Kate in Jenny Packham for Singapore Arrival

Kate selected a British designer for the launch of the Jubilee Tour in Singapore, wearing a pale pink Jenny Packham dress. Here we see the Duke and Duchess being greeted upon arrival at the airport.

Our thanks to Channel 5 Royal Correspondent Simon Vigar for an early look at the couple’s arrival in his photo.

Via Simon Vigar/Channel 5 News (simonvigar5)

The couple arrived at about 2:50pm local time on a scheduled British Airways flight, they were formally greeted at the airport. Here is more via The Telegraph, with reaction from an official’s wife:

His wife Sadiah Bte Shahal, who presented the Duchess with the bouquet of yellow flowers, said: “They are such a lovely couple, so affable.

“Kate was asking me about my children, what their ages are. “We talked about the UK and particularly about shopping.

“She also asked me about the flowers I gave her, she said they are very unusual and what are they.

“I said I’m not sure but I think they’re two types of orchids.”

Rebecca English’s story in the Daily Mail notes the Duchess and Sadiah Bte Shahal also discussed something many readers will appreciate:

We talked about the UK and particularly about shopping at Bicester (a designer shopping outlet in Oxfordshire frequented by the Middleton family).

‘I said I’ve been there and I love it and she said she does as well. She said it’s great how everything is so contained.

In addition to filing her story, Ms. English shared a number of photos on Twitter.

Rebecca English/The Daily Mail Twitter

William and Kate’s first official engagement was at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, where they saw an orchid that had been named in their honor.

Royal Photographer Mark Stewart (@RegalEyes) shared a Twitter photo of that flower:

Mark Stewart Twitter (@RegalEyes)

They also saw the orchid named for Princess Diana just prior to her death, part of the VIP Orchid Garden.  Below, the guest book after William and Kate signed it.

National Parks – Let’s Make Singapore Our Garden Facebook

The Jenny Packham bespoke dress showcases a delicate floral print featuring orchids. Singapore’s national flower is the orchid. The dress has three-quarter sleeves, a self-belt, a deep vee neckline, and a full skirt. The dress was flattering, and the accessories made for a solid ensemble.

Kate accessorized with what looks like a new pair of LK Bennett’s Sledge pumps but in Off White, not Kate’s standard Taupe.UPDATE: The Duchess was wearing Russell & Bromley’s ‘Park Avenue’ heels. 

A commenter (Anna) thinks it is Jimmy Choo’s Cosma Disco Bar Clutch, this links to that bag in a different color/decor.  UPDATE DEC 31, 2020: With thanks to Lori for her comment, it looks like the Duchess carried the Park Avenue bag by Russell and Bromley. 

The Duchess’s hair was partially up.

And it looked like the Duchess wore her Annoushka Pearl Drops suspended from her Kiki McDonough gold and diamond hoops.

There is a substantial number of media following the Tour, below we see some of them amid the lush greenery of the Botanic Gardens, as shared by Rose Hughes of Sky News (@RoseSkyNews):

Rose Hughes Sky News Twitter

The pair then headed off to the famed Raffles Hotel; the crowd’s excitement was palpable, as noted by The Straits Times on Twitter.

Kate and William are not the first Royals to stay here, far from it; more in a recent Hotel news release:

In 2006, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh honoured us by staying at Raffles Hotel during their State Visit to Singapore, so to now have the opportunity to welcome Their Royal Highnesses, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in this Jubilee and Olympic year, will be a very special pleasure for all of us at Raffles Hotel.”

Tonight William and Kate head to a formal affair, an official State Dinner hosted by The President of Singapore, Tony Tan Keng Yam, at his residence, the Istana. William will address the guests on behalf of the Queen.

We’ll be back shortly with a look at what Kate wears for tonight’s State Dinner.