Today, Clarence House released the full set of family photos to mark the 1st birthday of HRH Prince George. A short statement was also released by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to coincide with the photographs: We would like to take this opportunity on George's first birthday to thank everyone over the last year, wherever we have met them, both at home and overseas, for their warm and generous good wishes to George and our family The photos were taken by PA staff photographer, John Stillwell, when the royal trio visited the "Sensational Butterflies" exhibition at the Natural History Museum. We got a glimpse of them leaving the exhibition earlier this month. As previously noted, Kate wore the Suzannah 'Budding Hearts' silk dress. The frock retails for £475 (US$810). Below are some cheaper alternatives for this style. We first got a glimpse of this dress under her Erdem coat on a visit to the Waikato region of New Zealand during the 2014 royal tour. In the photos, we can also see that Kate is wearing her Annoushka pearl drop earrings paired with her Kiki McDonough diamond hoops. The next engagement for Kate will be next week. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge along with Prince Harry will attend events at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games from 28th July.
The Tour de France got underway today with a Grand Depart from Leeds, England. 198 elite bike riders lined up at Harewood House where they greeted by the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. Her Royal Highness cut the ribbon to officially commence the annual bike race to Paris. Kate wore her bright green Erdem 'Allie' coat featuring a zipped front and Peter Pan collar. She first wore the wool crepe coat on Day 6 of the Royal Tour in New Zealand. Today, she accessorised the coat with her taupe LK Bennett 'Avona' clutch and matching 'Sledge' pumps. We again got a glimpse of the Suzannah 'Budding Heart' silk tea dress. Oh when are we going to see this dress in its full glory!? The Duchess was given the honour of presenting Marcel Kittel with the yellow jersey after he won stage one of the Tour de France in Harrogate. The next public engagement for the Duchess of Cambridge will be in just over 3 weeks, when she, William and Prince Harry will attend the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow on 28th & 29th July. SHOP KATE'S LOOK FOR LESS ... It's no secret that the Duchess of Cambridge is an avid fan of tennis. Today, William and Kate took their seats in the Royal Box at Wimbledon to watch the quarter finals clash on Centre Court between Andy Murray and Grigor Dimitrov. Kate has an affinity for wearing white to the Wimbledon Championships, obviously a homage to the Wimbledon players' dress code. She continued that trend today, wearing her white eyelet Zimmermann Roamer Day dress, first seen on Good Friday during the Royal Tour of Australia. In the past, Kate has worn white frocks by Issa, Temperley London, Joseph and Alexander McQueen. Last year Kate didn't attend any matches at Wimbledon because she was over 8 months pregnant with Prince George. Today, Kate added a dash of colour to her ensemble with a red pashmina and her Anya Hindmarch Basket Fan Clutch. The red shawl dates back to at least February 2007. Kate was photographed carrying it as she left the exclusive Mamilanji club. Today Kate wore her Ray-Ban folding sunglasses, also first seen during this year's Royal Tour. Other familiar accessories included her Annoushka pearl /Kiki hoop earrings and Cartier watch. Duchess Kate blog has a full-length photo of Kate which shows her wearing the LK Bennett 'Sledge' pumps. There was some Twitter activity this morning about a sighting of William, Kate and baby George at the Natural History Museum's Butterfly Exhibit. The Duchess is seen wearing her Suzannah Green Budding Heart Silk Tea Dress. We first got a glimpse of this dress under her Erdem coat on a visit to the Waikato region of New Zealand during the 2014 royal tour.
This morning the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge commenced the final leg of their royal tour Down Under in the nation's capital city of Canberra. First on the itinerary was a visit to the National Arboretum perched high on the hills overlooking Lake Burley Griffin. The arboretum was recently opened in the wake of the bushfires that ravaged the area over a decade ago. The royal couple planted an English Oak tree to make a contribution to the efforts of the arboretum. The Duchess wore a vivid grass green coat dress by Catherine Walker. This is a bespoke piece that fuses design elements of the Catherine Walker 'Evelyn' coatdress and the 'Lara' coat from the current collection. Both are fabricated from Venetian wool and it is evident that Kate combined the zip scuba collar of the 'Lara' with the full skirt of the 'Evelyn' including the hand pick stitching and belt. We got a glimpse of the Suzannah Green Budding Heart silk tea dress under her coat. Kate also wore this dress under her green Erdem coat when she recently visited the Waikato region of New Zealand. On her feet were the infamous LK Bennett 'Sledge' taupe patent pumps. Kate wore her emerald and diamond earrings and Cartier Ballon Bleu watch. The Duke and Duchess then attended a reception hosted by Prime Minister Tony Abbott in the Great Hall of Parliament House. Prince William made a short speech and told the audience of 600 how much he and his family had enjoyed their visit to Australia. He also made a comical remark about Prince George's affection for his plush toy wombat. Immediately following the reception, William and Kate headed to the National Portrait Gallery where they viewed some of its prized paintings, including one of Australian native, Princess Mary of Denmark. SHOP KATE'S 'ARBORETUM' STYLE FOR LESS ... On their final evening of the Royal Tour, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended a cocktail reception at Government House hosted by the Governor General, Sir Peter Cosgrove. The royal couple mingled with 100 carefully selected guests from the arts, sport, business and charity. Kate looked elegant in a monochromatic outfit and with her hair in a loose chignon. She wore an ivory fitted peplum dress from American designer Lela Rose. This is the first occasion we have seen the Duchess wear this label. The linen-blend sheath dress is from the Spring 2012 collection. It features circular lace short sleeves and peplum waist. It originally retailed for US$1295. Kate contrasted the dress with her black suede Mulberry 'Bayswater' clutch and Jimmy Choo 'Cosmic' platform pumps. The Duchess completed the ensemble with her dazzling diamond earrings and bracelet set which she tends to favour for formal events. She also wore her Cartier Ballon Bleu watch. Tomorrow is the last day of the three-week royal tour. The Duke and Duchess will attend an ANZAC Day service at the Australian War Memorial before boarding a Royal Australian Air Force plane bound for London at around 2pm. SHOP REPLIKATE'S OF THE LELA ROSE DRESS ... You can read full details of today's events on the official website of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
On Day 6 of the Royal Tour, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited the Waikato region of New Zealand, covering the towns of Hamilton and Cambridge. Upon arriving at Hamilton airport, the royal couple went separate ways. William visited the Pacific Aerospace Centre at the airport, while Kate attended a tea party at the Rainbow Place Children’s Hospice. Kate wore a bright grass-green coat by Erdem, featuring a zipped front and Peter Pan collar. The sleeves have matching zipped cuffs. The US$2500 coat is fabricated from 100% wool-crepe and is detailed with a tab waist and front pockets. We managed to get a glimpse of the dress Kate wore under the coat. It was a tea-length frock by London-based designer Suzannah, called the 'Budding Heart Silk Tea Dress'. The dress is tailor made in England and features a beautiful white budding heart print onto green Italian silk crepe de chine. The smocking detailing at the shoulder and under the bust add a wonderful vintage charm, with the bias line of the skirt skimming to below the knee. It is currently in stock and retails for £475. She accessorized with her black suede Episode 'Angel' pumps and her Mulberry 'Bayswater' clutch, also on black suede. Kate coordinated her green ensemble with her emerald and diamond drop earrings, first worn in November 2011 when she attended the opening of the Natural History Museum Treasures Gallery. We also see her wearing the Cartier Ballon Bleu watch. The royal couple reunited in the afternoon to officially open the Hamilton Avantidrome velodrome, a state-of-the-art cycling arena. The organisers presented them with a gift for Prince George, a bespoke Avanti Lil Ripper bike. You can read further details of today's events on the official website of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
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I have retired the "Bits and Bobs" section of the website and started a new segment title "Outfit Chronicle".
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December 2014
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