In front of a cheering crowd, Kate Middleton and Prince William donned helmets and swung their legs over a pair of hardtails to take on a north shore bike skills course yesterday. As widely reported in places such as the BBC, the opportunity came during a visit to the Outfit Moray organisation in Scotland, a charity which puts on outdoor learning programmes for young people.

The course, set-up around the community gardens, consisted of various wooden obstacles, including raised boardwalks, a narrow skinny, a bermed corner and a teeter-totter. It’s the typical portable skills course you see at events. Kate, 41 (you’ve always got to put the age in these stories, right?) saddled up first for a crack at the course and took a commendably committed approach. She pedalled confidently, didn’t waver at any of the ‘gnarly’ features (despite her saddle being a bit high for technical riding), and sent the teeter-totter with the grace befitting of a princess. Prince William, on the other hand, looked a little rattled by his wife’s confidence, and bobbled a few times on his lap of the course. Nevertheless, it looked like the pair had an enjoyable time, and emerged without any embarrassing face plants.

But this was not Kate’s first rodeo. She’s also been mountain biking in the Lake District with a group of cadets, and beaten her husband (again) on a stationary bike in a spin class.

The royal couple rode what looked to be a Forme Curbar 1 hardtail with a Suntour 100mm fork and Shimano Deore 1×10 drivetrain. At £699.99 it looks decent value, but perhaps not in the same league as the best hardtails on the market at that price point: the Polygon Xtrada 7 and the Voodoo Bizango.

This comes hot on the heels of William’s old man, King Charles, enjoying a good old natter with a group of mountain bikers near Balmoral earlier this summer.