Dear Santa, this year I have been good so please send a police car - love George

The second-in-line to the throne pulled the letter from his suit jacket pocket during an encounter at a Christmas market in Helsinki, as his two-day trip to Finland came to an end.

“I’ve seen you and I had to give you this letter,” William told the market Santa.

“He hasn’t written down many requests, so I think one is probably OK,” he added.

George’s wish list was contained within a printed form which the future king had filled in by hand.

“Dear Father Christmas this year I have been naughty/nice,” it began.

George had circled “nice” and written in large script “police car”. He also wrote his name at the bottom.

William pointed to the word “nice” and pleaded his son’s case, saying: “But he’s been a nice boy, a nice boy.”

It had been thought that George was obsessed with helicopters, perhaps wishing to emulate his father’s former job as an air ambulance pilot.

Before meeting Father Christmas, William went on a walkabout in a nearby park, greeting hundreds of well-wishers who braved freezing conditions.

The duke spent time shaking hands and chatting and joking with the crowds as he slowly made his way down the line of people.

After meeting the man every child dreams of in the run up to Christmas, William and his entourage were offered glasses of mulled wine and ginger biscuits in the shape of reindeer.

Meanwhile, the Queen was presented with a posy by a Labrador while visiting a charity that trains dogs to help their disabled owners live independent lives.

Her visit to Canine Partners in Heyshott, near Midhurst, West Sussex, was held to mark the charity’s milestone of having 400 dogs looking after disabled owners.