Kate tries ginger in bid to combat severe morning sickness

The Duke of Cambridge has revealed his wife has been trying remedies to combat her severe morning sickness - even ginger.

Kate, who is expecting her third child, is again suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum which plagued her during the early stages of her pregnancies when she was carrying Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

When an elderly mother-of-three revealed to William she had a similar illness when pregnant with her sons, he confessed his wife had tried ginger, a well-known remedy for upset stomachs.

The Duke met Iris Orrell, 98, when he attended a presentation ceremony and reception celebrating the Metropolitan and City Police Orphans Fund, which he supports as patron.

Experts warn the effect of hyperemesis gravidarum increases with each child carried by the mother and William asked Mrs Orrell "did it get worse with each pregnancy," and was told it did.

The 98-year-old said her doctor advised her to try "dry biscuits" and the Duke replied that ginger was supposed to help with the condition.

He added: "Ginger biscuits - but there's not much ginger can do to stop that - we've done all that."

The Fund, which began in 1870 as an orphanage, is believed to be the oldest police charity in the world and supports the children of officers of the Metropolitan Police and the City of London Police who have died or who are unable to provide for their families.

The organisation will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2020, and 2017 marks 80 years since it became a modern charity following the closure of the orphanage in 1937.

Mrs Orrell was aged just seven when she was sent to the institution after her widower father had left the Met Police with severe arthritis.

During the brief chat held at the end of a reception, where the Duke met many families supported by the Fund, the 98-year-old wished Kate well and William told her: "She is feeling better, thank you."

Kate has been forced to miss a number of events, including her son Prince George's first day at school, with severe morning sickness.

But the Duchess has been named by Kensington Palace, alongside husband William and Prince Harry, as the royal hosts of the October 10 reception celebrating the contribution of those working in the mental health sector across the UK.

Kate is thought to be less than 12 weeks pregnant, with her bout of hyperemesis gravidarum forcing her to pull out of an event at the beginning of September and prompting the palace to make the pregnancy announcement early.

Also at the reception, staged at the Guildhall in the City of London, were the close family of Pc Keith Palmer, stabbed to death in a terrorist attack in March by Khalid Masood. They met William privately.

William spent more than an hour chatting to the children and partners of former police officers helped by the fund including the family of Pc Steven Cox, 46, who died of leukaemia in 2014.

He spent five years guarding royal palaces and was a familiar face at William's home Kensington Palace.

The officer's widow Sarah Cox, 45, and his children showed the Duke pictures of Mr Cox, and Mrs Cox said after her chat: "He said he remembered him, Steven used to come home with lots of stories and said it was a real privilege to work at the palaces.

"He used to talk about how William and Kate's dog Lupo was always running around."