LONDON: Britain's Prince William and wife Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, visited the Tata Steel plant in the UK on Tuesday and interacted with steelworkers.
The royal couple were taken around the Port Talbot plant in South Wales, the UK's largest steelworks, during a visit to the region.
The Tata Group company said they were shown around the integrated steelmaking site in order to learn more about the importance of Tata Steel's operations to the UK economy and the important role the company plays in the local community.
William and Kate visited the training workshops where they met with apprentices, future leaders as well as members of community groups supported by Tata Steel.
The royals were also shown the Hot Strip Mill at the Port Talbot site to see how Tata Steel transforms red hot steel slabs into steel strip before it is further processed for use by customers around the globe.
"The site and its people are truly at the heart of the UK's manufacturing industry, with steel made in Port Talbot being used across the world to make cars, cans, buildings, bridges, and sports stadia," said Martin Brunnock, Director Strip Products UK at Tata Steel.
"The Port Talbot site has been producing steel for well over a hundred years, currently producing more than 3.5 million tonnes of steel a year, and we are aiming to ensure this continues as we give our apprentices and graduates the skills they need to become the steelmakers of the future," said Brunnock.
Tata Steel's Port Talbot plant employs around 4,000 people directly, and many thousands more rely on the industry.
The company also highlighted that the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge follows many previous royal visits to the steelworks over the years, including Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh.