Health Minister Vaughan Gething questions Prince William and Kate's visit to Cardiff
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's visit to Wales has been questioned by the health minister.
Vaughan Gething MS said that he would "prefer nobody to be making unnecessary visits" as cases continue to rise in most parts of Wales.
Prince William and Kate Middleton stopped at Cardiff Central station on their way to toast marshmallows at a stall near Cardiff Castle.
They also met with university students to discuss the impact the pandemic has had on young people's mental health.
The couple have been meeting frontline workers, teachers and young people, as they thank the public for their work during the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme ahead of the visit, Mr Gething said that people should not use the royal visit as an "excuse" to question the current coronavirus regulations.
"I'd rather that no-one was having unnecessary visits, and people always have divisive views about the monarchy, but their visit isn't an excuse for people to say that they are confused about what they are being asked to do," he said.
"I'm not particularly bothered or interested because I don't think that is going to be an excuse for people to say: 'I should go and behave in a different way and I should act as if the harm that is being seen in front of us in every part of our healthcare system is not taking place."
Mr Gething's comments echo the sentiment of Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon who said that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had travelled to the country despite being made aware of national coronavirus regulations on crossing the border.
Initially Number 10 attempted to stay out of the row but notably hadn't backed the royal tour, their original statement said: "We set out clearly the tiers and the advice around the current guidelines that we are asking the public to abide by."
The spokesman also wouldn't say if the Duke and Duchess had complied with the regulations: "I'm making the general point that we have set out the regionalised tier system that is now in place and the guidance that we are asking people to abide by."
Now, a revised statement from Downing Street has said that they are pleased with the "warm reception" the couple received on their tour.
Coronavirus cases have been rising across Wales, with Mr Gething confirming on Monday that there were more than 1,800 coronavirus-related patients in hospitals around Wales - the highest number ever recorded.
Public Health Wales said two people have died from coronavirus on Monday, taking the total number of people who've died with the virus to 2,711.
There are now eight local authorities with rates higher than 400 cases per 100,000 people – four times as many areas as on Friday.