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Kate Mixes Old & New for Final Engagements Before Maternity Leave

Kate mixed old favorites with new pieces for today’s engagements with Prince William.

Kensington Palace announced this morning these would be the last engagements for the Duchess before she starts maternity leave. Below, Kate meeting students who welcomed the couple to the Copper Box Arena at London’s Olympic Park.

Today’s events are designed to celebrate the Commonwealth as part of the ramp-up to the April Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London. The first engagement was with SportsAid.

Prince William played some wheelchair basketball with athletes hoping to compete at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

More from the Newham Recorder:

The royals watched a wheelchair basketball session before meeting the players, including television presenter Ade Adepitan, who won a Paralympic bronze at Athens in 2004.

Prince William then had a go at the sport himself, taking three attempts to net a basketball from a wheelchair as his wife Kate, who is due to give birth to the couple’s third child in the next few weeks, watched on.

Perhaps the Duchess is offering a few tips….?

Kate and William also spent time speaking with the athletes.

Back to the Recorder story:

Annually, SportsAid supports more than 1,000 athletes, mainly teenagers, with money towards training and competing costs.

The charity also helps develop other vital skills for professional athletes by providing media training, nutritional advice and performance lifestyle guidance.

There was a quiz this morning testing everyone’s knowledge of the Commonwealth.


The second stop was at St. Luke’s Trust, a community center located in Clerkenwell, London. Simon Perry of People posted this video of the couple arriving and being given a posy by 4-year-old Rhea Richards.

Kate and William spent time with those who use the center.

Kate seemed to be enjoying herself at both engagements today; this video from Rebecca English shows her wrapping up a conversation with visitors at the center.

Kensington Palace reports the center “provides services and activities for locals, including a fully-equipped cookery school, which runs community classes on healthy, home cooking & avoiding good waste.” The Duke and Duchess helped prepare a Commonwealth Big Lunch while at the center.

Overseen by The Eden Project, Big Lunches are community events generally taking place between Commonwealth Day and the start of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

 

This was vintage Kate: relaxed, laughing, enjoying herself.  

The Daily Mail’s Rebecca English posted a video of Kate chatting with Yolanda from Bolivia; the Duchess spoke about how much Prince George and Princess Charlotte love making pizza dough and getting their hands messy.

Now to what Kate wore at today’s engagements.

Many immediately recognized the Goat Redgrave coat. The collarless style has an A-line silhouette and is made of heavy crepe wool; there are concealed buttons on the front closure.The Duchess was in a new piece from a favorite retailer, Hobbs London. The style is called the Rosie, and it is available at Hobbs online ($165), and selling quickly, as one would expect.

A look at Kate in the top, this photo is also via Rebecca English.

Made from 100% rayon, the Rosie features a small floral print, squared boat neckline, and three-quarter sleeves with a notch at the cuff.  Our thanks to Annabelle Gonzalez for her speedy ID of the top.

The Rosie is still available in limited sizes and at vastly different prices at the following retailers:

The print is also offered in the Dana Silk Scarf (£35, about $50); we show the piece at Debenhams.

The print was also used for the Rosie Dress; we show it at Bloomingdale’s, where it is $270. The frock is also offered at Debenhams, where it is £71, roughly $100. 

Kate’s jeans are not yet IDed. It’s possible she is wearing the jeans first seen at a Brooklyn Nets game in 2014. 

This view shows Kate’s jeans in 2014 (L and R) and those worn today (C).

I’m still looking for additional photos that may help us better determine if the Duchess was in the same trousers worn when visiting New York, or if it is a pair we’ve not previously seen.  

UPDATE MAR 30: A WKW Facebook friend suggests the jeans are by Topshop, saying they are either the label’s Jamie or Joni style. 

Kate carried her trusty Bayswater Wallet Clutch by Mulberry.

We saw the return of the Stuart Weitzman ‘Power’ pumps in black suede.

The Duchess wore her Annoushka Pearl Drops and Kiki McDonough hoops.

Kate wore her hair down.

As with the Duchess’s previous maternity leaves, we will continue with blog posts. I’m excited that we’ll have time to cover some of the topics suggested here and also on the Facebook page.   

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Larissa

Sunday 1st of April 2018

What a great look to end the maternity styles. The print is wonderful for spring and the I love the contrast with the coat. Kate looks absolutely in her element, I find in all of her engagements this year she has looked really confident in her role. It's great to see!

I bought a pair of Topshop Jamie jeans in December and they're quite a thick material. They were cut to be ankle grazers so I bought them in a 34" length to reach my feet. I'm not much shorter than Kate and in the Jamie jeans I don't experience as much wrinkling at the knees as she does with these. Then again, Topshop has so many variations within their styles, and Kate's jeans are much older than mine, so I concede that we can't completely rule out the possibility that they are the Jamie style!

Janine Winkler

Friday 30th of March 2018

I think she looks great although leggings/skinny jeans with stilletoe pumps a bit passé these days. A pant with a little kick at the bottom much more up to date for both maternity and non! Theory has a great pull on style which she should try one day.

Jenn Y

Friday 30th of March 2018

Love, love LOVE this look. the contrast between the white coat and the dark floral blouse was gorgeous and I really like that she chose pants. She looked SO happy and SO relaxed. I also loved how beautiful her curls were today. What an amazing last glimpse of her until she delivers.

-Jenn

Rachel

Monday 26th of March 2018

I think she looks wonderful, especially for being only one month out from having the baby. I'm just curious how she is able to wear a regular (not maternity) top. Do you think she had it altered in some way? Or, is she just small enough to fit into a larger size? My inquiring mind just wants to know. If anyone has any thoughts, I'd love to hear them.

sammy

Sunday 1st of April 2018

Definitely altered. I ordered it and it is a very unstretchy material. It wouldn't fit so well unless it was bespoke or a larger size tailored down - she would need at least a UK18 to fit over the bump (going by the fit of the 12) and that wouldn't fit so well elsewhere

Stacey

Monday 26th of March 2018

Per the usual, The DOC looked great today. I do wish we could see her in a pair of pants that don't look like tights. All of her pants are skin tight, which looks cute on her, but I wish she'd switch it up to something more flowy just once.

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