A glowing Kate charms President Hollande as she and William join King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians to pay tribute to the fallen in Liège

• The Duke and Duchess were at the Inter-allied Memorial near Liège
• Joined by the King and Queen of the Belgians and François Hollande
• Paid their respects to the Belgians killed during the German advance
• The Duchess chose a toned down look for the sombre event
• Later, the royal couple will join mourners at a memorial service in Mons
• Mons was the site of the first British engagement of World War I

By Ruth Styles

A century ago today, the Belgian city of Liège shook to the boom of German guns, while its citizens fought desperately to stem a seemly endless flood of soldiers in field grey.

Today, the scene couldn't have been more different as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined French president François Hollande and King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians to pay tribute to the fallen.

Elegant in a cream Alexander McQueen coat and her trusty L.K Bennett 'Sledge' heels, the Duchess wore a Jane Taylor hat wreathed with roses that nodded subtly to the occasion.

Getting along famously: The Duchess of Cambridge and President Hollande enjoy a chat ahead of the ceremony

Tres amusantes: The Duchess and President Hollande share a smile ahead of the ceremony in Liège

International relations: The Duke and Duchess do their bit for diplomacy as they laugh with President Hollande

Ahead of the main ceremony, she shared a smile with President Hollande as they took their seats beside the Inter-allied Memorial, before Prince William joined in with a grin.

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Later, during a speech made to an audience that included Spain's King Felipe and German president Joachim Gauck, the Duke paid tribute to the current unity of Europe before thanking the Belgian people for their resistance to the invasion 100 years ago.

'We were enemies more than once in the last century.,' he said of Germany. 'Today we are friends and allies.'

After commending the Belgian's fighting retreat on the 4th August 1914, he added: 'Their resistance was as gallant as their suffering was great.'

Paying their respects: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were in Liège to take part in a memorial service

Tribute: Later today, the Duke and Duchess will attend a memorial service with Prince Harry just outside Mons

Solemn: The royal couple, President Hollande and King Philippe and Queen Matilde observe a minute's silence

Belgium's King Philippe added: 'We are paying tribute today to the courage and dignity of those engaged in the fighting and those who lived in inhuman conditions.

'We remember also the cruelty and barbarism, healed as we are of our resentment and of the terrible wounds that affected our families.'

Belgium, which suffered brutal hardship during the four years of the war, was among the first to fall to Germany with the invasion on the morning of the 4th August 1914 pre-empting Britain's declaration of war.

This morning's joint appearance with the King and Queen of the Belgians is the first in a series of commemorative engagements taking place today.

Later, the royal couple are expected at Mons Town Hall, where with Prince Harry, they will meet local well-wishers before going on to a memorial service at St Symphorien Military Cemetery.

Praise: Kate looks solemn as William gets up to make a speech in which he paid tribute to the Belgian sacrifice

Watchful: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and President Hollande look on as the ceremony begins

Symbolic: During the ceremony, a girl dressed in white released a balloon in front of Belgium's King Philippe

Royal arrival: Kate and William with King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of the Belgians in Liege

Two kilometres outside the city centre, it contains the graves of 229 British and Commonwealth soldiers and 284 Germans, the majority of whom were killed during the Battle of Mons - the first major British battle of the war.

Mons, which saw a British attempt to hold the Mons–Condé Canal fail after a sudden French retreat, lasted for more than two weeks.

Although the German army came close to taking Paris, British and French victories in the Battle of the Marne that followed saw the invaders pushed back before the war got bogged down in stalemate and trenches.

The men who died in them were also remembered by Prince Harry earlier this morning when he took part in a parade through Kent port of Folkestone.

Folkestone was a key embarkation point for men heading to the trenches, with many travelling along a route, now renamed the 'Road of Remembrance', that took them down the Leas and past the seafront to the ramps from which they boarded the boats to France.

Silence: The dignitaries, including King Felipe of Spain (fourth from right), stood for a minute's silence

Sombre: The Duke of Cambridge makes a speech paying tribute to the fallen at the Inter-allied Memorial

Solemn: The scene outside L'Abbaye Saint-Laurent de Liège this morning as the memorial ceremony began