Kate in Nautical Ensemble to Launch King’s Cup Regatta with William

The Duchess sported a nautical look for a previously unannounced engagement today.

She was in Greenwich in southeast London with Prince William to launch The King’s Cup, an August yacht race designed to raise awareness and money for eight of Kate and William’s charities. Below, the couple as they were greeted with a flower posy.

The event was at the home of the historic Cutty Sark, the world’s sole surviving tea clipper, and once the fastest ship in the world. 

Below, the Duke and Duchess looking at the ship as they arrived. 

Of course, everyone was interested to hear what Kate and William thought about yesterday’s news that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had a baby boy. Below, Kate answering questions from the media on the topic. 

From an Evening Standard story:

And William, speaking outside the Cutty Sark in Greenwich, south-east London, said: Obviously thrilled, absolutely thrilled, and obviously looking forward to seeing them in the next few days when things have quietened down.

“I’m very pleased and glad to welcome my own brother into the sleep deprivation society that is parenting.”

And from Kate, also via The Standard:

The Duchess of Cambridge added: “It’s such a special time. Obviously with Louis and Charlotte just having had their birthdays, it’s such a great time of year to have a baby, spring is in the air.

“As William said, we’re looking forward to meeting him and finding out what his name’s going to be, so it’s really exciting for both of them and we wish them all the best.

“These next few weeks are always a bit daunting the first time round so we wish them all the best.”

A video from The Sun‘s Emily Andrews with the pair talking about the news.

VIDEO: William & Kate say they look forward to meeting #babysussex. Wills: “We’re absolutely thrilled & look forward to seeing them in the next few days… I’m v pleased to welcome my brother to the sleep deprivation society that is parenting!” pic.twitter.com/W6ldWWsUgn

— Emily Andrews (@byEmilyAndrews) May 7, 2019

The original King’s Cup was first presented by King George V in 1920 at Cowes’ Royal Yacht Squadron located on the Isle of Wight.

 

Here are more details about the event:

• The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will race head to head in an eight-boat sailing regatta
• The winning team will be awarded the historic King’s Cup trophy
• The race will be Friday, August 9th on the Isle of Wight ahead of the annual Lendy Cowes Week, the world’s oldest and largest sailing regatta

Below, a file photo from Cowes Week.

• Each boat taking part will represent one of eight charities. Kate’s charities are:
  • Action on Addiction
  • Place2Be
  • the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families
  • The Royal Foundation in connection with Her Royal Highness’s work on Early Years

• Prince William’s charities are:
  • Child Bereavement UK
  • Centrepoint
  • The London Air Ambulance Charity 30th Anniversary Campaign
  • Tusk

A news release notes that the Duke and Duchess “…hope that The King’s Cup will become an annual event, bringing greater awareness to the wider benefits of sport, whilst also raising support and funds for the causes that The Duke and Duchess support.”

Today representatives from the eight charities were part of the launch announcement. Below, Prince William with Centrepoint personnel.

Kate with Place2Be students and officials.

The Duchess in a dinghy sailing simulator with Sam, who is age 10.

Sam is part of a Place2Be program at his school.

The King’s Cup Trophy was unveiled at today’s launch. 

A closer look shows the original inscription from 1920.

After the Cup was unveiled and the engagement wrapped up, the Duke and Duchess did a walkabout. 

A news release notes that “The Duchess in particular champions how the benefits of sport, nature and the outdoors can impact childhood development, and lead to improved physical and mental wellbeing for all.” 

The public will be able to watch the race from the Race Village along Cowes foreshore, and there will be a grandstand that can seat 800 people. Kensington Palace reports “Footage from the race will play on screens across the town and there will be a number of family-friendly activities and exhibits to promote sailing around the event, including initiatives and programmes for children and young people.”

Another view.

Now for our look at what Kate wore, styles that fall into the ‘nautical’ category.

A number of possibilities have been suggested for Kate’s Breton stripe top. One suggestion is a piece by ARKET, a division of H&M. The brand’s focus is on quality pieces that can be the core of a wardrobe, as well as sustainable products, not the ‘fast fashion’ H&M is known for. Below, the Merino Marinière Jumper (£69, roughly $90 at today’s exchange rates). UPDATE: In looking at the shoulder stripes we can see this is not the same as Kate’s top. Back to the drawing board!

More about the Breton style from The Telegraph’s Chloe Mac Donnell:

Born out of functionality, the traditional cream-with-navy-stripe ‘La Mariniere’ was made the official uniform of navy seamen in Brittany following the 1858 Act of France. Its boat neck allowed sailors to dress quickly; its horizontal stripes (21 – one for each of Napoleon’s victories) could be spotted easily plus its woven cotton was ideal for ever-changing temperatures.

We also have a backgrounder on the style; click here to see that post.

Kate’s trousers appear to be by LK Bennett, the brand’s ‘Parker’ style. They feature a high waist, wide leg and the distinctive button detail.  

They are constructed in a poly/viscose blend with a touch of elastane for stretch. They are sold out on the UK site (£150, about $195) and not shown on the US site.  Our thanks to Laura for also IDing these! A related sidebar note: if not familiar with the latest news on the LK Bennett US operation, all of the stores are closing. From this April Wall Street Journal story:

Bankrupt women’s luxury fashion chain L.K. Bennett USA Inc. said it plans to hold store-closing sales at its U.S. locations and on its website.

The New York-based subsidiary is represented in its U.S. bankruptcy by law firm DLA Piper LLP. “Commencing the store closings and quickly eliminating the costs associated with its footprint will maximize the value of the debtor’s business,” the lawyers said in a court filing.

The merchandise is currently discounted by 60%, but be aware all sales are final.

Back to what Kate wore today, we move to her new pair of heels, a navy suede style with a block heel. Middleton Maven suggests it is the Josie by Emmy London ($510). 

The Josie is a classic point-toe style with a chunky 3″ heel; Kate’s color is called midnight. The shoe is described as “…an elegant pointed court shoe with a comfortable block heel. Thanks to the luxuriously padded insole these gorgeous courts are so comfortable.”

The Duchess carried a red clutch. Initially, I did not think it was the Emmy London bag; Kate’s looked longer to me than the Emmy style.  

I looked for photos from other angles and now think it is most likely the Emmy style worn with a Gucci dress when Kate visited the V & A  in June 2017.

More on today’s look from The Telegraph’s column:

 The shoe’s on-trend block heel and the use of colour clashing accessories rather than expertly matching, also hinted at Kate’s more recent attempts at giving her wardrobe a more fashion led spin. And judging by the enthusiastic responses from fans online, it seems she’s on the right track.

We will see you tomorrow when Kate and William visit North Wales. This is from our Kate’s Calendar page.

Wednesday, May 8: The Duke and Duchess will visit North Wales “…to meet individuals and organisations in the region who are encouraging people to look after their communities and protect the natural environment.”

• The first stop is the Caernarfon Coastguard Search and Rescue Helicopter Base.
• From Caernarfon, the couple will travel to Anglesey to visit Halen Môn Anglesey Sea Salt, a thriving local business which has been operating for over two decades and won the Queen’s Awards for Sustainability in 2017. They will meet crew members who worked with the Duke when he was based at RAF Valley.

We’ll see you then.

VIDEO:

This first video covers the event and runs about 2:30.

This Royal Family Channel piece runs about three minutes.

LINKAGE:

• The King’s Cup site is here; the organization’s Facebook page is here
• The Lendy-Cowes Week site is here; the Facebook page is here; the Twitter feed is here and Instagram page here
• The Sail GP site is here; the Facebook page is here; Twitter feed here and Instagram page here
• The Action on Addiction website is here; follow the organization on Facebook here; the Twitter feed is here and Instagram page here
• The Place2Be website is here; follow the Facebook page here; the charity’s Twitter feed is here
• Visit the Anna Freud Centre website here, view its Facebook page here, follow the group on Twitter here, or visit the Instagram page here
• The Child Bereavement UK site is here; the charity’s Facebook page is here; follow the Twitter feed here, or visit the Instagram page here
• The London Air Ambulance site is here; the Facebook page is here; the Twitter feed is here and Instagram page here
• Centrepoint’s website is here; its Facebook page is here; the Twitter feed is here and Instagram page here
• The Tusk website is here; the organization’s Facebook page is here; the Twitter feed is here and Instagram page here
• The Daily Mail’s story is here; The Evening Standard article is here
• The Telegraph’s fashion piece is here; a Hello! story is here