William and Kate met French terror attack survivors at time of Orly Airport incident

The Duke and Dutchess of Cambridge have met with survivors of recent French terror attacks, including emergency service staff that responded to the attacks, following a request by the Foreign Office.

Princess William and Kate were visiting Les Invalides hospital in Paris to hear from those involved in the shocking terror plots when reports emerged of the incident at Orly Airport where an assailant attempted to grab a solider's gun, after shooting a policewoman earlier in the day.

The Foreign Office said the royal visit, the first of its kind carried out by William since the death of his mother Princess Diana in the city in 1997, would be used to 'promote closer ties' with France.

"Royal visits play a very important role in the United Kingdom's bilateral diplomacy," a spokesman said. "Whilst every royal visit is unique, each visit is designed to support foreign policy objectives and promote closer ties across a range of areas, for example cultural, economic or political, between the UK and the host country."

The couple plan to watch the France v Ireland rugby match in the Six Nations as well as visiting the Musee d'Orsay and the "Les Voisins [neighbours] in Action" event at the Trocadero, which discusses the link between the UK and young people and France.

Their children George, 3, and Charlotte, 1, have not joined the visit.

The couple attended a dinner hosted by Edward Llewellyn, the UK's ambassador to France, on Friday (17 March), where Prince William outlined the UK's positive relationship with the country, and said it 'would not change', despite the decision to leave the EU.

France has been devastated by attacks conjured up by Isis terrorists over the last two years, including the 2015 coordinated Paris attacks involving suicide bombings, shootings and a hostage situation, and the 2016 Nice attack, where an attacker drove a truck through a large crowd during Bastille Day celebrations.