The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have returned to royal duties for their first official engagement of the year following a tumultuous week for the royal family.

William and Kate arrived in Bradford to cheers from several hundred well-wishers in Centenary Square.

During their visit to Bradford City Hall, they are expected to speak to young people about life in the West Yorkshire city and with local employers helping youngsters to get jobs.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in Bradford (Danny Lawson/PA)
The duke and duchess will spend the afternoon in the diverse city (Danny Lawson/PA)

The couple are due to visit a number of projects that promote cohesion within one of the UK’s most diverse cities.

It comes just days after the Queen agreed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex could step back as senior royals and begin a “new life” as an “independent” family.

Following a summit at Sandringham on Monday, Buckingham Palace confirmed Harry and Meghan would begin a “transition period” in which they would split their time between the UK and Canada.

The summit convened by the monarch, which brought together Harry, William and the Prince of Wales, was not attended by Meghan, who is in Canada with baby son Archie.

The Queen gave her backing to Harry and Meghan 's new
The Queen gave her backing to Harry and Meghan’s new ‘independent life’ away from full-time royal duties (Andrew Milligan/PA)

It also emerged on Tuesday that Meghan’s father could give evidence against her in her legal battle with the Mail on Sunday should it go to trial.

High Court documents revealed Thomas Markle forms part of the newspaper’s defence, after the Mail on Sunday and its parent company Associated Newspapers were accused of unlawfully publishing a letter between the two.

The visit to Bradford is William and Kate’s first official royal engagement of the decade.

The couple – parents to Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis – were last spotted in public together attending a church service on the Queen’s private estate in Norfolk on January 5.

Kate, who celebrated her 38th birthday last week, wore a long military-style coat in a dark khaki for the visit on Wednesday, paired with black high heels, a small black bag and gold drop earrings.

The duke and duchess were greeted by a number of representatives from the local community (Danny Lawson/PA)
The duke and duchess were greeted by a number of representatives from the local community (Danny Lawson/PA)

Their first engagement saw the couple meet youngsters studying in Bradford.

When one young man told the couple that he hopes to work in video games, William asked: “What games do you play?”

The student and Kate both then laughed when the duke followed up with: “Just checking.”

Following the engagement at City Hall, the duke and duchess will go on to visit one of the city’s Khidmat Centres, which focus on helping the most vulnerable members of the community.

Their final engagement will see them joining a workshop run by Near Neighbours, an organisation that helps people in diverse communities to get to know each other better, build relationships of trust and improve their neighbourhoods.