Prince William and Kate Middleton Continue to Wow Crowds on Royal Canadian Visit

July 5, 2011— -- The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were welcomed today to Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, with a traditional Native Canadian drumming performance by the Dene tribe.

The couple left Prince Edward Island, Canada's smallest province, late Monday afternoon, and ended the day by flying seven hours west. Thousands of the capital's 19,000 people greeted them as they landed at the Somba K'e Civic Plaza.

Kate wore a light-beige, knee-length cinched dress, and William wore a dark suit. The couple is expected to compete in a hockey game against each other later today and will tour the region before flying to Calgary on Wednesday.

While most of the royal tour has been highly scripted, with each handshake and moment planned down to the finest detail, some warm moments between the charming couple have made headlines throughout their trip through North America.

A brief embrace between Prince William and his new bride caused a stir among the crowds of people attending the royal events. It didn't seem like much, but for members of the British royal family, it was an unusual display of public affection.

"There's an old way of doing things, but William is going to do things his own way," said Arthur Edwards, the royal photographer for Britain's Sun newspapers.

The royal squeeze came moments after Prince William and Kate went head-to-head in a dragon boat race Monday on Dalvay Lake on Prince Edward Island. It initially looked as though Kate's team might win, but William's crossed the finish line first.

SEE MORE: Kate Middleton's Style on First Official Royal Trip

Some of the people in the crowd seemed disappointed. Throughout the first five days of the trip, the cameras have been focused almost entirely on Kate, 29. What she wears seems to make bigger news than anything William says.

The duchess began the day Monday in a cream dress by Sarah Burton -- who designed Kate's iconic wedding dress -- for the fashion house of Alexander McQueen, and donned skinny black jeans and a fleece pullover later in the day on the waterfront where Prince William, 29, seemed to command some attention of his own.

In a display of his piloting skills, the prince landed a Canadian Sea King helicopter on the lake more than a dozen times.

The royal couple is on the sixth day of a nine-day trip through Canada, its first official overseas trip since getting married in April.

The duke and duchess have charmed the thousands of people who have gathered at each of the planned events throughout the trip. The two have been shaken hands, stopped to speak with local residents and accepted flowers from young well-wishers.

They leave Canada Friday for a three-day trip to California.