Duchess of Cambridge cheered in Grimsby

Huge crowds have greeted the Duchess of Cambridge as she spends the day in Grimsby for a series of engagements.

Kate toured a fishing centre, met Humberside Fire and Rescue Service crews and unemployed people taking part in a personal development course run by The Prince's Trust.

She officially opened Havelock Academy secondary school in front of hundreds of pupils.

Her helicopter was delayed for more than an hour by the weather.

Flag-waving crowds chanted "We want Kate" as she arrived.

Her helicopter, which took off at about 11:00 GMT, landed at Humberside Airport 75 minutes later than expected.

On the social networking website Twitter, campaign group Republic asked: "Return helicopter flight London-Grimsby costs at least £12k. Good use of taxpayers' money?"

Loud cheers

At the National Fishing Heritage Centre, the 31-year-old duchess was given a guided tour by a local ex-trawlerman and learned about the environmental sustainability of fishing in the North Sea.

Former trawlerman John Vincent described the experience as "fantastic, a great honour. She's a great lady".

"She was very knowledgeable and asked some very good questions. We had a bit of a laugh going round too," said Mr Vincent.

"I wished her all the best with her pregnancy and asked her to give my regards to William and Harry and bring them down here."

Leaving the museum, the duchess shook hands with excited crowds, who presented her with flowers and a teddy bear.

The Duchess of Cambridge was greeted by huge crowds

Six-year-old Zara Williams, from Goxhill, had been waiting with her family since 09:30 GMT to meet her and present the royal visitor with a bunch of pink roses.

She said: "She was really pretty. She was really nice to me and I liked her clothes."

Unplanned stop

At Peaks Lane fire station, Kate was greeted with loud cheers by the crowd.

About 200 people lined the streets outside the station. Some had been waiting for nearly three hours in the cold to see the duchess.

She also made an unplanned stop at nearby St Andrew's Hospice to meet patients.

Hundreds of pupils cheered and waved flags as Kate entered Havelock Academy after unveiling a plaque to mark the school's official opening.

She was given a tour by principal Nigel Whittle and met students taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme.

Jasmine Grierson, 15, said: "She said she had done the Duke of Edinburgh Award too and when she did it she went to the Lake District, so it was nice to have something in common.

"She was a lot more normal than I expected and easy to talk to."

The Duchess watched a medley of Queen songs performed by the Academy's students before leaving the town at about 16:00 GMT.