Prince William & Kate Bid Farewell After Asia Tour

By Simon Perry

09/19/2012 at 12:15 PM EDT

And they're off!

After an eventful nine-day journey that took them to Singapore, Malaysia and the Solomon Islands, William and Kate were waved off from their final stop, Tuvalu, on Wednesday.

William and Kate (in a summery dress by Erdem) were taken by a carriage carried by about 20 men to their charter plane. They were due to briefly stop in Brisbane, Australia, before boarding a flight to London.

The tour was overshadowed by the controversy surrounding published photos of Kate sunbathing topless in France. But the couple will also remember it for the vast numbers of people who turned out to meet them and welcome to the various countries.

PHOTOS: William & Kate's Asian Adventures

As a source in their party said, "They had one objective: to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. It's not for us to judge whether that was a success or not, from their point of view, they felt able to do her life and the diversity of the nations she represents justice."