The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive in Paris later for a two-day official visit following accusations that Prince William has been neglecting his royal duties.

William has faced criticism because he didn't attend a Commonwealth service in London on Monday after he spent the weekend skiing in Verbier with friends.

Videos have appeared online this week of him dancing and laughing with his friends in a nightclub in the Swiss ski resort.

Some newspapers have accused him of being work shy.

Image: The royals' trip to Paris was at the request of the Government and Foreign Office

:: Royal duties on 13 days for Prince William so far this year


Emily Andrews, royal correspondent for The Sun Newspaper, said: "I'm sure they're very innocuous and very innocent, but those pictures don't suggest a 34-year-old father of two, very responsible heir to the heir to the throne - they suggest more of a young man, letting his hair down, on a boozy holiday with his Hooray Henry pals."

William and Kate are carrying out their two-day visit to France at the request of the Government and Foreign Office.

They are seen as important ambassadors for maintaining Britain's links with European countries as the UK prepares to leave the European Union. In July they will also visit Germany and Poland.

Image: William is currently working as an air ambulance helicopter pilot

This week Prince William has been back working as a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

He will only become a "full-time" working royal later this year when he gives up his job in the summer.

Maud Garmy, journalist at Voici magazine in Paris, doesn't believe the videos of the prince, enjoying time with his friends, have done him any harm.

She told Sky News: "Of course he's the future king of England, but in France we also consider that he's just a normal human being, so yeah let him have fun sometimes.

"It hasn't ruined his reputation. We've seen his brother naked in Vegas, what else can be that bad?"

Image: It will be the 20th anniversary of Princess Diana's death on 31 August

During their visit the Duke and Duchess will attend a reception at the British Embassy called "Les Voisins", or cousins in English, highlighting the important ties between the two countries.

It will be Prince William's first official visit to the French capital since his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, died there in a car crash on 31 August 1997.

William and Kate will also meet survivors of the Bataclan and Nice terrorist attacks, as well as watch the Wales v France Six Nations rugby match.