Swoon in Toon as Kate hugs cheeky schoolboy

Terry Campbell, 10, was the envy of his classmates when Kate gave him a hug as she was welcomed to Newcastle yesterday.

The youngster, from Blyth, Northumberland, was left beaming but tongue-tied after his encounter with the future Queen.

His teacher Kim Ramsey, from Morpeth Road Primary School in Blyth, joked afterwards: “This will go down as a cultural and historic event – that’s what we’re putting it down as.

“We heard on the radio she was coming so I organised a school trip. Terry’s full of life and he said: ‘I’m going to ask her for a hug’ – and he did.”

The youngster was so overawed by the experience he could only answer “yes” when asked if he enjoyed it.

The school party was among hundreds of well-wishers who lined the grounds of the city’s civic centre to greet Kate.

The Duchess carried out a string of solo engagements on what was her first official trip to the North East after the Duke of Cambridge was forced to cancel his appearance to attend the funeral of his former nanny.

Olga Powell, who died last month, cared for William and Prince Harry when they were young boys, including during the difficult period when their parents’ marriage was breaking up in the early 1990s.

Kate told one well-wisher that she wished her husband could have been with her.

Margaret Southam, from Gosforth, Newcastle, said: “I told her we wanted to see William and were sad he could not be here, and she said: ‘I’m missing him too’.”

Inside Newcastle Civic Centre, the royal met representatives from a number of community organisations and tried her hand at the Paralympic sport of boccia, a form of bowls. Later she visited a community garden project just outside the city centre.