The Duke of Cambridge joked about his wife becoming broody when they visited a school where she cuddled a baby, sang along with children and spoke to young pupils.

William and Kate toured St John’s Primary School in Inverclyde to learn about an innovative project where school children interact with a mother and baby to learn about its development and aid their emotional empathy with others.

As the couple began their visit to the school close to the banks of the River Clyde in Port Glasgow, the duke joked “Can you get my wife out of here before she gets broody?”

Royal visit to Port GlasgowWilliam and Kate during a visit to St John’s Primary School to partake in a Roots of Empathy session (Jane Barlow/PA)

By the end she was holding ten-month-old Saul after his session with his mother Laura Molloy.

She has been bringing her son to school as part of the Roots of Empathy sessions run by Action for Children, a charity Kate supports as patron.

Action For Children, which runs the programme in 18 local authority areas in Scotland, says the sessions, where the pupils are guided in discussions about their own emotions, improves the behaviour of pupils, who are kinder with less instances of bullying.

The Cambridges sat cross-legged on the floor and joined a session as Saul crawled on a mat and sang nursery rhymes with the children, and even did the hand actions to Incy Wincy Spider.

Royal visit to Port GlasgowWilliam chats to a little boy during the visit to the primary school (Jane Barlow/PA)

Kate asked the group of around 35 seven-year-olds “Do you think lots of schools should have a project like this?” and when some replied “yes”, she added “We do too”.

The duchess later chatted to the mother and her baby, and she briefly held Saul, who will celebrate his first birthday in June, but he quickly stretched out his hands for his mother.