TREARDDUR BAY, Wales - It was only a lifeboat. But it gave hundreds of people a chance to cheer Thursday as Prince William and fiancee Kate Middleton made an official visit to dedicate the new vessel.
In a ceremony in Anglesey, Wales, the prince made a short statement asking that all those who used the boat be blessed, and then Middleton, with a big smile, poured champagne over the lifeboat.
"I do the talking, she does the fun bit," William joked.
The champagne bottle was not broken over the boat, as is traditional, because the boat was an inflatable and it would not have been easy to crack a bottle on its bow.
Middleton looked elegant and comfortable in her new role as a princess-to-be. She wore a three-quarter length tailored beige coat designed by British designer Katherine Hooker, and had her long hair swept back and topped by a chic feathery hat.
The hat was adorned with a badge of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, an infantry regiment of the British army.
Prince William named the Trearddur Bay Lifeboat Station's new lifeboat the "Hereford Endeavour" at the ceremony 300 miles (485 kilometres) northwest of London.
Both sang "God Save the Queen," followed by the Welsh national anthem.
The prince, a search-and-rescue helicopter pilot at a Royal Air Force base in Wales, then stood by his fiancee as both chatted with local dignitaries and members of the public.
The couple, who are based in Wales, wanted to have a royal visit there for the local community, a palace spokeswoman said.
Jean Critchley, 63, said the wait was worth it for the chance to see the couple.
"They are a lovely couple. He is a great lad and she is a beautiful girl," she said after watching the event with her husband and grandson.
The visit had been highly anticipated because the couple have kept such a low profile since announcing their engagement in November, making only one other prior appearance at a charity event. They plan to marry April 29 at Westminster Abbey with nearly 2,000 guests attending.
The couple will visit their alma mater, the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, on Friday.
