The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge celebrated the city’s vibrant arts scene during a visit to Sunderland.
They visited and officially opened the Fire Station, one of the area’s most notable buildings, which has recently been converted into an arts centre.
William and Kate ended their trip by visiting the striking Northern Spire bridge, already a major landmark and standing twice as high as Nelson’s Column and taller than Big Ben’s clock tower.
Siblings Harper (left) and Lyle Mack, both three, from South Shields, waited outside The Fire Station to greet the royal visitors (Jane Barlow/PA)
The Duchess of Cambridge, wearing a green Dolce and Gabbana coat, received a warm welcome and was presented with flowers (Jane Barlow/PA)
The Duchess, who is seven months pregnant, talked to wellwishers (Jane Barlow/PA)
The Duchess asked for a henna tattoo when she met members of Young Asian Voices (Andy Commins/Daily Mirror/PA)
The henna tattoo was of a flower with a swirl (Andy Commins/Daily Mirror/PA)
Later, the Duke and Duchess met children during a visit to the Northern Spire bridge across the River Wear (Danny Lawson/PA)
The couple donned hard hats to walk across the Northern Spire (Danny Lawson/PA)
William was invited to put in one of the final bolts on the bridge (Danny Lawson/PA)
The Duchess talked to construction workers who have worked on the 1,550-tonne pylon bridge (Danny Lawson/PA)
As well as safety helmets, the couple also put on high-vis vests and safety glasses (Danny Lawson/PA)
