Britain's Prince William and Duchess Catherine's visit to Tuvalu proves the royal family's "care" for the country.

The couple will travel the world on behalf of Queen Elizabeth - who is celebrating her 60th year on the throne in 2012 - and can expect a traditional welcome when they visit the country in the Pacific Ocean, according to the country's consul to the UK Iftikhar Ayaz.

He told The Daily Telegraph: "Every individual in Tuvalu will be delighted by this news. The visit is a great example of the care and affection that the royal family has for even the smallest states like Tuvalu.

"They will sit in a canoe and the young men of the island, dressed in skirts of coconut fibre, will carry the canoe on their shoulders. I have met the Queen and she vividly recollects the experience."

Approximately 10,000 people live on the island nation, which is the fourth smallest country in the world after Vatican City, Monaco and Nauru.

Although exact details of what the couple will do when they visit are being kept secret, it is expected they will be rowed ashore in a multi-hued canoe, echoing the boat trip they took when on their first official overseas visit as a couple to Canada earlier this year.

All of the royal family will be visiting countries around the world for the Queen, and Prince Harry will be making his first official trip on behalf of his grandmother when he tours the Caribbean nations, including Jamaica, Belize and The Bahamas.