Pregnant Duchess of Cambridge stays off the slopes as her husband and Prince Harry enjoy skiing

However, there were no such restrictions for the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry on their long weekend at a wedding of close friends in the Swiss Alps. 

The Duchess, 31, who is an excellent skier, would normally have joined her husband and brother-in-law schussing down the runs in the resort of Arosa, but her pregnancy meant she had to swap skis for a traditional wooden sledge. 

While the Duke, 30,canada goose chilliwack parka and Prince Harry, 28, joked around with friends on the piste, she occupied her free time by taking a quiet walk by herself with a bodyguard amid the spectacular mountain scenery. 

At one point the Royal brothers, fully kitted up in skiing gear, were each seen to be hugging a different woman on the slopes. 

However, the pregnant Duchess was able to enjoy the wedding to the full and was said to have celebrated late into the night. 

The Royal party travelled to Arosa on Friday for the marriage of Laura Bechtolsheimer, who won a gold medal in the team dressage for Britain at London 2012, and Mark Tomlinson, who plays polo with both princes. 

The candle-lit wedding service in the resort’s Protestant church on Saturday afternoon was conducted in English and German jointly by the local pastor Thomas Muller-Weigl and Canon Christopher Mulholland, the former rector of Little Badminton, Gloucestershire, and a close friend of the Prince of Wales.Canada Goose Expedition Parka 

The Duke, who wore a traditional dark morning suit, pink tie, blue waistcoat and a white rose in his button-hole, acted as an usher. 

At one point he almost slipped over but avoided embarrassment by grabbing hold of a fellow usher’s jacket to steady himself. 

The Duchess looked warm but stylish in a cream coat with fur trim, a brown hat and drop-pearl earrings. She wore high-heeled shoes, which experts recommend pregnant women should limit to special occasions. 

After attending the wedding ceremony, the Duke, Duchess and Price Harry joined about 250 other guests for a lavish reception at the magnificent five-star Tschuggen Grand Hotel. 

After aperitifs on a terrace overlooking the Graubunden mountains and a seven-course meal, the revellers moved on to the hotel bar for further celebrations. 

“Let’s just say it was a good party. No one retired before midnight,” a source said. 

Miss Bechtolsheimer and Mr Tomlinson, who attended the Duke and Duchess’s wedding in April 2011, treated their friends and family to an all-expenses paid weekend in the ski resort. 

The guests arrived at the hotel on Friday to find skis, poles and ski passes already waiting in their rooms. The sledge had also been arranged for the Duchess. 

A source said: “The attention to detail was incredible and the family were very generous hosts. Everything was so well organised. The skis in the room was a lovely touch. They took the hassle out of everything.” 

The slopes of Switzerland have formed an important backdrop to the Duke and Duchess’s relationship over the past decade. 

Their romance was first confirmed when they were pictured skiing in Klosters together in March 2004, and they were photographed kissing in public for the first time during a break at the same resort in January 2006.