The Princess of Wales finished second best to double Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes – at a game of beanbag noughts and crosses.

Kate joined a team of pupils being supported by Dame Kelly’s trust at its base in Bath, and went head-to-head with the former sports star.

The children from St Katherine’s School near Bristol are taking part in the On Track To Achieve programme, delivered by Paralympic gold medallist Liz Johnson and Dame Kelly, as part of her national youth development organisation.

The aim of the programme is to help schoolchildren who may lack confidence to develop the skills they need to succeed in life, by pairing them with world-class athletes.

Despite the royal’s best efforts to win the friendly game, Dame Kelly’s team won twice.

After the first victory, the 53-year-old athlete, who won two gold medals at the Olympics in Athens in 2004, held her arms aloft and admitted she is “slightly competitive”.

To which Kate joked: “You would never have guessed.”

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Later in the day, the princess sat down to chat with the pupils, all girls aged from 11-13, who spoke about their experiences at school, home life and the benefits of being mentored by a sports star.

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