Kate in Team GB at Paralympics & Tour Details (Is There a Tiara on the Horizon?)

 2012 Royal Tours, Clothing, London 2012 Olympics, Official Appearances  15 Responses »
Aug 302012
 

Kate and William returned to form for today’s Paralympics 2012 events, wearing official Team GB duds.

Splash News

It was a familiar look for the Duchess.

Splash News

The couple looked happy and relaxed as they watched Track Cycling in the Velodrome, once again taking part in what is known as a Mexican Wave.

London 2012 Website

They were able to see Paralympic GB’s first Gold Medal, as Sarah Storey won the Individual C5 Pursuit.

London 2012 Twitter

Kate brought back her Team GB fleece, skinny jeans and red Adidas Supernova trainers.

KitBag/Splash News

Kate and William are seen watching ParalympicGB playing Lithuania in Goalball in this photo from the Paralympics GB Twitter feed.

ParalympicsGB Twitter

This evening Kate went solo to the Aquatic Center, she switched to her Stuart Weitzman Corkswoon Wedges worn so frequently to the Olympics.

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We also have details on the couple’s upcoming South Pacific tour as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. It includes Kate’s first speech abroad, a host of public and private events, even the possibility of a tiara. It all begins in Singapore.

  • Sept 11th: Singapore – Botanic Gardens,
  • September 13th: Malaysia
  • September 15th: Sabah, Malaysia (rainforest)
  • September 16th: Solomon Islands
  • September 18th: Tuvalu

More from the Daily Mail:

The Queen is believed to be lending her several pieces of jewellery including, possibly, one of her favourite tiaras.

Her famous locks will be also well cared for – Prince Charles is privately footing the bill for a freelance hairdresser to travel with them.

More form the official statement, quoting Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton:
“The Duke and Duchess will use the tour to pay tribute – through what they do and say and who they meet – to the Queen’s lifetime and dedication to the mix of peoples and cultures that make up all of Her Majesty’s realms and the Commonwealth.”The tour will comprise a mixture of formal and informal moments which reflect these aims and Duke and Duchess’s characters and interests.”

Once again we social media playing a role, the British High Commission in Singapore offices have organized a number of online events,designed to “showcase the best of Britain in Singapore, for Singaporeans and the local British community alike.” Activities include a photography contest, even a Twitter poll to pick what food item

Foodies are encouraged to follow www.twitter.com/UKinSingapore and post their ideas about “What Singaporean dish should the Royal Couple eat?” by mentioning @UKinSingapore and using the hashtag #RoyalMenuSG.

More on the Singapore leg of the tour from Today Online:

Arriving on Tuesday, September 11, their itinerary will include visits to the Botanic Gardens, Gardens by the Bay, the Strathmore Green district in Queenstown, the Rolls Royce plant in Seletar and the Kranji Commonwealth war cemetery.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will also be hosted by President Tony Tan Keng Yam to a State dinner at the Istana, and an official reception at the British High Commissioner’s residence, Eden Hall.

The Mirror writes about what will be a touching event in Singapore:

The couple will attend an orchid naming ceremony at the Singapore Botanic Gardens where, in a poignant moment, they will look at the flower that Diana herself never got to see.

The couple will visit a special needs community, Rainbow Centre, Kate is expected to take part in an art therapy class while William spends time with a sports class.

In Malaysia Kate will have her first international public speaking engagement, she will be talking to staff and patients at Hospis Malaysia. The couple will also have dinner with the King of Malaysia, a formal affair.

Again there are also social media endeavors, the British High Commission has launched ‘The Ultimate Royal-Tea Competition‘:

The competition will see two lucky winners walk away with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet the Royal Couple at a tea party organised by the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.

The trip to Sabah has residents excited, this image is from Dive Down Below:

Dive Down Below

More from the Dive Down Below website:

The whole of Sabah is abuzz with news of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, visiting our fair eastern Malaysian state here in the northern part of Borneo.

Sabah, previously known as North Borneo and a former British Crown Colony, has a rich history tied to the UK.

On the 17th the pair spend the night on a private island, Tavanipupu, a five star resort.

Tavanipupu Island

(The Island can be yours for £7.5million, it is evidently for sale.)

As many hoped, when the couple gets to Tuvalu, they will take part in a ceremonial arrival, more from the Evening Standard:

Their arrival in Tuvalu — making them the first members of the royal family to visit since the Queen and Prince Philip in 1982 — will see them carried off their aircraft in a traditional ceremony.

“It’s going to be a bit of a surprise for all of us,” an aide admitted. “It remains to be seen whether it’s a canoe or some other form of platform they are going to carry them on.”

It won’t be all posh digs and upscale fun, back to the Daily Mail’s story, a portion about the Tuvalu visit:

But it will be rather less luxurious than their previous stop. The island is plagued by ants and large rats, and the infrastructure is so limited that the couple will stay in only the most basic of hotels.

Clearly one of Kate’s biggest challenges will be coping with the heat and humidity, the average September temperature on Tuvalu is in the mid-80s, in Singapore it is 81°.
We’ll be sharing more details moving forward.
Linkage:

Kate Recycles 2006 Coat for Paralympics Opening Ceremony

 Clothing, London 2012 Olympics, Official Appearances, Specific Designers  21 Responses »
Aug 292012
 

Tonight’s London 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony was another spectacular show in London.

Via Cherry Healy Twitter

Among the evening’s themes, inclusion, the song “Under my Umbrella” was perfect to start the show.

London 2012 Website

The staging, lighting and choreography were stunning.

Paralympic Sport TV YouTube

Her Majesty was accompanied by the UK’s Sir Phillip Craven, he is the President of the International Paralympic Committee, on the right you see Prince Edward.

London 2012 Website

Below, William and Kate.

London 2012 Website

Other in attendance included (left to right) Samantha Cameron, Prince William, Kate, Princess Anne and London Mayor Boris Johnson.

Paralympic Sport TV

From left to right, Sir Philip, the Queen, Prince Edward, Sophie, Sebastian Coe, Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife, Samantha Cameron.

Huffington Post Twitter

As always, the Parade of Nations was a delight to watch, below, Ireland.

London 2012 Website

Here we see Team USA.

Paralympic Sport TV

Iraq is shown entering the stadium, the flag is carried by power lifter Faris Al-Ajeeli.

London 2012 Website

China’s team as they come into the stadium.

London 2012

The roar heard when Team GB entered was overwhelming, tennis player Peter Norfolk carried the flag.

London 2012 Website

The Duchess maintained her focus on wearing very low key pieces seen during the Olympic games, bringing back an item worn previously, a coat first seen at the 2006 wedding of Laura Parker Bowles to Harry Lopes at St. Cyriac’s in Wiltshire.

2006 Splash News

It was made by Danish Label DAY Birger et Mikkelsen, Kate repeated the piece in 2010 for the wedding of Mel Nicholson and Oli Baker at St. Andrews, and then again for the wedding of Zara Phillips in July of last year (seen below).

2011 Splash News

In an eBay auction the coat was described this way:

“brocade fabric with a subtle gold paisley trimmed with champagne colour net.  It is long sleeved with a single breasted, off-centre, three button fastening.  It also has two flap pockets.

The lining is a soft grey colour and would be the perfect occasion coat for any wedding.  Worn with a skirt or trousers it would make the perfect cocktail coat.”
More on the coat may be seen in this post, below, an image from the eBay auction referenced above.

eBay Auction

Many will recognize the Birger name, designer Malene Birger co-founded Birger et Mikkelsen and now has her own line. Kate has worn other pieces  by Ms. Birger, including her ‘Bullet” dress.

Selfridges

Kate accessorized with her trusty LK Bennett Sledge 2 pumps, as well as a Wilbur and Gussie gold clutch, she carried it to the 100 Women in Hedge Funds dinner in October of last year (more here).

Wilbur & Gussie

Activities have been underway for days, below we see the Team USA Basketball team.

USA in UK Twitter

The schedule for William, Kate and Harry’s appearance at the Paralympics follows, prefaced by Clarence House’s caveat:

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry are provisionally scheduled to attend during the Paralympic Games. Their Royal Highnesses will attend in their capacity as Official Ambassadors for Paralympics GB.  All engagements are provisional and subject to change at this stage. Attendance will be confirmed nearer the time of each scheduled event.

Thursday 30th August

  • William and Kate will attend Goalball (at the Olympic Park).
  • William and Kate will attend the track cycling (at the Olympic Park).
  • Kate will attend the swimming (at the Olympic Park).

Sunday 2nd September

  •  The Duchess of Cambridge will attend the Athletics (at the Olympic Stadium).

Monday 3rd September

  • Prince Harry will attend the swimming (at the Olympic Park).
  • Prince Harry will visit Paralympics GB House.

Linkage:

 

It’s a Whistles Repeat for Kate at Closing Ceremony (Spoiler Alert)

 Clothing, London 2012 Olympics, Official Appearances, Re-Issues  37 Responses »
Aug 122012
 

NOTE: The post contains images and information about the Closing Ceremonies, yet to be broadcast on television in many places, including the USA.

Prince Harry was the Royal Family’s official representative at tonight’s Closing Ceremony for the Olympic Games, Kate accompanied Harry to the event. The duo are seen below with IOC president Jacques Rogge.

London 2012 Website

Prince William was on duty in Anglesey and unable to attend, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh remained in Scotland following a whirlwind Jubilee spring and summer.

It was a packed house once again at the Stadium.

London 2012 Website

The theme was a street party, with musical performances by a broad spectrum of British musical acts, including Madness.

London 2012

And One Direction.

Team GB Facebook

The Spice Girls were even reunited for the evening.

London 2012 Twitter

Union Jacks were in abundance.

London 2012

Artist Damien Hirst designed a special flag for the Ceremony that was showcased on the Stadium floor.

London 2012

The athletes streamed into the stadium from every entrance.

London 2012 Facebook

For her final Olympic appearance Kate brought back the Whistles “Bella Body Conscious Dress” in the multi-petal print. Below she is seen with the Prime Minister David Cameron, and his wife Samantha, as well as Lord Sebastian Coe, just before tonight’s Ceremony.

John Stillwell/WPA-Rota/Press Association Images

Here is a refresher on the dress.

Whistles via ASOS

The piece is from an older season and no longer available, most recently it was sold at ASOS. The frock is described this way:

  • Bodysuit: 92% Silk, 8% Elastane
  • Lining: 96% Polyester, 4% Elastane

In these photos you can better see the waist detailing, exposed metal zipper and ruching at the front and back. I don’t know that a belt was needed, it’s difficult to tell without a better view.

Whistles via ASOS

The Duchess also brought back her Anya Hindmarch Maud Clutch.

John Stillwell/Press Association

The bag is crafted of “A luxuriously soft satin, made using tightly woven thread to give a glossy appearance.” Here you have tighter shots of the detailing on the piece, including the “C” for Catherine.

Anya Hindmarch

Good news for those interested in the bag, it is available again for purchase at Anya Hindmarch and online, it is priced at £450 (about $700 USD at today’s exchange rates).  On a side note, one of the London Mascots was spotted ‘carrying’ an Anya Hindmarch Gracie bag.

Anya Hindmarch Twitter Feed

Previously we saw Kate wearing the Bella dress at the Jubilee Concert, that was June 4 of this year.

Dave Thompson/PA Wire

Our post on that event is here. Tonight Kate wore the same custom Kiki McDonough diamond and topaz earrings seen at the concert.

In short, Kate continued to dress in a manner that would minimize attention on her or her sartorial selections, choosing to keep the spotlight where it belonged, on the athletes, coaches, volunteers, public safety personnel and others working to make the Games a success. She showcased UK designers, wore Team GB gear, repeating ensembles on multiple occasions to diminish interest in what she was wearing, a wise tactic on her part, the mark of someone savvy enough to know the impact she can have.

It looked like an extraordinary evening.

London 2012 Twitter

And it seems that Kate and Harry thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

C

C. Tibbs Twitter Feed

As Sebastian Coe (head of LOCOG, the London Organising Committee) put it:

London 2012

Then it was time to extinguish the flame.

BBC Twitter Feed

And fireworks lit up the night skies in London.

London 2012 Twitter

The Palace released word of an official reception for Team GB athletes, more from the British Monarchy Facebook page:

Buckingham Palace has announced that The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will give a reception for the 2012 Great Britain Olympic Team on 23 October 2012.

A reminder that Kate, William and Harry are also official ambassadors for the Paralympic Games, they start in just 16 days.  Additionally, William and Kate start their South Pacific tour in less than a month, the first stop is Singapore on September 11.

Linkage:

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