last year, royal fans were similarly impressed when the Princess of Wales made her way down a narrow staircase after looking inside a cockpit during a visit to RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.
She amazed observers at the time by flawlessly strutting up and down an aircraft’s boarding stairs in four-inch navy stilettos from Stuart Weitzman.
After she had finished peering into the plane, Kate then followed the pilot, perfectly climbing the narrow stairs backwards without stumbling.
Reacting to the latest video, fans applauded the royal for her natural grace.
One wrote: ‘Elegance, Catherine is thy name. Even getting out of a tractor.’
Another drew comparisons to her visit to RAF Coningsby, adding: ‘Truly. It’s like going up and down the airplane stairs.’
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A third said the royal must have ‘some serious arm strength’ because tractor doors ‘weigh an absolute tonne’.
The couple were later seen on a royal walkabout happily chatting to dozens of residents on the Isle of Bute in Scotland and posing for selfies.
While on the island, the couple also visited Bute Shinty Club and watched an under-17s match from the side-lines alongside locals.
When it was the couple’s turn to try the sport – which like hockey is played with a curved stick and small, hard ball – they quickly learned hand-eye co-ordination is key as they practised taking penalties.
The royal couple were seen driving a tractor as they joined Beachwatch Bute on a litter pick
Kate looked stylish in an autumnal ensemble featuring a chocolate brown trench coast and Bakerboy hat
William fluffed his first shot, with the ball moving just a few inches, before making solid contact to cheers from the spectators.
Kate fared little better at the start, swinging and missing – but her next shot was cheered by the crowds as it flew at the goalie.
She then peppered the goal with more shots, almost hitting members of the press who were closest to the netting and saying ‘sorry’ in apology.
The couple chatted to the crowds after their shinty display and Kate told content creator Andy McAlindon, known as Andy the Highlander, who was stood beside the goal: ‘I was a bit worried I was going to take your teeth out.’
Former Bute shinty player Tom McMillan said: ‘I think they did very well, Kate hit the ball better than William and she really got into it and was lining the balls up.’
They ended their day at the community-owned Anchor Tavern Pub and Hub in Port Bannatyne and William praised their model, where a large number of volunteers help keep the project financially viable, and Kate described it as something ‘special’.
William and Kate arrived on Bute at their namesake town of Rothesay, arriving by ferry from the mainland.
They toured the islands of Iona and Mull in the Inner Hebrides last year.
Kate and William meet people outside the Anchor Tavern Pub and Hub in Port Bannatyne
Members of the public watch in Port Bannatyne during the royal visit on Thursday afternoon
Prince William meets a group of schoolchildren in Port Bannatyne on the Isle of Bute
Their trip came amid a public dispute between the King and Earl Spencer, who claims in a new book about his late sister Diana that Charles told him ‘rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough’ days after her death.
Further claims from the book – serialised in the Daily Mail – said the King sounded ‘giddily elated… like a lottery winner’ when he rang the earl following the princess’s death.
In other passages of the book the earl described how his sister drove ‘more than once’ to the cliffs at Beachy Head in East Sussex and was ‘contemplating ending it all’, adding that ‘her love for her sons stopped her from going further’.
The excerpt went on to claim Diana told her brother ‘my husband is in love with his valet’ after telling him she was going to get divorced.
The palace has yet to respond to the latest claims but a spokesman said on Wednesday that ‘fraternal grief can cloud reason’.
READ MORE: King at war with Diana’s brother after astonishing response to Earl’s claim that he said she would be ‘forgotten’ days after her death