Royal fans notice that Kate and William wore 'matching' outfits at their recent public appearance

Joking is sometimes the best way to break the ice - and a nurse did just that when she met Prince William and Kate Middleton on Thursday.

The Prince and Princess of Wales appeared at the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital, marking their first public engagement since Prince Harry's revelations about his relationship with his brother in his memoir, Spare.

The royal couple has yet to comment on Harry's book, where he also revealed the texts between Kate Middleton and Meghan surrounding Princess Charlotte's bridesmaid dresses. However, William did respond to a member of the public who told him to 'keep going'. 

One of the nurses that William and Kate spoke to as they toured the facilities decided to lighten the mood by suggesting that the royal couple had paired their outfits.

Kate wore a Holland Cooper double-breasted tartan trench coat in navy and green, matched with a belted maxi dress in black. William seemed to get the same colour memo, as he was dressed in a green jumper and navy trousers and coat. 

As the couple arrived at the hospital, they were greeted by lots of fans and medical staff who wanted selfies and they also got a chance to speak to some of the nurses and doctors. 

But it was while William spoke to one nurse, called Nicola, about the facilities and her job, that the royal was alerted to their colour-coordinated outfits. 

As Kate came to join the conversation, the nurse said: "You're matching," with William looking down at his outfit saying: "Yes, I know, it was slightly rushed this morning," as they both laughed at the comment.

It wasn't just the nurse who noticed though as another doctor said later 'Co-ordinating!' as he pointed at their clothes. Kate went on to comment to Nicola: "It's amazing, seeing the new building up and running." 

They carried on their appreciation online too, posting several pictures from their visit to Instagram and writing: "Wonderful to be in Liverpool to thank NHS staff for their hard work and dedication #ThankYouNHS.

"Seeing first-hand how the new, state-of-the-art hospital @liverpoolhospitals is improving patient experience, safety and enhancing recovery for inpatients."

Fans loved the pictures, with over 200k liking the photo and hundreds commenting that they had 'missed seeing them'.