BOLTON boxer Amir Khan met the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during their first royal visit of the year.

The former world champion and Olympic silver medalist spoke to the royals in Bradford yesterday.

Mr Khan was at MyLahore restaurant in the city, where William and Kate heard about some of the charitable work that the restaurant does to support the community.

Mr Khan, who is a friend of the family who own MyLahore, said he spoke to William about his boxing foundation and mental health in sport.

When later asked about Harry and Meghan, following a tumultuous week for the royal family in which the Queen allowed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to step down as senior royals, the boxer said he felt for the family.

He also said he and thought they needed to sit down together to resolve the issues, and that he had never personally experienced any racism in the UK.

He said: “I’m British, I’ve lived in Britain all my life. I feel that Meghan will also be welcomed because the people in Britain are very loving.”

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were cheered and welcomed by hundreds of well-wishers as they visited community projects that promote cohesion in the West Yorkshire city.

They began a busy day of engagements at City Hall, where the duke spoke to local business leaders about Aston Villa FC, a team he is known to follow.

Moving onto the restaurant, they met students from Bradford College taking part in an apprenticeship scheme.

The visit on Wednesday was the couple’s first official engagement of the year.

The couple, parents to Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, were last spotted in public together attending a church service on the Queen’s estate in Norfolk on January 5.