WALES has become the second country to slam William and Kate's UK tour – warning it must not be an "excuse" for people to break Covid rules.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge kicked off their 1,250-mile, three-day nationwide tour to spread festive cheer on Sunday.

They have been thanking key workers in their fight against the deadly disease as they make stops in England, Wales and Scotland.

But Welsh health minister Vaughan Gething today took a swipe at the royal couple when asked about the whistle-stop tour.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "I'd rather that no-one was having unnecessary visits."

The minister added: "People have views about the monarchy. But their visit isn't an excuse for people to say they are confused about what they are being asked to do."

When pressed on whether Kate and William should be coming to Wales as part of their tour today, he replied: "I'm not particularly that bothered or interested.

"Because I don't think that is going to be an excuse for people to say, 'I should go and behave in a different way'."

But they found themselves embroiled in a row after travelling up to Edinburgh from London last night to meet Scottish paramedics in their first stop of the morale-boosting whirlwind tour.

Travel advice for Wales was updated last week when England's lockdown lifted.

It is illegal to travel between Wales and tier 3 areas in England, level 3 and 4 areas in Scotland and the whole of Northern Ireland, which is currently in lockdown

And visitors from areas with lower infection rates will still need a “reasonable excuse” to enter Wales.

Mr Gething's thinly-veiled comments came after Nicola Sturgeon yesterday warned the pair could be breaching Covid restrictions.

The Scottish First Minister said the couple had been warned about travelling across the border between Scotland and England for the whistle-stop tour.

Ms Sturgeon said: "The Scottish Government was advised about the intention to visit, and we made sure that the Royal Household were aware, as you would expect, of the restrictions in place in Scotland so that could inform both the decision and the planning of the visit."

She added: "The Royal visit is a matter for the Royal household and the arrangements around it, and any questions about those arrangements, should be directed to the Royal household.

"Any more questions on that should be directed to the Royal household."

Her comments were backed by one of Ms Sturgeon’s top pandemic advisers.

Thanking the helpers

KATE made a surprise visit to see 84-year-old Len Gardner face to face on the couple’s third stop.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Royal Train Tour pulled into Batley, Yorkshire.

Kate and William dropped in to see Len who is recovering at home after an operation for bladder cancer and carer for wife Shirley, 84, who has Alzheimer's.

They have spoken twice on the phone this year after being connected by the Royal Volunteer Service, which The Sun has partnered with this year for our Christmas Together appeal to tackle loneliness.

Kate and Wills also met volunteers from Batley Community Centre who have supported elderly members of their community throughout the Covid-19 by sending cards, having regular phone calls and dropping off shopping, food bags and activity packs.

They were also treated to a performance by members of the Brighouse & Rastrick Brass Band.

American public health expert Professor Devi Sridhar – who is seen as one of the most influential advisers for Ms Sturgeon – posted a link to a story about William and Kate arriving in Edinburgh and said: “Love it here but some things I will never understand about Britain. Aren’t we all in a pandemic & living under travel restrictions?”

According to Scotland's coronavirus rules, unless you have a reasonable excuse, you must not travel between Scotland and England. Anyone caught breaking this rule can be slapped with a £60 fine.

It is understood the visit to Scotland was planned between the palace and UK, Scottish and Welsh governments.

And the couple's trip is understood to count as a work trip, which is allowed under Scottish rules.

They kicked off their tour on Sunday at Euston Station in London with Welsh legend Shakin' Stevens treating them to a performance of Merry Christmas Everyone.

From there, the couple travelled to Edinburgh to meet Scottish paramedics in their first stop of the morale-boosting whirlwind tour.

They then went to Holy Trinity First School at Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland, where they thanked teachers for their efforts to support learning during the coronavirus crisis.

And Kate and Wills also stopped at the Batley Community Centre, Yorks, to meet with volunteers who have supported elderly members during the pandemic.

Today, the royal tour continues into Wales and the South of England.

Their final stop will be to see the Queen, Prince Charles and Camilla – the first time the five senior Royals will have gathered for a photograph this year.

A Kensington Palace spokesman said: “They are really excited about the trip and getting to communities across England, Scotland and Wales.

“The only thing that’s missing is a stop in Northern Ireland which is currently in a full lockdown – so they’ll make it a priority to get there in the new year.”

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