William and Kate meet French attack survivors

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in front of the Eiffel TowerImage copyright
AP

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The royal couple travelled to Paris at the request of the Foreign Office

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have met survivors of recent French terror attacks during a visit to the military hospital Les Invalides in Paris.

They also spoke to members of the emergency services who attended the Bataclan in 2015 and Nice last year.

The royal couple’s official two-day visit to the French capital began on Friday.

They visited the Musee d’Orsay and will later watch the Six Nations rugby match between France and Wales.

Prince William and Catherine also attended a “Les Voisins [neighbours] in Action” event at the Trocadero square, highlighting the ties between young people in France and the UK.

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The couple met survivors of the terror attack on the Bataclan theatre

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Getty Images

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They also met French war veterans during their visit to Les Invalides

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AFP

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Outside the hospital they were welcomed by French children

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PA

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The duchess was presented with a bouquet of spring flowers

In Nice last July, eighty-six people died after a lorry ploughed into a crowd, while 90 people were killed by gunmen at the Bataclan music venue in Paris in November 2015. Another 40 people died in attacks elsewhere in the city on the same night.

As the duke and duchess toured the historic Les Invalides hospital, where they also met war veterans, reports came in of an attack at Orly Airport in Paris.

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Wellwishers waved Union Jack flags as they gathered to meet the couple at Trocadero square

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PA

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They were attending an event promoting ties between young people in France and the UK

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Getty Images

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Earlier the duke and duchess had been given a tour of Musee d’Orsay

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The museum is home to the largest collection of impressionist masterpieces in the world

Speaking at the start of the official visit on Friday, the prince said the UK’s relationship with France will continue despite the vote to leave the EU,

He said the friendship and co-operation between the two nations “would not change”.

The royal couple’s trip began at the Elysee Palace, where they met French President Francois Hollande

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PA

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On Friday, they were guests of honour at a dinner at the British Embassy

In the evening they attended a dinner hosted by the UK’s ambassador to France, Edward Llewellyn.

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It is Prince William first official visit to the city where his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed in a car crash in 1997.

The trip comes also comes after the duke faced questions over his work ethic for missing a Commonwealth celebration to take a skiing holiday with friends. It led to criticism from some newspapers after a video emerged of him dancing and in a DJ booth during the trip.

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The couple have travelled without their children, three-year-old George and one-year-old Charlotte.

Kensington Palace said the trip was at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said: “Royal visits play a very important role in the United Kingdom’s bilateral diplomacy.

“Whilst every royal visit is unique, each visit is designed to support foreign policy objectives and promote closer ties across a range of areas, for example cultural, economic or political, between the UK and the host country.”

William and Kate meet French attack survivors