Kate Now Doing School Run with Prince George & a Goat Tunic Dress for Place2Be Conference

The Duchess was in a new dress from Goat Fashion for today’s Place2Be head teachers conference. 

You get a sense of how the dress moves in this quick video of Kate arriving.

The Duchess of Cambridge arrives at the @Place2Be School Leaders Forum in London. pic.twitter.com/NB4XVJKG0Y

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) November 8, 2017

Place2Be offers school-based support programs for children dealing with difficult issues, ranging from neglect and bereavement to domestic violence and other traumatic issues.

This is the third year Kate has attended the conference. 

More about today’s function via Siofra Brennan’s Daily Mail story.

This year’s conference, entitled I’m Fine!, involves the head boy and head girl of The Bridge Academy in Hackney, north London, giving speeches on why they think mental health support is important for teenagers.

Four Year Seven pupils from the school, which benefits from Place2Be’s support, met the Duchess when she arrived and gave her a posy of flowers.

Kate has been Place2Be’s royal patron since April 2013.

At the event, Kate shared that she has been well enough to take Prince George to school. From Richard Palmer’s Express story:

Kate, who is four months pregnant with her third child, said she was just getting used to leaving George at the school gate and realising that she was now sharing the responsibility of bringing him up with teachers, support staff and others.

The Duchess, who was too ill with the severe morning sickness hyperemesis gravidarum to take four-year-old George on his first day at Thomas’s Battersea in September, has been arranging her official royal engagements around the school run at either end of the day.

More from Richard Palmer:

She told an audience of headteachers, academics, and mental health professionals at the Place2Be School Leaders Forum in London: “As a mother just getting used to leaving my own child at the school gates, it is clear to me that it takes a whole community to help raise a child.

“Whether we are school leaders, teachers, support staff or parents – we’re all in this together.

“When I came to this conference two years ago, I left with a real sense of energy and passion about what we could all achieve together,” she continued. “And I’m looking forward to learning even more today.”

On the left, you see Catherine Roche, the Place2Be CEO; on the right, Dame Benita Refson, President of Place2Be.

From a Huffington Post story:

…at the Place2Be school leaders forum….she kicked off a discussion on how schools can provide practical support to children, young people and their families.

Here is a video of Kate’s speech.

Watch The Duchess of Cambridge speak at the @Place2Be School Leaders Forum. pic.twitter.com/HRQlrJVHD1

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) November 8, 2017

You can also read the remarks in this image tweeted by Simon Perry of People magazine.

Now to what Kate wore for today’s engagement, Goat’s Eloise dress.

The frock is 100% wool, and its A-line silhouette is a favorite for the Duchess. It has three-quarter sleeves and a high neckline accented by oversize pewter buttons.   

A number of people have mentioned the darts on the bodice, something I also noticed when initially seeing pictures. (And promptly forgot, so *thank you* for the comments!) My guess is that they allow for growth, making the dress wearable for many more months. What do you think?

The Eloise comes in several colors ($640): dark navy, marigold and a black velvet version called the Eclipse ($785). Kate carried her trusty Bayswater wallet clutch by Mulberry. 

She was in her Tod’s suede pumps. 

And her ‘Empress’ earrings by jeweler Mappin & Webb. 

The Duchess also wore her Cartier Ballon Bleu watch.

For those fond of the Tod’s pumps, we have a slew of repliKate options here.

And I’m working on options for today’s dress, including this one from Oasis, the brand’s Sweater Dress (£44). We’ll have more on the RepliKate Dresses page shortly. I received a number of inquiries about the dress worn by Kate’s private secretary, Catherine Quinn. I think it could be the Clifton Dress in navy jersey ($265) by a brand Kate has worn, Fold London. (There are much better and larger photos here.)  

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Also today, a report the Duchess plans to undertake more engagements outside of London. Richard Palmer had the exclusive in his Daily Express story.

But now she has recovered from the worst effects of HG, which can cause vomiting up to 60 times per day, her aides have drawn up plans for her to go out to the regions.

A Kensington Palace source said: “The Duchess has been very unwell and has been forced to postpone and cancel a number of planned visits around the country this year.

“As her health improves in the weeks ahead she will be travelling to many regions of the UK for official visits and engagements.”

 

LINKAGE:

• Learn more about Place2Be by visiting its website here, its Facebook page here, or its Twitter feed here.
• The Mirror’s story is here; Siofra Brennan’s Daily Mail story is here; Richard Palmer’s story for The Express is here; The Sun’s story is here
• Simon Perry’s People story is here; Ainhoa Barcelona’s Hello! piece is here; PopSugar’s gallery is here; Just Jared’s gallery is here