Prince William and Duchess Catherine will open a brand new Fire Station in Sunderland today (21.02.18).

Prince William and Duchess Catherine

Prince William and Duchess Catherine

The royal couple - who have four-year-old Prince George and two-year-old Princess Charlotte, and are expecting their third child together - will carry out a number of duties in the Northern city, including take a look at a new state of the art bridge over the River Wear called the Northern Spire.

The Mayor of Sunderland, Councillor Doris MacKnight said: "It's fantastic that The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are visiting Sunderland to open The Fire Station and to see our striking new bridge - the Northern Spire.

"This is the first bridge to be built over the River Wear for 40 years and it's a project that has really captured people's imagination, so it means a great deal to have the Duke and Duchess here taking such a keen interest in the project and all those involved."

There William and Catherine will unveil a plaque to give the new station a royal seal of approval.

A message on Kensington Palace's Twitter confirmed: "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit Sunderland on Wednesday 21st February, where they will officially open the music and arts hub @FireStationSun before visiting #NorthernSpire, an ambitious and striking new bridge over the River Wear. (sic)"