Duchess of Cambridge, queen of the South Seas, greeted by bare-chested Solomon islanders The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge listen to a village chief who makes a speech after they arrived at Marapa Island, Solomon Islands (Photo: AP) The couple began the morning in a festival village comprising singers, dancers and artists from the provinces that make up the Solomon Islands, 900 miles east of Papua New Guinea. At the first display they were taken to, nine semi-naked women danced with spear-carrying men in loin cloths, as the significance of their dance was explained to them by one of their hosts. As is often in the tropics, a sudden downpour drenched the Royal party as the couple walked around, with staff hurriedly holding umbreallas over the Duke and Duchess. The couple then split with the Duke making a speech to a Commonwealth Youth Conference while the Duchess met a group of women and young girls all working to highlight inequality in Melanesian society, where cervical cancer and domestic violence are commonplace. As she walked into an open-sided hut, the Duchess was taken inside by a group of nine young girls, again one from each province, clad in their regional dress. Gordon Rayner audio: Kate and William 'in much brighter mood' She asked Leonie Palmer, 17, from Makira what her necklace was made from and looked slightly surprised when the girl told her it was dolphin's teeth. "We use them for bartering for food and other things," she explained. We only wear these necklaces on the most important of occasions. The Duchess spoke of the importance of her family as she chatted to the women, telling Judith Siota, President of the Solomon Islands Christian Association Federation for Women, that her family had become particularly important since she and the Duke married last April. Ms Siota said: "We told her all about the work that we do. She knows that the church group puts a lot of emphasis on family and she was interested. She said that family life was very important to her especially now she's married. At the end of the meeting the Duchess was handed a beautifully decorated cake to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee which she was told would be sent on to their hotel for the night so that she and William could try a bit. "It smells delicious," she said. How long did you take to make it. Twelve hours? Wow. It is amazing. She was also handed gifts of books and beaded pots as well as beautiful hand carved canoe by brother and sister Hubert and Vasiti Devisi, aged ten and seven.