The Duchess of Cambridge has revealed a hidden passion

There are a lot of things we know about Kate Middleton, but until this week her passion for marine conservation wasn't one of them.

During an opening at London's Natural History Museum, the Duchess of Cambridge shared her interest in the environmental movement publicly for the first time.

After almost blinding us with her heirloom jewels at a royal banquet on Wednesday, the mum of two left her bling at home for the event. Which is understandable, really - just imagine the stress of wearing Princess Di’s prized tiara out of the palace grounds.

Getty

Fashion-wise she kept things simple, teaming her new shorter haircut with a short-sleeved pale blue dress. 

Video: The Duchess of Cambridge during her first solo overseas tour.

That said, style writers are rather excited by the shoes Kate wore to the event; her black, wavy strap Prada sandals are quite the departure from her trademark pumps.

After launching the museum’s newest display, the Duchess had the honour of meeting a fellow royal*, Sir David Attenborough (*well, he’s widely considered a royal in the world of nature documentaries).

https://www.instagram.com/p/BWgGCndANlr/

"You must have seen they've made a few changes here over the years,” she remarked to the 91-year-old.

Getty

"Like many of you here tonight, I remember visiting the Natural History Museum as a child, and being inspired with a love of nature,” she said.