Kate and William started their day with a visit to the National September 11th Memorial and Museum.
The Duchess placed a bouquet of white roses at one of the two reflecting pools, the state flower of New York. On Kate’s left, you see Joe Daniels, president of the Memorial and Museum.
The inscription.
Photo: Gordon Rayner, The Daily Telegraph Twitter (@GordonRayner)
67 British citizens died in the attacks. The couple then moved inside to tour the Museum, seven floors below ground. The BBC’s Nada Tawfik shared this picture of William and Kate signing the interactive steel beam inside, a digital guestbook.
Nada M Tawfik, the BBC (@NadaMTawfik)
There are 2983 tiles on the wall, representing the 2983 lives lost. The color blue was selected because it is reminiscent/evocative of the stunning blue skies on September 11th.
The couple leaving the Museum.
Kate and William also saw the lobby of the recently-completed One World Trade Center, now America’s tallest building at 104 stories.
Next on the agenda, a trip to visit a youth development program run by two organizations, The Door and the City Kids Foundation.
Simon Perry, People Magazine Instagram
Below you see Kate and William enjoying a performance put on by participants in the programs offered at The Door.
Kate wore Mulberry’s Double Breasted Coat in cerise, a vivid spot of color against the sodden cityscape.
Mulberry
The fabric is a double crepe wool/silk blend, described as having “been given extra lustre”. There is actually a good video of the piece on Mulberry’s YouTube channel, better showing how the piece moves and drapes. The coat is available in limited sizes on the Mulberry UK site (priced at £1500, about $2500). On the US site, the coat is also offered in very limited sizing (on sale at $1300, originally priced at $2600).
There are many other pieces in this color; on the US site, all seemed to be selling at a 50% discount.
The Duke and Duchess then attended a reception honoring British creativity, part of the GREAT program. Kate wore the ‘Vanessa’ dress by Seraphine Maternity.
A better look at the garment.
The Vanessa is a ponte Roma knit, in an a-line silhouette with an empire waistline. It is available for ordering online at Seraphine ($99).
The Episode ‘Angel’ pumps had another wearing.
Kate carried her Mulberry clutch and had on her Cornelia James Imogen gloves again.
In the jewelry department, we saw Kate’s Kiki McDonough Green Amethyst earrings.
Kiki McDonough
Kate also wore her Cartier necklace to the GREAT function. We first saw Duchess wearing the necklace at a 2012 National Portrait Gallery exhibition and reception.
Another look.
The piece is from the jeweler’s Trinity collection. Described online as “The pure simplicity of three magically intertwined circles of pink, yellow and white gold,” the circles are set with shimmering diamonds.
Splash News/Cartier
On an entirely unrelated topic, we have sad news from Canada. Many readers will remember Diamond Marshall, the little girl who greeted William and Kate at the Calgary airport in 2011.
Robin Nunn/Nunn Syndication/Polaris
Diamond was 6 years old when she officially greeted William and Kate out on the tarmac. Diamond was a cancer patient who was designated as official greeter as part of a Make a Wish program. Here is the letter Diamond wrote the Duchess.
Initially Diamond was quite shy when meeting the Duke and Duchess, but she gradually warmed up.
That was in July of 2011. The Calgary Herald reports this afternoon that Diamond has died. More from the paper’s story:
She stole hearts worldwide when she presented flowers in Calgary to Prince William and Kate, and is being remembered by her family as a “warrior” who carried herself with “the grace and dignity of a princess.”
Diamond Marshall, 9, passed away peacefully Monday evening after a long battle with an aggressive form of cancer.
On Tuesday, a Kensington Palace spokesperson released a statement on Will and Kate’s behalf, saying, “the Duke and Duchess were saddened to hear of this news.”
We will have a separate post for this evening’s Saint Andrews dinner.
LINKAGE:
- The September 11th Memorial and Museum website is here, the Facebook page is here, Twitter feed is here
- There are remarkable videos at the September 11th You Tube page,
- The September 11th Memorial & Museum has a page dedicated to today’s visit with social media posts
- A video of Kate & William signing the guestbook may be seen here , watching kids perform at is here
- Silent video from the BBC of the September 11th Memorial visit is here,
- The Daily Mail’s coverage is here, the Daily Telegraph’s coverage is here and The Mirror’s live blog is here
EMILY
Wednesday 10th of December 2014
The photo of William and Kate "leaving the museum" is actually located in a room right in the center of the museum - I hope they weren't already on their way out! If that really is the case then they only saw about 1/6 of it.
Melissa
Wednesday 10th of December 2014
I don't get why everyone is acting like she attended a funeral. She went to visit a museum commemorating 9/11. People go to memorial sites, museums and graveyards in all sorts of colors. It was a miserable day, the color was refreshing. Not to mention the inside of the one exhibit is bright blue because 9/11 was actually gorgeous weather wise. How can that be ok but a bright coat not? If the press had any issue with it they would have commented, no reporter, particularly one writing about celebrities, is ever polite, sweet or kind. Would people rather she wore a black shirt and jeans (as most visitors do) because it was dark vs dressing way better than the average visitor and wearing a color? Behavior is key at sites like this, not clothing. She acted appropriately.
NOTE: edited by admin
Claire
Wednesday 10th of December 2014
Gorgeous coat, beautiful colour and it fits nicely at this tricky stage of pregnancy. I don't have any problem with the colour, the fact that's it's a new and striking piece conveys a respect for the occasion, and the overall look is dignified. Also, I'd be very surprised if the dress code, unofficial or otherwise, was not discussed with museum officials before the visit; these things aren't left to chance.
Lavender
Wednesday 10th of December 2014
This is a truly gorgeous coat and colour, both of which truly suited Kate-much better than her usual monochrome. The only outfit I really disliked was the black 'Pilot's' Jacket worn to the Harlem venue. It looked fine until I saw the back - hideous - it looked like a rack to hang a coat on. At least she has broken away from the 'Royals never wear black' rule though - I never could understand the media furore following Diana's first evening engagement with Charles when she wore a black evening dress! As for the choice of colour to the memorial, I was a little surprised but I cannot see how anybody can find it offensive-she could wear it for the Remembrance Day Parade for all I care. There's too much obsession about suitable colours - Africans don't worry about what colours should be worn by which sex or where or when etc, how refreshing is that! Ok, there are some political occasions when a colour should be shunned - orange in Northern Ireland for instance. But I don't get why black is supposed to be funereal and showing respect in daylight then a few hours later it's considered sexy & alluring!!! Just think, a few years ago, the complainers would have been moaning that Kate did not show proper respect by going hatless - as if plopping a bit of material on the head made any difference. She's doing a difficult, sometimes boring, job very well - so leave her alone! (P.S. The black Seraphine does not look like a maternity dress to the lady who asked)
Ellen
Wednesday 10th of December 2014
The Duchess looks perfect. I can't believe people are criticizing the pink coat; it's lovely and hopeful! Entirely appropriate. As an American, I'm very appreciative of the Duke and Duchess coming to the memorial site.
The black maternity dress is modern and flattering, another great choice.
Hope they enjoyed their visit, and will soon be home again with little George!