The Duchess of Cambridge took a trip down memory lane today as she visited her old prep school in Berkshire to celebrate St Andrew’s Day. Kate, who was dressed in a tartan Alexander McQueen outfit, spent time talking to pupils at St Andrew’s School in Pangbourne, where she was a day pupil between 1986 and 1995.
St Andrew's Day is marked by the school, where Kate, 30, studied from 1986 to 1995, with a range of activities and festivities.
Founded in 1934 with a staff of two and just eight boys, it is still based in the same large red-bricked Victorian country house built in 1885 but it has been enlarged over the years.
Children aged three to 13 are taught at the private institution, which takes day students and caters for others who board - charging just over £16,000 for a weekly boarder.
Kate's first job was to sit down to lunch with staff and some of the older children, and she tucked into a meal of Scottish beef.
Past pupils returning to the private school can request a traditional St Andrew's pudding known as "birdseed" - a mixture of flapjacks and rice crispy cakes - and the Duchess plumped for this sweet treat.
William is said to have played hockey - one of Kate's favourite sports - at the school, but rumours that their romance was kindled that day have been scotched as the Duchess is said to have no recollection of the royal visit.
St Andrew's takes pride in nurturing the creative and sporting talents of its pupils and the school revealed Kate took up the recorder and then moved on to the flute, which she played in the school orchestra.
In hockey, Kate captained the school side and was leading goal scorer in 1995. She still holds the senior girls' high jump record of 1.50 metres and the 4x100m record she set with three other girls has yet to be beaten.
She found herself reminiscing when she joined a group of two to six-year-olds during her tour of the school.
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As she walked through a cloakroom lined with coats built at the entrance of a single-storey classroom, she said to headmaster Dr David Livingstone, "This is new"; then as the memories came back she added: "I remember the little [coat] pegs."
About 80 children were sitting cross-legged on the floor and after a few of them replied to her "hello" and wave, a teacher prompted them to say: "Good afternoon your royal highness."
In keeping with the theme of the day, the children sang In Bonnie Scotland while four girls danced a jig.
After the performance, Kate took a seat and asked the children: "Do you have any animals?"
She added: "I can remember when I was here there were little guinea pigs. There was one called Pip and one called squeak - because my sister was called Pippa and I was squeak."
Later on the new artificial sports pitch, Kate threw herself into a hockey game with some of the pupils.
The Duchess played on the wing and at one point crouched low to intercept a ball but it evaded her, but later she picked up her pace to keep up with the fast moving game.
Kirsty Parkhouse, head of girls games at the school, spoke to Kate: "She said it was very different playing on Astro Turf from when she played on grass but she really loved her sport at St Andrew's."
