Duke and Duchess on their way home (From Salisbury Journal)

Duke and Duchess on their way home

6:03am Wednesday 19th September 2012 in National News © Press Association 2013

The Duchess of Cambridge has set foot on Australian soil for the first time, to the delight of around 200 locals and travellers, as she jetted home from her Diamond Jubilee tour with the Duke.

Kate and William created a stir at Brisbane airport when, after entering the international terminal building, they walked through a public area of the departure lounge on their way to a VIP suite to await their connection to London.

The couple had arrived in a chartered plane from the tiny nation of Tuvalu, wrapping up their nine-day tour of South-East Asia and the South Pacific on behalf of the Queen. Five television crews and around a dozen photographers were there to capture the small moment of history.

The Duchess looked relaxed in a light, floral-patterned, summer dress by Erdem and beige patent heels when she first set foot on the tarmac and a tanned William was equally casual in a jacket and white shirt which was unbuttoned at the neck.

The trip has been seen as a great success but was overshadowed by the media furore over the publication of topless photos taken of Kate during a holiday at a private estate in southern France.

The couple succeeded in getting an injunction from a French court which has stopped France's Closer magazine from printing further intimate images of the Duchess or selling them. The royals are also awaiting a decision from France's criminal prosecutors about whether they will bring criminal charges against the photographer who took the pictures.

A source summed up how the issue had affected the couple, saying: "From their point of view they were angry when they heard about the photos but once they took the decision to pursue a civil and then criminal action, they were able to put the matter behind them. Since they set the ball rolling it's now down to the law to take its course."

The source added: "They had one objective, to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. It's not for us to judge whether that was a success or not, from their point of view they felt able to do her life, and the diversity of the nations she represents, justice."

Flanked by security and airport staff, the Duke and Duchess later emerged from a private Singapore Airlines lounge after spending around 90 minutes relaxing between flights. They passed through the public departure lounge before boarding their Singapore Airlines flight bound for the UK, via Singapore.

Kate had changed out of the floral summer dress she arrived in into a casual, loose white sweater and a colourful scarf, and dark, fitted trousers. The royal couple waved and smiled to about 50 members of the public who were watching from a viewing platform on an upper level as they headed to the boarding gate.