The Duchess Diary

Let's talk royals

William and Kate Release First Family Christmas Photo

kate middleton prince william pose children prince george princess charlotte norfolk home

Kensington Palace/Chris Jelf, The British Monarchy

Today, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released their 2015 Christmas card, the first time they’ve showed one to the public since marrying in 2011.

“A new family photo – Merry Christmas from The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte,” the message on the British Monarchy’s Facebook page read.

“The Duke and Duchess are hugely appreciative of all the warm messages they have received about their family this year and are very much looking forward to their first Christmas as a family of four.”  [Read more…]

Hello, This is Kate Middleton. Do You like My Hair?

kate middleton phone calls ICAP charity day

Jeremy Selwyn/NMA-Pool

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who are the best sports ever, joined ICAP’s brokers in its London office today to help close deals and boost trading volumes during ICAP charity day.

SkillForce, Sportsaid and Place2Be are among the charities benefiting from William and Catherine’s participation.

The staff at ICAP don costumes for the occasion, and this time a few of the brokers dressed up as “Dave” from MoneySuperMarket’s #EpicStrut advertisement.  [Read more…]

Kate Middleton is Taking Style Cues From a Delevingne

Kate Middleton Jenny Packham Gown Royal Albert Hall Spectre Premiere

James Whatling/Splash News

She may do a lot of the work herself, but the Duchess of Cambridge has sought out sartorial help in the past few years.

Last December, it was revealed that Natasha Archer – or “Tash” as she’s known to Catherine & Co. (per the Daily Mail) – was hired as a personal assistant to the Kensington Palace team.

The Kings College graduate soon began advising on style, and was seen going into St. Mary’s Hospital in July 2013 after Prince George’s birth.

Natasha Archer Champagne Festival of Polo 2015

James Whatling/Splash News and Pictures

 

Royal reporter Katie Nicholl spoke to a few palace sources as well for Vanity Fair.  [Read more…]

Kate Middleton is Going Into The Food Business

kate middleton visits hmp send women's prison

Kirsty Wigglesworth/WPA-Pool

The Duchess of Cambridge loves making jam, and has been known to make a mean chicken roast. So, in the entrepreneurial spirit of Real Housewives everywhere, she’s turning it into a business.

According to the Mail on Sunday‘s Charlotte Griffiths, Catherine is “working on a plan to get the nation hooked on her wholesome organic food recipes.”

[Read more…]

Will and Kate Join The Queen at Festival of Remembrance

kate middleton black dolce gabbana dress lace festival of remembrance

Chris Jackson/WPA-Pool

For the first time together, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended tonight’s annual Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Their Royal Highnesses joined the Queen, Prince Philip, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, the Duke of York, Princess Anne and her husband, Tim Laurence, Princess Alexandra, the Duke of Kent, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. [Read more…]

Get The Look For Less: Kate’s Favorite Lace Dresses

kate middleton various lace dresses lead image

Splash News

Lace! A Princess! Glorious Gowns!

You, too, can attain the highest level of luxury and elegance with with lace dresses that fit you like a glove, but won’t force you to refinance your home/children/back issues of Majesty magazines.

Disclaimer: Some of these looks are not exact replicas of Kate’s frocks, but they’re close enough that yours truly would say, “I’d totes wear that.”  [Read more…]

Two Days of Kate Middleton: Gowns, Up Dos and The Throwing of a Wellie

How spoiled are we to have enjoyed 48 hours of the Duchess of Cambridge, supplemented with moments of splendor, courtesy of the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry.

Yesterday, the royal trio met with children from the charities they support at an event hosted by BAFTA and Aardman, and Things. Got. Silly.

Wearing Tabitha Webb’s “Meg-Space” silk dress, Catherine helped youths celebrate the premiere of Shaun The Sheep: The Farmer’s Llama.  She, Harry and William partook in a “Welly Wanging” contest, in which each participant was challenged to knock the head off a (fake) farmer’s body with a small rain boot.  William nailed it on the first go, while Catherine and Harry should consider signing up for target practice.

kate middleton throws wellie prince harry watches bafta

Tim Ireland/WPA-Pool

The best part of the event was watching Catherine film an animated clip:

Yasssss Queen (consort-in-waiting). YASSSSS! After the BAFTA event, it was time to put on one’s Downton Abbey dinnertime best for the premiere of Spectre.   Catherine chose a baby blue bespoke gown by Jenny Packham for the event, paired with her Jimmy Choo heels and (gorgeous, sparkly, illustrious, shiny) $22,000 earrings by Robinson Pelham, the same jeweler responsible for her acorn drop earrings.

Kate Middleton Jenny Packham Gown Royal Albert Hall Spectre Premiere

James Whatling/Splash News

There’s been some divineness on social media about Catherine’s outfits as of late, which I’d like to think makes royal watching all the more interesting.  Some didn’t like her gown from last night, but some applauded Her Royal Highness for choosing to show a bit of sexy back (saucy minx!).

kate middleton back shot jenny packham dress sam mendes red carpet royal albert hall

Jeff Moore/Splash News

Fun Fact: What Kate Wore and Kate’s Closet discovered that the runway version of this gown was talked about during the 2012 Diamond Jubilee Tour.   Onward…. Today, Catherine popped over to Islington in a grey Orla Kiely dress first worn to Dulwich Picture Gallery in March 2012, where she partook in an event alongside the Duchess of Cornwall and the Prince of Wales   2015:

kate middleton grey orla kiely dress islington chance uk

James Whatling/Splash News

2012:

Kate Middleton Dulwich Picture Gallery Orla Kiely Dress

Weir Photos/Splash News

The hair was up and the bangs were on FLEEK (still not quite sure what that means, but it sounds swell).

close up kate middleton orla kiely greey dress islington

Splash News

HRH was in town to check out Chance UK’s early intervention mentoring program. And finally, Catherine threw on a floral Erdem gown ($4,560) and hoofed it over to the Victoria and Albert Museum for 100 Women in Hedge Funds’ Philanthropic Initiatives’ Gala Dinner in aid of The Art Room, one of Catherine’s beloved charities.

kate middleton erdem gown 100 women in hedge funds gala

James Whatling/Splash News

The hair was, per usual, styled by unicorns, but the majority of tweets I saw were not in love with the gown.

Had the stitching been swapped out for a dramatic skirt, I most likely would’ve given it a thumbs up. Basically, The Sun‘s Emily Andrews gets me:

Overall, I’m not terribly impressed with Erdem’s looks, save for the navy lace number Catherine wore on her and William’s royal tour of Canada in 2011.

Ok, so much to discuss. Did we especially like or dislike any outfits from the past two days? Do we think Catherine’s personality is evolving and it’s positively affecting her sartorial choices?  Are you so excited that she went a little Bond and let the girls out of bra jail for a night?

Kate Middleton’s Hair Emerges Victorious Against High Scottish Winds

kate middleton blow out christopher kane blue coat

James Whatling/Splash News

When the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge cross the border into Scotland, they’re known as the Earl and Countess of Strathearn.  Today, the Strathearns popped up to Dundee for a day chock full of engagements focusing on mental health and young people.  The trip to the city  – which is not far from their alma mater, University of St. Andrews – included:

  • A visit to ‘s Rep theatre for Family Fun Day.
  • A visit with young volunteers with See Me, a Scotland-wide initiative to end mental health stigma.  The volunteers discussed their experiences and how they were helping others.
  • A stop at The Corner, which runs a drop-in centre for teenagers wanting advice on issues like contraception or exam stress, and peer-led and outreach services.
  • An anti-bullying workshop, organised by Scotland’s anti-bullying service RespectMe, which included a video around the dangers of social media.
  • Meeting with young leaders working on ways to improve mental health and they joined a discussion organised by Young Scotland In Mind.
  • A stop at explorer Captain Scott’s ship RRS (Royal Research Ship) Discovery, which was built in Dundee and carried him – and a young Ernest Shackleton – on their first expedition to Antarctica in 1901. [Read more…]

Shop The Look: Kate’s Chinese State Visit Outfits

kate middleton smiles toasts chinese president

Dominic Lipinski/WPA-Pool

Kate Middleton eggplant dolce gabbana dress

Splash News

While my Christmas wish is for you to have a closet full of Catherine’s items, I’m afraid we’ll have to dial it down a bit in terms of price in terms of replicating her looks from the Chinese state dinner on October 20th, followed by a creative showcase at Lancaster House the next day.

Recreate It: Dolce & Gabbana eggplant lace dress with Gianvito Rossi pumps, a suede Mulberry clutch and Mappin & Webb earrings.  [Read more…]