IT’s D&G for Wimbledon, And George/Charlotte to Join Poland/Germany Tour

The Duchess debuted a new dress, new shoes and new haircut at Wimbledon today.

This is Kate’s first engagement at Wimbledon in her role as royal patron of the AELTC (All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club).

She started her visit by spending time with ball boys and ball girls.

From The Daily Mirror’s coverage:

Kate, who has long been a fan of the game, told two ball girls and a boy that their work “makes the game happen”.

“It makes such a difference to the players, your professionalism,” she said. “You look so smart.”

They are wearing their Ralph Lauren uniforms, available via the Wimbledon website. Kate was escorted by Sir Phillip Brook, chairman of the AELTC, and his wife, Gill Brook.

A video of Kate speaking with one of the ballboys.

“I look forward to seeing you on one of the courts one day” – Duchess of Cambridge meets a ballboy on the first day of #Wimbledon #Royals pic.twitter.com/8XJ7LUBIOs

— 5News (@5_News) July 3, 2017

The Duchess chatted with current and former players.

Here you see her with Martina Navratilova.

Kate also spoke with medical and safety personnel.

Then it was time to head to Centre Court. Below, you see Kate being greeting by the Queen’s cousin, the Duke of Kent.

The Duke is the President of the AELTC.

A quote about royal involvement at Wimbledon from Phillip Brook via The Evening Standard’s story:

“We would like to welcome HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, who will take up The Queen’s former duties as our Patron, and also recognise with appreciation the ongoing contribution of HRH The Duke of Kent, who will continue his long-standing role as our President.”

They were all in the Royal Box for the opening round of Gentlemen’s Singles play, featuring Great Britain’s Andy Murray vs. Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan.

Kim Sears, Mr. Murray’s wife, arriving for the afternoon match. The couple is expecting their second child.

This was the first time the defending champion had the honor of opening Gentlemen’s Singles play.

Looking more closely at the photo just above, you see another woman in white with black polka dots. (Thank you to Kaie on the Facebook page for pointing this out.)

The world’s #1 ranked player handily defeated his opponent.

Now to what Kate wore. Her dress is by Dolce and Gabbana. It is silk with a touch of elastane for stretch and features a fitted bodice with a full skirt, one of Kate’s favorite silhouettes. It also has three-quarter sleeves, a scoop neckline and concealed zipper. However, the Duchess’s frock has the square neckline from another D&G design, the Polka Dot Midi Dress ($1557), we show it at Browns.

The dress was available at Matches Fashion and Farfetch, but it is now sold out. New York retailer Kirna Zabête has the dress in just one size, a 4. Another ‘thank you’ to Kate’s Closet for a very quick dress ID.

Kate’s new shoe style is from Office; the brand’s Nina Block Heel Sandal (£62, about $80). It is made of a black nubuck leather with a synthetic footbed and lining; the heel is just a bit more than 3″. The design comes in a variety of other colors. This was another super ID by Giulia on Twitter!

Founded in London and now owned by a South African firm, the label’s name comes from its original store displays: the shoes were placed on old office furniture. The brand is carried at House of Fraser, as well as Selfridges and at ASOS. In the US the brand is available in-store at Topshop in Chicago, New York and Las Vegas.

The Duchess carried her ‘Quincy’ tote by Victoria Beckham.

We initially saw the bag at least year’s Wimbledon match between Serena Williams and Elena Vesnina.

We saw the return of Kate’s Oscar de la Renta Gold Plated Earrings with Faux Pearls, now sold out.

The Duchess was not in her usual Ray-Ban sunglasses.

Instead, she sported the Bulgari Cat’s Eye style in black. We show them at Smart Buy Glasses, where they are $218.95. The style is also offered at Amazon ($183), as well as at Otto (€185, about $210) and at JP Opticians.  Our thanks to Irish Sara on Twitter for the ID on these!

Kate’s hair was noticeably shorter than what we saw on her last engagement at the V&A.

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Also today, news about the upcoming tour of Poland and Germany. Kensington Palace has released more details about the trip, being undertaken at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The week-long tour gets underway July 17 in Warsaw, Poland. More from the official news release.

“They look forward to a busy and impactful tour, and are grateful that they will have the opportunity to meet the Polish and German people – such important friends of the United Kingdom – as a family.”

“They have decided that their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, will travel with them and we expect the children to be seen on at least a couple of occasions over the course of the week.”

Here you see the family in Canada last fall.

More from The Express:

With George starting school in south London this September, attending the mixed-sex Thomas’s Battersea school, and his sister likely to be enrolled in a nursery, this is the last time the royal couple will be able to take their children with them without school commitments making it problematic.

This will be Prince George’s third time on tour. His first was the New Zealand/Australia trip in 2014 when he was eight months old.

As pointed out by several royal correspondents, it is likely George could be laden with birthday gifts during the trip, the tour ends the day before his fourth birthday.

See our detailed Tour itinerary by clicking here.