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Duchess Kate toasts marshmallows with Scouts during visit to praise their pandemic work

Duchess Kate toasts marshmallows during her visit to a Scout Group in Northolt, northwest London on September 29, 2020, where she joined Cub and Beaver Scouts in outdoor activities.
Duchess Kate toasts marshmallows during her visit to a Scout Group in Northolt, northwest London on September 29, 2020, where she joined Cub and Beaver Scouts in outdoor activities.

The coronavirus pandemic locked down millions of outdoors-mad British kids in their homes for spring and summer but leave it to the Scouts to come up with ways to help them cope – a stance now getting praise from Duchess Kate of Cambridge.

The duchess, who is as fond of the great outdoors as her countrymen, joined Cub and Beaver Scouts in outdoor activities during a visit to a London Scouts group on Tuesday, to thank volunteers who helped support more than 500,000 youths and families throughout pandemic lockdown.

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (L) reacts during her visit to a Scout Group in Northolt, northwest London on September 29, 2020, where she joined Cub and Beaver Scouts in outdoor activities.
Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (L) reacts during her visit to a Scout Group in Northolt, northwest London on September 29, 2020, where she joined Cub and Beaver Scouts in outdoor activities.

Dressed in an official red, white and navy Scouts scarf paired with a light blue blouse and a dark brown Really Wild vest, chocolate Massimo pants and See By Chloe combat ankle boots, Kate, 38, also met with parents and caregivers of youths who have been supported by the Scouts. The duchess wore a light blue mask as she arrived, but removed it while participating in the event. The U.K. government currently only requires masks to be worn in indoor settings.

The Boy Scouts movement, founded by an English military hero in 1908 (and soon spread to America), had to adapt like everyone else during the pandemic, going online to continue providing Scouting sessions and other activities through #TheGreatIndoors campaign.

Over the decades, The Scout Association has helped support and train hundreds of thousands of youths age 6 to 25 to acquire life skills, making Scouts the largest coed youth educational movement in the country.

Through its work, the Scouts aim to help build stronger communities across the United Kingdom, according to Kensington Palace.

During her visit, Kate joined Beaver and Cub Scouts to toast marshmallows on a bonfire and make cards to send to a local residential care home. This year, Scout groups across the U.K. have contributed more than 10,000 "acts of kindness" by sending cards and greetings to residents, the palace said.

Royals are closely tied to the Scouts. Queen Elizabeth II is the royal patron of The Scout Association while one of her cousins, the Duke of Kent, is the organization’s president.

Soon after her 2011 marriage, Kate took on a leadership role in the Scouts; she volunteered with them during the time she and Prince William lived in Anglesey, Wales, before and after their wedding. On Tuesday, she joined the Duke of Kent in becoming joint president of the association.

Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, removes her mask, worn due to COVID-19, as she arrives to visit to a Scout Group in Northolt, northwest London on September 29, 2020, where she joined Cub and Beaver Scouts in outdoor activities.
Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, removes her mask, worn due to COVID-19, as she arrives to visit to a Scout Group in Northolt, northwest London on September 29, 2020, where she joined Cub and Beaver Scouts in outdoor activities.

“For many children and young people, The Scout Association plays a key role as they build relationships and develop the skills they need to succeed in later life," Kate said in a statement. "When I volunteered with the Scouts on Anglesey eight years ago, I was struck by the huge impact the organization has on inspiring young people to support their communities and achieve their goals."

She added that she is "delighted" for her new role and looks forward to "working with Scouts across the country as they strive to make a positive difference to our society.”

She also has visited other Scouts groups in recent years, including a special Cub Scout Pack meeting in King's Lynn in 2016 to celebrate 100 years of Cubs, and a visit with the Menai Bridge Scouts in Wales in 2019 with Prince William.

Last year, Kate visited the Scouts Headquarters at Gilwell Park to learn more about the Scouts’ Early Years pilot program, and to celebrate the site’s 100th anniversary year.

The duchess is known to be fond of outdoor activities and her three children, Prince George, 7, Princess Charlotte, 5, and Prince Louis, 2, seem to be just as happy to hang out in fresh air, especially at their Norfolk country retreat, Anmer Hall, where they spent most of their months in quarantine.

Kate, who often takes the pictures of her kids released to the public, frequently snaps them in outdoor settings.

Prince George and Prince Louis with dad Prince William in the Kensington Palace gardens, examining an ancient giant shark tooth.
Prince George and Prince Louis with dad Prince William in the Kensington Palace gardens, examining an ancient giant shark tooth.

Over the weekend, in an unexpected announcement, Will and Kate released two new pictures of themselves and George, Charlotte and Louis with nature documentary filmmaker Sir David Attenborough, 94, a longstanding ally in royal campaigns to fight wildlife poaching and the damaging effects of global climate change.

The pictures were taken last week in the gardens of Kensington Palace, after Attenborough gave Will a private screening of his upcoming film "David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet."

Prince William and Duchess Kate of Cambridge with Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte and nature filmmaker David Attenborough in Kensington Palace gardens after viewing his latest film.
Prince William and Duchess Kate of Cambridge with Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte and nature filmmaker David Attenborough in Kensington Palace gardens after viewing his latest film.

During the visit, Attenborough gave George a tooth from a carcharocles megalodon, an extinct giant shark species that lived more than 3 million years ago and was three times the size of modern great white sharks, according to the palace.

Attenborough told the intrigued children he found the tooth during a family holiday to Malta in the late 1960s.

On Monday, Malta said it would seek to retrieve the tooth as a piece of natural heritage. Culture Minister Jose Herrera told The Times of Malta he will “get the ball rolling” to bring back the tooth to be exhibited in a Maltese museum.

“There are some artifacts that are important to natural heritage which ended up abroad and deserve to be retrieved,” he said, according to The Times.

But on Tuesday, there was an embarrassing backlash: One critic pointed out on Twitter that the government had better things to do than focus on a shark tooth that could be purchased for $40 on eBay.

Herrera and Malta reversed course and announced they would no longer pursue the tooth.

Kensington Palace has not commented on any of this.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kate Middleton hangs with Scouts to praise COVID-19 pandemic work