Britain's Prince William and his wife Catherine visited the university city that is home to their dukedom on Wednesday for the first time since they were given their official titles.

William and Catherine, who were given the titles the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge when they married last year, received an ecstatic welcome from hundreds of people who started lining the streets in the early hours of the morning.

The royal couple arrived in the city in eastern England by train and were driven through the crowd before a day visiting Cambridge's prestigious university and a homeless charity.

Catherine, formerly known as Kate Middleton, dressed in a MaxMara dress with a coat and showed off a new hairstyle - long layered locks with a parted fringe, which she first sported in London the night before. William wore a dark suit.

While on their visit, William and Catherine, who are both 30, will open a 24-hour support centre for rough sleepers run by the charity Jimmy's.

Jane Heeney, a manager of the homeless organisation Centrepoint, which William has been a patron of since 2005, said the royal couple would get an insight into the organisation's work while on their visit.

"It is an incredible honour -- in fact it's more than that. But we want them to see Jimmy's as it really is," Heeney told the Cambridge News newspaper.

"The guests will be making biscuits for the royal couple and we will show them around and introduce them to staff and guests. Everyone is incredibly excited."

After stopping by Guildhall, a large city council building in Cambridge's main square, the royal couple will head to the university's Senate House, where William will speak to a reception of about 400 people.

William and Catherine will also open a new hospital in the nearby city of Peterborough.