It appears Kate may be feeling a bit better. Today Kensington Palace announced the Duke and Duchess will take part in a State visit October 21st, officially welcoming Singapore President Tony Tan and his wife Mary Chee Bee Kiang, to Britain. This will not be the first time Kate and William have met the visitors; below you see President Tan and his wife Mary greeting the Duke and Duchess in Singapore in 2012.
Ken Goff/SplashNews.com
More on the upcoming event from Richard Palmer’s story in The Express:
The second in line to the throne and his wife will be expected to greet the visiting couple at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington and then travel with them by car to Horse Guards Parade to make their first appearance at a ceremonial welcome for a visiting head of state.
The couple have never attended a colourful ceremonial welcome with Household Cavalry and foot guards on parade at Horse Guards.
“I think it would be fair to say that this is the first time the Duchess has played a formal part in a State Visit programme,” a Kensington Palace spokesman said.
William and Kate at the Singapore State dinner in 2012, part of that year’s Jubilee Tour.
Ken Goff/SplashNews.com
Obviously any participation on Kate’s part will depend on her health; more from a story by Ruth Styles in the Daily Mail.
Kensington Palace did warn that she may yet be forced to cancel this latest engagement, and has said her appearances are being reviewed on a ‘case by case’ basis.
The Duchess has been ill with hyperemesis gravidarum, a result of her second pregnancy. William and Kate are not expected to take part in the official State Dinner during the visit, but it is hoped they can attend the luncheon following the welcoming ceremony. Back to Richard Palmer’s story:
If she takes part in the ceremonial welcome at Horse Guards, she would normally be expected to travel there by car but return to Buckingham Palace in a carriage procession along The Mall before attending a palace lunch for the visitors.
Aides said the Duchess’s role in the State visit would be kept under review, including any decision about whether she will take a bumpy carriage ride and attend the Buckingham Palace lunch.
Hopefully this announcement signals an improvement in Kate’s health.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We have a few Sales & Savings opportunities to let you know about, beginning with the Links of London Friends and Family promotion.
Links of London
The promotion gives shoppers 20% off all purchases at the US online site and in US stores. This makes Kate’s Effervescence Bubble Stiletto earrings drop in price from $225 to about $180. Below you see Kate wearing the earrings in July for her visit to an MPACT school program.
Place2Be Facebook Page
The Hope Egg earrings in white topaz retail for $475; with the discount they are $387. Most notably the Duchess wore them for one of her formal engagement photographs, we also show Kate wearing them for a visit to Fortnum & Mason.
Splash News/Links of London/Splash News
This really is the best time to purchase either pair of earrings, as they rarely go on sale. To receive the discount on the earrings (or any other item) use promo code FRIENDS2014. If considering a purchase it’s best not to wait too long, the sale ends on the 13th.
Our other update involves the Gap Fitted Boyfriend Shirt’ Kate wore during the 2014 royal tour. It looks like the shirt has been re-stocked in almost all sizes. Best of all, it remains on sale at $19.99.
Gap/Stephen Lock, i-Images, i-Images.co/Gap
It is the shirt Kate wore beneath a Zara jacket this April when touring the Amisfield Winery in Queenstown, New Zealand.
©Woolf Photography, Crown Copyright
The shirt also comes in Tall and Petite sizes.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Our final note is for those who may be in London next year. The V&A has released details about next spring’s “Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty” show. More from The Guardian’s story about the exhibit:
“Lee’s [McQueen’s] work transcended the catwalk. He had this ability to touch people from all walks of life, which was a huge part of what made him special,” Sarah Burton, McQueen’s longtime collaborator and the creative director of the house since his death, said as the V&A unveiled details of the exhibition, which opens on 14 March 2015.
More on the significance of the London exhibit from Vogue‘s story:
McQueen’s homecoming exhibition is to feature more material focussing on McQueen’s roots as a British upstart in London, from his Central Saint Martins MA graduate collection of 1992 through his first seven shockingly sensational shows—boundary-crashing experiences that dragged fashion into the realms of art performance.
The resonance of the location is a very personal one: McQueen sourced many of his historical inspirations in the archives of the V&A—as he put it, “It’s the sort of place I’d like to be shut in overnight.”
One of the galleries from the exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Women’s Wear Daily reports more than 16,000 tickets have already been sold for the exhibit.
LINKAGE:
- learn more about hyperemesis gravidarum by clicking here and/or visiting this Facebook page
- visit the V&A’s pages on the upcoming Alexander McQueen exhibit by clicking here, you can book tickets here, and sign up here for a newsletter with updates on the exhibit
- click here for the Met’s microsite on its version of the exhibit, and here for exhibit videos
- The Guardian’s story about the exhibit is here , British Vogue’s story is here
Ashley
Monday 13th of October 2014
Thanks for the updates! Hope the Duchess is feeling better soon!
~Ashley @ A Cute Angle
A. Cornelia
Saturday 11th of October 2014
Wonderful post! Thanks for the sale tips ;) it was much appreciated
Larissa
Saturday 11th of October 2014
I'm moving to London next month with no idea of how long I'll stay there. Knowing there will be a McQueen exhibit at one of my favourite London museums in March is incredibly tempting... I only started getting interested in haute couture fashion within the last ten years, way before I started following Kate's fashion, and McQueen was one of the first names I heard about and have always been fascinated by. I think the skulls have just fascinated me since I was a teenager.
Thanks for the photos in this post. It's nice to be reminded of that lovely dress! I hope we'll see it again sometime, though obviously not at this state visit. It seems a little silly to wear the same outfit both times you meet the same head of state.
ElizaMo
Saturday 11th of October 2014
That McQueen retrospective looks mouthwatering, it's amazing how strange his work used to seem at first sight, but now all seems part of a wonderful whole.
Thanks for shopping updates, I like the jewellery shown on Duchess but not so keen on it for myself. The pieces looks a bit sparkly and fussy in the illustrations , though they look just fine when Kate wears them. Guess she just has the knack!
As for the Gap blouse - I'm still feeling mortified that I went and bought one! I simply haven't had the courage to wear it just in case some bright spark guesses what it is. I'm not too impressed by the quality, I've had better shirts from Lands' End at similar prices to Gap.
As for our poor old Duchess, well done her for hanging on to the thought of getting up and out again, but I for one don't want to see her again until she's good and ready. I don't view her as obliged to entertain me with outfits regardless. It would be lovely if she could meet up with her new chums from Singapore again, though. Keep working on it, Kate!
susan
Saturday 11th of October 2014
Delighted to hear Savage Beauty is finally coming to London. I went to New York specifically to see this exhibition and it was well worth the trip. Far and away the best curated exhibition I have ever seen. Highly recommend to any McQueen or fashion fan. It is a stunning experience for the senses even if you are not that interested in high fashion too. Susan, London