British Royals

Archive for Princess Catherine

The Duchess of Cambridge Shines in First Month of Solo Engagements

Feb 22

Posted by britishroyals in Princess Catherine | No Comments

The month of February was a big month for The Duchess of Cambridge.  Not only did her husband Prince William set out on a 6-week posting to the Falklands, but Kate stepped out on her won — and did very well indeed.  (You can recall that she filled in for Prince Charles for a private reception at the last minute last year, but these are her first scheduled solo duties).  Kate for the first time visited her chosen patronages publicly– The National Portrait Gallery, The Art Room and Action on Addiction — which took her to Liverpool and Oxford in the process.  Below are highlights of the visits, with links to videos, articles & pictures.

National Portrait Gallery
8 February 2012

With a degree in History of Art, it seemed only fitting that The Duchess of Cambridge made her first solo appearance visiting London’s National Portrait Gallery, of which she is royal patron. And if she was nervous at striking out on her own nine months after her marriage, it certainly didn’t show.

Kate was attending a private viewing of a new exhibition of portraits by the late Lucian Freud. After facing a large pack of photographers outside, she slipped into the gallery and mingled with arty types including photographer Mary McCartney, Bella Freud, the artist’s daughter, and Jefferson Hack.

It was also announced that the Duchess has agreed to sit for her first portrait. The artist is yet unknown. Perhaps the next time she visits the National Portrait Gallery, she’ll have one of her own hanging on the wall?…

Videos

Articles with Pictures

More Pictures: Getty Images | Rex Features

Action on Addiction + Alder Hey Kids
14 February 2012

It’s Valentine’s Day! And with her husband away in the Falklands, Kate wasn’t short of flowers or hugs in Liverpool. The Duchess visited to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and an Action on Addiction project, the non-alcoholic Brink bar for her second major solo public appearance.

At The Brink, Kate sampled a smoothie named the “Duchess” in her honour, and proclaimed it “seriously good.” She was then serenaded by a resident choir of recovering addicts called the Raucous Caucus Recovery Chorus. Outside, she met her valentine, 8-year-old Jaqson Johnston-Lynch, who presented her with roses, a card and a cupcake. Kate then revealed to the boy and his mother that she’s received flowers and a card from Prince William that morning.

Next stop: Kate wowed a 500-strong crowd by chatting to well-wishers outside Alder Hey Children’s hospital.  She was given a tour of Alder Hey’s burns and oncology units and also visited Ronald McDonald House, which provides free accommodation for the families of some of the hospital’s sickest children.  The visit proved a hit for everyone, as Kate gave children lots of hugs and stayed way past her schedule to give the kids individual time and greet the crowds, who showered her with flowers and gifts.


Videos:

Queen's Diamond Jubilee Gifts

Articles with Pictures:

More Pictures: Getty Images | Goff Photos

The Art Room
21 February 2012


The Duchess of Cambridge paints with children

Kate paints with children. Photo from Getty Images

The Duchess of Cambridge put her passion for the arts into practice on her first public engagement as royal patron of The Art Room, which encourages confidence in disadvantaged children.

As the Duchess arrived she was greeted by Juli Beattie, founder and director of The Art Room, who said: “You can’t fail to be charmed by her. She’s a highly independent woman who wants to make a difference.” Two youngsters gave the duchess an apron emblazoned with “Miss Catherine”, a bouquet of flowers, and some dog treats for her new pet. Inside, she was given a stuff animal – a dog, who she decided to name after her own cocker spaniel puppy. And alas, after 2 months of “puppygate,” Clarence House confirms that William & Kate’s dog is named Lupo (Italian for “wolf”)! Yes, it’s Lupo Cambridge, who already has 3 Twitter accounts (funny, active one here) and a website as of this writing.

At Rose Hill Primary School in Oxford, Kate joined eight children who will be working on The Owl And The Pussycat poem by Edward Lear.  The second part of the visit saw her visit the Oxford Spires Academy, where she joined a round-table discussion covering debriefing, training and supervision of all the charity’s staff in Oxford.

Kids excited to meet The Duchess of Cambridge

Kate is patron of The Art Room. Photo by Reuters

Videos

Articles With Pictures

More Pictures: Getty Images | Rex Features

Next up for Kate: Teaming up with the Queen on March 1 and March 8!

Tags: , ,

William & Kate Attend War Horse Premiere on the Eve of her 30th Birthday

Jan 11

Posted by britishroyals in Prince William, Princess Catherine | 1 Comment

William & Kate at the War Horse premiere. Photo by Reuters

It is the first official engagement for the Cambridges for 2012.  And it was the Kate’s last night in her 20s, too.  So what did she do?  She joined her husband to their first film premiere as a married couple — War Horse by director Steven Spielberg.

Royal-watchers might recall the couple watching the award-winning play on a date night back in December 2009.  Now turned into a film, the star-studded premiere was a fundraiser for The Foundation of Prince William & Prince Harry.  Hundreds of military personnel were also invited to the event. Ironically, it started pouring moments before William & Kate walked the red carpet, prompting them to share single transparent umbrella under the rain.  The Duchess once again wowed in black lace by Alice Temperley.

After the movie, there was a private reception at Buckingham Palace with William, Kate, cast members and other notables.  The price for mingling with royalty? £10,000 — for charity and the princes’ foundation, of course.

The next day, director Steven Spielberg said in an interview with BBC that Kate teared up during the movie (his wife had to pass her some Kleenex).  It tells a story of a boy and his deep love for his horse Joey (who by the way, also walked the red carpet during the premiere) set against the backdrop of World War I.  No word on William’s reaction on the heart-tugging film.

The Duchess of Cambridge celebrated her milestone 30th birthday privately.  It was reportedly a low-key dinner with William, family and close friends in the grounds of Kensington Palace near their London cottage.  None of those Pippa-and-Harry planned karaoke party stories turned out to be true.

From CBS about Kate’s year + interview with Victoria Aribiter:


The Duchess of Cambridge turns 30. Photo: Getty Images

Other Videos:

Articles:

Pictures:

Other Links:

Tags: , , , ,

Duchess of Cambridge Announces Patronages

Jan 6

Posted by britishroyals in Princess Catherine | 2 Comments

As anticipated, the Duchess of Cambridge announced her first patronages as a member of the royal family.  She will work with FOUR very lucky charities and on top of that volunteer for the scouts during her private time in Anglesey.    Kate has been researching her options since September 2011 and has been spotted visiting these orgazinations during the fall.

My thoughts on the choices? — Very fitting and very well thought out.  They seem to fit her interests (the arts, children & the outdoors) and complement William’s work nicely.  Very promising start!



Here are the lucky selected ones:

Action on Addiction

 

The Art Room

 

East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices

  • What they do: EACH supports families and cares for children and young people with life-threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk. They provide care and support wherever the family wishes – in families’ own homes, in hospital or at one of their hospices

 

National Portrait Gallery

  • About the NPG: Founded in 1856, the aim of the National Portrait Gallery is “to promote through the medium of portraits the appreciation and understanding of the men and women who have made and are making British history and culture, and … to promote the appreciation and understanding of portraiture in all media.”

 

On top of these four charities, Kate has volunteered her private time for the Scouts, and will be working with the younger group – cub and beaver scouts – during her private time in North Wales and other areas when situations permi

Scouts

  • About Scouts: The Scout Association provides adventurous activities and personal development opportunities for 400,000 young people aged 6-25. Internationally, they have over 28 million young people enjoying the benefits of Scouting  across 216 countries. Personal development means promoting the physical, intellectual, social and spiritual well-being of the individual, helping them achieve their full potential.
  • Announcement of Kate’s involvement:Meet the Scouts’ latest volunteer!
  • Website: http://www.scouts.org.uk
  • Accounts: UK Scouts

Other Videos featuring Kate’s chosen charities:

Prince William & Princess Catherine Royal Wedding Souvenirs

Articles:

Tags: , ,

Kate Spends First Royal Christmas at Sandringham While Duke of Edinburgh Stays in Hospital

Dec 27

Posted by britishroyals in HM The Queen & Duke, Peter & Autumn Phillips, Prince Andrew, Prince Charles & Camilla, Prince Edward & Sophie, Prince Harry, Prince William, Princess Anne, Princess Beatrice, Princess Catherine, Princess Eugenie, Zara Phillips & Mike Tindall | No Comments


The Queen shows a brave face at Sandringham this Christmas as her husband
(pictured this month) continues to recover in hospital. Pictures: PA


In the absence of his father, Prince Charles leads the walk to St Mary Magdalene Church.
Picture: Reuters

It was the largest Royal Christmas for decades as a crowd of 3,000 — three times the size of last year (partly due to better weather and undoubtedly inspired by their latest addition, the Duchess of Cambridge) — gathered at Sandringham this year to greet the Royal Family.  All of the family was expected to be there, too — Her Majesty, all her children, grandchildren, great-grandchild, plus the 2 latest additions – Kate and Mike Tindall.  Sadly, on 23 December, the head of the family, the Duke of Edinburgh, had to be rushed to a hospital for an emergency heart stenting after experiencing chest pains. He missed Christmas this year.  And for the first time in 55 years, the Queen spent Christmas apart from her husband. The Duke remained in “high spirits,” “anxious to leave”, and insisted that the show must go on.

In an unexpected move, the whole family attended an earlier service on Christmas morning (thought to be fore communion)  before heading back, changing clothes, and returning for the formal Christmas service.  In the absence of his father, Prince Charles & Camilla led the walk to St Mary Magdalene Church, followed by William, Kate and Harry.


It’s the Duchess of Cambridge’s first Christmas at Sandringham — and she was a hit!
Pictures: Alan Davidson, Reuters


A crowd of 3,000 — 3 times the size of last year — gathered to see William & Kate
Picture: Alan Davidson


The royal newlyweds Zara & Mike Tindall, and William & Kate (dressed down for an earlier service that morning)
Pictures: Getty Images, Ken Goff

After the service, the family received (an unusually large number of) flowers, cards, gifts and well wishes from the crowd.  A lot of them, of course, are there to see Kate for the first time. Veteran royal-watcher Mary Relph, said: “I have never seen queues like this on Christmas Day before, I have never seen this amount of people here since Diana was alive. People obviously came to see Kate Middleton. And she was fantastic.“  Journalist Alison Croose agreed: “I have not seen crowds like this since back into the Diana days. It reminded me of the Diana years – when Diana introduced Prince William to the crowds when he was about seven or eight. It was touching. Diana used to have her hand on his back. Now you see William with his hand on Kate’s back. It was really nice.”

Prince Harry, the most eligible royal bachelor, brought cheers when he kissed a girl on the cheek.  When her friend asked for a peck too he replied with a grin: “I can’t give you a kiss, I just kissed her.”

After Christmas lunch, all of the Duke’s grandchildren — William, Harry, Beatrice, Eugenie, Peter and Zara — drove to Papworth Hospital to visit him.  Her Majesty and their children — Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward — had seen him the day before.  And then it’s back to Sandringham to continue with the holiday plans, including the traditional Boxing Day shoot.  On with the show without a lot of fuss — just as the Duke would have wanted it.

The Queen’s Christmas message this year focused on the binding love of family:


Update: The Duke of Edinburgh was released from hospital on 27 December.  He spent 4 nights in Papworth Hospital.

Other Videos:

Queen's Diamond Jubilee Gifts

Picture Sets:

Articles:

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Prince William Shows Off his Dance Moves at Centrepoint

Dec 22

Posted by britishroyals in Prince William, Princess Catherine | 2 Comments



Photo by Harriet Armstrong, Centrepoint

Photos by AP/Getty Images (left) & Geoff Pugh (right)

Need proof why William will make a good king?  It’s right in his dance (and his ability to reach out to people of all classes)

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge brought Christmas cheers to Centrepoint, a charity shelter for homeless youths.  William has been patron since 2005, taking over from his late mum.  In 2009, he deepened his understanding by sleeping rough on the streets of London for a night.  This year, he took Kate to visit the charity for the first time.

During the 2-hour visit William invented the ‘swag dance’ which involves brushing imaginary dust off your shoulders to signal you have trendy clothes. He was asking Vanessa Boateng, 18, about his wedding suit. The teenager, a trainee nursery nurse who moved to the Foyer after family problems, said: “William asked us what we thought about what he wore to his wedding. He said, was his suit dapper? “I said: ‘No, your swag was on point.’ He repeated my words and said ‘swag’, then he started doing this dance.” Later during a reception for many of the Foyer’s 80 residents the royal called Miss Boateng over.  William and Vanessa performed the dance to screams and cheers.

Kate made her own impact on another teen.  While William & Kate joined a group decorating biscuits, Kate made a heart shape cookie from icing and covered it with sprinkles. She presented it to Tasha Barbi, who was celebrating her 18th birthday, saying: “This is for your birthday – a birthday cookie.” Miss Barbi, a travel and tourism student, said: “Catherine made me this birthday cookie – it’s beautiful. I’m going to cherish it – it really means a lot to me. I’m never eating it”


Photo: Getty Images

Other Videos:

 

Exclusive Pictures: From Centrepoint (must see)
Picture Sets: Getty Images (outside) | Getty Images (inside)
Large Pictures: My Royals

Articles:

Tags: , ,