We are back with a few quick updates and our poll results.

We begin with word of a new engagement for Kate on the 12th of February, when she visits the town of Portsmouth.  The Duchess will be acting in her role as Patron of the 1851 Trust, an organization working with young people (under the age of 25)  to engage them through the marine and sailing industries. The group is supported by Sir Ben Ainslie, who is heading up a British team racing in the 2017 America’s Cup.  Many will recall Kate’s visit to the Maritime Museum last June when Sir Ben officially announced plans for a major effort to win the Cup.

Sir Ben & company already tested the waters off Bermuda, where the Cup’s World Series takes place this October.

Kate will be visiting Ben Ainslie Racing headquarters in Portsmouth.

Back to Kate’s role with the 1851 Trust, she will be touring the Trust’s new headquarters located at Ainslie Racing, where she will see a mural created by students working through the Trust.

Victoria Murphy has more in this Daily Mirror story:

She will meet people from the community involved with the trust… street artists and students from schools who created the mural… before adding her own detail to the picture.

The Trust also aims to “Offer skills and qualifications for young people, and create pathways into apprenticeships, skills based training, and jobs in the wider sports and maritime industry”.

For those of us chattering about Kate’s attendance at a Trust function back in November at the Goring Hotel, it was at that meeting the organization’s Trustees and Patrons were able to meet the group’s new Chief Operating Office, Alasdair Akass. The year 1851 is significant because that is when the New York Yacht Club’s schooner America won the Royal Yacht Squadron’s 100 Pound Cup and the America’s Cup racing series was born.

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Next, some quick links to stories that may be of interest to readers:

• There is a look at “Super-chic style for the yummiest of mummies-to-be: Why Kate and the Hollywood A-list can’t get enough of maternity brand Séraphine” in a Daily Mail story that ran January 19th. The piece looks at the label’s background while also sharing quite a few photos of celebrities wearing the label, including Zoe Saldana, Zara Phillips, Gwen Stefani, Shakira and Alicia Keys.
• People’s StyleWatch has a brief story showcasing Mirabelle Jewelry and its founder, Veronique Henry. Ms. Henry explains Kate’s earrings are ““….made in Indonesia by just one family…”

• Madderson London, makers of the Naomi dress worn by the Duchess when opening an Art Room January 15th, have done a blog post about the frock. Titled “The Story of a Dress: The Naomi,” the post offers insight into the design process. It also explains the provenance of the fabric used for the piece; in this case the wool came from a British heritage brand, Hainsworth. A piece of trivia from the retailer’s post: “Coincidentally, Hainsworth purchased their Lupton mill in Yorkshire from the Duchess of Cambridge’s great grandparents over 50 years ago, and latterly provided the wool for Prince William and Harry’s uniforms at the Royal Wedding in 2011.” Our thanks to those who emailed/tweeted/commented to share the information about Hainsworth, that linkage between Kate’s past and present is remarkable.

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Finally today, our poll results featuring more of your favorites from 2014. Imagine a muted drum roll here, although the winner is probably not a surprise: the favorite is the LK Bennett Lasa Poppy dress Kate wore in Australia during the April tour.

Here’s how the top three finishers looked.

The results from the coat poll surprised me a little, I expected the Seraphine coat that debuted in New York would take the top spot.

But that is not how things turned out. Instead, the dove grey Alexander McQueen worn on Easter Sunday in Sydney takes top honors for 2014.

A look at the top three finishers, there were more than 3000 votes cast.

May everyone enjoy a splendid weekend!

LINKAGE:

• Learn more about the 1851 Trust at the charity’s website here, via its Facebook page here, the Twitter feed may be seen here; the Trust also has a strong Instagram presence here
• The America’s Cup website is here, its Facebook page is here, its Twitter page is here, Instagram page here and the organization’s You Tube channel is here
• The Ben Ainslie Racing website is here, its Facebook page may be viewed here, the Twitter feed is here, Instagram page is here and the You Tube channel may be viewed here