Falmouth Nub News brought you offering rolling coverage throughout the day of the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall to the town today (Thursday, 9 February).

THEIR first stop was at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall on Discovery Quay where crowds and royal well-wishers began gathering around 11am, with the royal couple expected around midday after flying from London by helicopter.

in Falmouth the couple learned about the rich maritime heritage of Cornwall and how the Museum is working to highlight the relevance of maritime issues to the present day.

During their visit, The Duke and Duchess spent time in the Museum's workshop where they met local people working on the refurbishment of the Kiwi, a fourteen-foot sailing dinghy which was presented to Queen Elizabeth and The Duke of Edinburgh as a wedding present from the Royal New Zealand Navy.

The royal duo also heard from a group of young people who are taking part in the 'Young and Talented Cornwall' scheme which provides financial support to help young people from across Cornwall fulfill their potential, regardless of their financial means or background.

Ceylan Tregenza and Victoria ready with their floral gift for Kate

In total, the fund has given out almost £350,000 to some 275 individuals in the past ten years – supporting future Olympic medal winners, international rugby players, and musicians now playing in major orchestras, among others.

Finally, the Duke and Duchess joined pupils taking part in a model boat race before departing the museum.

The official greeting party including the Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall Colonel Edward Bolitho OBE.

Among the growing crowd and enjoying the sense of anticipation were Cornish couple Dan and Catherine Kinealy, who were enjoying a break in the town to celebrate Dan's birthday and stayed overnight.

Dan and Catherine Kinealy.

They had planned to visit the Maritime Centre this morning and were delighted to find they would be part of a special royal day.

"It was a big surprise, it's lovely to see them coming to Cornwall and great that the town has laid on all this for them," said Catherine.

As the cars in the royal convoy pulled onto the quay the sense of anticipation rose and the crowd started to cheer. William and Kate got out the car to a huge round of applause.

Mayor Cllr Steve Eva greets the Duchess.

They took their time to speak to the official dignitaries, including Mayor Cllr Steve Eva, and then turned to the crowd to greet those that had come specially to see them.

After the Duke and Duchess entered the museum, Nub News spoke to Louise from Falmouth, whose birthday it is today. Louise was clearly emotional and wiped a tear from her eye and she told us she managed to shake hands with Kate. You can catch the moment in our main video.

William and Kate met and engaged with townsfolk on the Quay.

Floral gift. Kate received a bouquet from an admirer. Picture: PA Rota.

After meeting members of the public the royal duo went into the Discovery Quay's National Maritime Museum where, in the centre's workshop, they met and spoke to volunteers from the local marine school.

The Duke and Duchess were showed and told about the work being done to boats including Titanic Lifeboat 13 and the Kiwi boat gifted to William's grandparents, Queen Elizabeth and The Duke of Edinburgh, as a wedding present

The couple with volunteers. Picture: PA Rota.

Kate enquired about pictures of volunteers and centre supporters and William joked he'd keep his eyes peeled for parts on his travels and wished them "the best of luck".

Working together. The royal partnership. Picture: PA Rota

The Duke and Duchess then met local students from the marine school and examined a boat they have been working on. Kate told William "he can do the hammering". ...but she did also give it a go!.

Nailed it! The Duchess shows William how it's done. Picture: PA Rota.

The next stop on the tour was to meet members of the Young & Talented Cornwall group, described as "future stars". The Lord Lieutenant's Fund (Y&TC) provides support to talented under-23s in Cornwall to achieve their goals in sport, the arts, science and many other disciplines.

The fund was launched in 2005 as The Lord Lieutenant's Fund for Youth (LLFFY), by the then Lord Lieutenant Lady Mary Holborow and Vice Lord Lieutenant Michael Galsworthy, aiming to inspire and support exceptional ability in Cornwall's young.

The Duke and Duchess with members of the Young and Talented Cornwall Group. Picture: PA Rota.

The fund is now known as Young & Talented Cornwall and is headed by Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall Colonel Edward Bolitho OBE. It strives to help those young individuals who have demonstrated an outstanding talent in a particular field – such as sport, the arts, science, voluntary service and enterprise – but are struggling to achieve their ambition or progress in their chosen career because of hardship or disability. You can apply to it via this link.

Tale of the sail. Youngsters from King Charles CofE Primary School with the royal couple. Picture: PA Rota.

Youngsters from King Charles CofE Primary School were then delighted to be presented to the royal couple, who joined them to take part sailing model boats.

Pupils said that Kate was much better at the boat racing, saying "William crashed a lot".

At the helm: Kate enjoys moments of laughter with pupils. Picture: PA Rota

Maude said: "It was really cool and really exciting" but a little scary. Finn added: "It was really amazing and nice to meet a royal. It was really fun."

Benicio got to shake Prince William's hand.

He said: "We got to teach them how to ride boats and competed against them which was really good."

There was a memorable moment as the couple left the museum when Kate spotted one of her former teachers, Jim Embury.

She recognised Jim, who volunteers at the museum, instantly and hugged him, and said: "Things you taught me, I now teach to my children".

Jim taught Kate at prep school around 25 years ago. He said: "She was a fantastic student and it was a great class."

One man apparently less pleased to see the couple was a lone protester who raised a piece of paper, but he was kept well away from the Duke and Duchess by police and there appeared to be no issues.

Kate paused to speak to a little girl as the couple were leaving. Picture: PA Rota.

After completing their visit to the National Maritime Museum the Duke and Duchess again spoke to members of the crowd that had remained outside before leaving to visit the Dracaena Centre.

The centre, on Dracaena Avenue, offers a wide variety of support and services to local people.

It has been in operation since 2008 and supports around 10,000 people a year.

Services it offers include family and youth support, children's activities, legal advice, sports and fitness and community food programmes.

The Duke and Duchess took up the inviation to enjoy a game of table tennis with local players.

Kate enjoys the Hokey Cokey.

During their tour, the Duke and Duchess met local families and Kate joined in an impromptu rendition of the Hokey Cokey with mums, dads and toddlers. The Dracaena Centre has supported them as parents and promoted their children's development through play and creativity.

Meanwhile the Duke was talking to residents about issues of local concern including representatives from St Petrocs, a local, independent charity working with individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Cornwall.

Asking about the cause of homelessness he was told "second homes" by several residents . He said he got that feeling from talking to people earlier in the visit.

St Petrocs provides services including outreach, housing advice, emergency accommodation, counselling and training with the aim of supporting its clients to find a permanent route out of homelessness.

Finally, the Duke and Duchess visited the NHS Wellbeing Hub hosted in the centre and heard how they are providing community based mental health and wellbeing support across the local area.