Kate Middleton and Prince William meet some of India's most impoverished street children in Delhi

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge play a board game with street children

INDIA: Prince William and Kate met some of India's most vulnerable children today and heard first-hand from street kids how they'd run away from home due to abuse or poverty.

The royals visited a drop-in center for charity Salaam Baalak at a Delhi train station - where around 6,600 children travel to each year, often on their own.

The charity helps kids from ages 5 to 18, providing food, education, health care and shelter.

Kate, wearing a striking full-length Indian-inspired patterned red dress, and William first joined in a lesson with boys who were living in the station.

The couple showed the same touch as Princess Diana as they kneeled down to talk to the children and join in with their games.

William asked one boy: "What's the game you're playing? Ah, karom board.

"Can you show us how to play?"

Flicking the draught, he laughed as it went too far and invited his wife to have a go.

The charity's director Sanjoy Roy told the couple about the charity's work.

"The boys come here for four hours of lessons and some food every day.

"When they're not here, they're at the railway station".

William asked: “Is that dangerous?"

Mr. Roy replied: "Yes so they try to stick together.

"We look after around 7000 kids a year, but every day around 40 to 50 new children arrive at the station.

"They often have to deal with trauma, learning difficulties, ADHD and we have special programs to help them with that.

"These children that we look after are the most vulnerable.

"Some may have their eyes gouged out or hands hacked off.

"The primary reasons they run away from home are misunderstanding with step-parents, physical and mental abuse, incredible poverty or a life event such as forced marriage."

The charity has six homes, 21 contact centers and 3 ChildLine centers near stations, bus stands and railway stations across Delhi.

William asked: "What can we do to help?"