THERE was a Royal appointment at Knockhill Racing Circuit on Saturday as a future king showcased his motorsport skills.

And Scotland's national motorsport centre received the seal of approval from Prince William, who was given a masterclass in electric racing with Extreme E, a pioneering, purpose-driven series using sport to highlight global climate change issues.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived in Scotland on Friday ahead of a week-long tour of the country, where they were due to meet a wide variety of people, charities and organisations carrying out work on issues such as the environment, mental health, homelessness and addiction.

Ahead of COP26, which will take place in Glasgow later this year, the Duke and Duchess visited innovative climate change projects, which led to a visit to Knockhill for Prince William.

He got behind the wheel of an ODYSSEY 21 vehicle used in Extreme E, a radical new racing series which will see electric SUVs competing in extreme environments around the world which have already been damaged or affected by climate and environmental issues.

The five-race global voyage highlights the impact of climate change and human interference in some of the world's most remote locations, and promotes the adoption of electric vehicles in the quest for a lower-carbon future for the planet.

Stuart Gray, director of events at Knockhill, said: "We received an enquiry about hosting Prince William driving an Extreme-E electric rally car about six weeks ago.

"Since then, there have been numerous Zoom meetings with Prince William's representatives, the Extreme-E team and both Police Scotland and the Metropolitan Police. All news about the visit was embargoed, not even members of staff knew the details of his schedule, and it was a close organising team at Knockhill that delivered his visit in co-ordination with the Extreme-E team.

"He loved his visit as shown by his reaction on the day and his social media feeds after he departed. He is known for his interest in motorsport having go-karted with Princess Diana and Harry at very early age and has owned a Ducati road bike.

"We truly hope that it will not be his only visit to Knockhill."

Extreme E CEO and founder, Alejandro Agag, was among those to host the Duke, alongside AFC Energy CEO Adam Bond; and George Imafidon and Catie Munnings, who are members of two of Extreme E's British teams.

Agag said: "It was a great honour for Extreme E to host Prince William at Knockhill today.

"It was a fantastic opportunity for us to show him the ways in which we are working towards the same, shared goals around a lower-carbon future for our planet.

"I think he really enjoyed his experience behind the wheel of the ODYSSEY 21, under the expert instruction of Catie.

"Perhaps a guest racing appearance in Extreme E beckons in the future!"