Prince William and Duchess Catherine arrive in Singapore

Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine were given a royal welcome as they arrived in Singapore on Tuesday at the start of a nine-day grand tour of Southeast Asia and the South Pacific.

The glamorous royal couple, who are touring the globe this year as part of celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's reign, went straight from the city-state's airport to the Singapore Botanical Gardens where they were presented with a specially bred orchid. There was also an emotional moment as the prince was shown another orchid named after his late mother Princess Diana.

They were then taken to Singapore's grand British colonial-era Raffles Hotel, and are scheduled to attend a state dinner later this evening before various public engagements on Wednesday.

William and Catherine will stay in Singapore until Thursday. They subsequently head to neighbouring Malaysia, where they will tour the capital of Kuala Lumpur and Borneo's Sabah state from September 13-15.

The royal pair will then fly to the Solomon Islands from September 16-18 before a final stop in the tiny nation of Tuvalu on September 19.

Scroll through the gallery to see more pictures from William and Kate Middleton's first day in Singapore.