It is known as “nature’s viagra”, a local delicacy that would have most people running for the hills.

       Not so the Duchess of Cambridge, who gamely tried a “conch pistol” on Saturday - to loud cheers from an impressed crowd on the island of Abaco in the Bahamas.

       The Duchess, 40, joked that she was “a little bit more adventurous” than her husband, and well she might.

       According to local legend, the colourless, slimy snack is the conch’s male genitalia.

       She gave a thumbs up after swallowing the delicacy and was rewarded with a huge cheer.

       The Duke insisted he could “handle it” but did not hang around, opting instead for a drink at the bar.

       It was the last day of the couple’s whistle-stop eight-day tour of Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas and they chartered a plane to fly from Nassau to the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama for a last hurrah.

       They spoke to locals about the devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian in September 2019 and attended a traditional “fish fry”.

       In Grand Bahama, where they dropped in on a children’s home before visiting Coral Vita, one of the five inaugural winners of the Duke’s 2021 Earthshot Prize.

       Coral Vita won the Revive our Oceans category for its work giving new life to dying coral reefs. The Duke was due to go snorkelling to plant some coral grown at the farm.

       The Royals later returned to Nassau on board the Bahamas Air flight, alongside their own Kensington Palace team and various local dignitaries. They flew back to the UK overnight on the RAF Voyager, to be reunited with their three children on Mother’s Day.

       The couple have made a point of avoiding charter flights where they can. But a source said it would have been "impossible" to visit both islands on scheduled flights as there is no direct route between the two.

       Offered the conch pistol at the fish fry, the Duchess looked briefly horrified but held up the strip of flesh, which comes from the inside of the conch, before dropping it into her mouth

       She revealed that she had already tried conch fritters but had yet to try a conch salad.

       The Duke, likely in need of a drink following their eight-day Caribbean tour, then headed for a bar, slapping the top as he said: “This is my stop!”

       He was offered a Gullywash – coconut water with condensed milk - and appeared to enjoy it, joking: “You guys talk amongst yourself, I’m staying here.”

       The couple were surrounded by a large crowd of locals as they took part in an impromptu walkabout, shaking dozens of hands, posing for selfies with babies and asking how people had coped in the aftermath of the hurricane.

       The Duke declined to hold a baby that was thrust in his direction, opting instead to pose alongside it.

       At the fish fry, the couple were met by a group of school girls who wanted to know all about the Queen. They asked the Duchess if she was related to Her Majesty, but explained she was “not really related”.

       The Duke then chipped in to explain that the Queen was nearly 96, which was “quite old to travel”, before asking if they had “grannies” and how old they were.

       'Emotional toll' of Hurricane Dorian

       It is estimated that more than 2,000 people lost their lives, including 200 on Abaco Islands, when Hurricane Dorian swept over the Bahamas in September 2019.

       During their first stop at the Daystar Evangelical Church, the Duke and Duchess were told how so many lives had been destroyed and how the community had come together in its aftermath.

       Pastor Silbert Mills explained that one of the three church buildings was “completely destroyed, taken off its foundation”. Even today, high winds cause great fear among residents who are still reeling from what happened.

       The Duchess noted that the church was “at the heart of the community when events like this happen,” while the Duke said: “You must have been terrified.”

       The pastor, who has worked at the church for seven years, told the couple that the UK’s Met Office was the most accurate source for tracking storms.

       Pastor Mills said it still “felt like a dream” to have the Duke and Duchess visit.

       “The fact that they would want to come to a place that provides spiritual guidance and a place where people come to pray speaks volumes of their concern for humanity,” he said.

       The couple then sat in the main body of the church to hear from local residents about how they had been affected.

       Copeland Morley told them: “It was an experience that I never want to see again unless the Lord says so. But we made it through.”

       Among those who met the Royal couple were Ian Fair 74, a private banker from Somerset, and his partner Deborah Jones-holt 49, from Yorkshire.

       Mr Fair, a founding chairman of the Bahamian stock exchange, came to the Bahamas in 1969 on a two year work contract and never left.

       He presented the church with a $15,000 donation that will be used to refurbish the inside.

       Mr Fair, whose two sons-in-law were on Abaco when the hurricane hit, said he believed it had set the island back 25 years.

       The Duke asked how people felt about where they were now and was told that the grieving process was ongoing.

       It is estimated that more than 2,000 people lost their lives in the hurricane, including 200 on Abaco Islands.

       He said: “That emotional toll, it doesn’t go away with time. It needs addressing.”

       The couple then went to Abaco’s Memorial Wall to remember the many victims of the hurricane. The Duchess laid flowers and they paused for a moment’s silence.