The Duchess Brings Back Some Old Favorites for Wales Engagements

The Duchess was in casual separates for today’s visit to Wales. 

Kate and William were back in their old stomping grounds for several engagements. Their first stop was at the Caernarfon Coastguard Search and Rescue Helicopter Base. More from Hello!

Caenarfon, located on the north Welsh coast, is just across from the island of Anglesey, which is very familiar territory for William and Kate. The couple lived there from 2010 until their return to London in 2013. Before they moved to London, William said he and his wife would miss their first marital home “terribly.” He continued: “I know that I speak for Catherine when I say I have never in my life known somewhere as beautiful and as welcoming as Anglesey.”

Kate being welcomed.

Back to the Hello! story:

Kate and William were in Caernarfon to meet with the local coastguard and see the helicopter rescue base. They got a special tour of the coastguard’s new helicopters and then spoke with first responders about the mental health challenges they face.

William saw co-workers from the Search and Rescue team that he worked with when he was based at RAF Valley. More from a BBC story:

Richard Taylor, who worked with Prince William at RAF Valley, said: “It was a real honour and a privilege, the time we got to spend working with him at Valley.

“We got quite close with him which not everybody gets in life so we were very fortunate. Absolutely lovely couple as well, so to see them again today – I know they were both keen to come back and have a look at what we do now and see some old faces.

“I think he could have spent hours talking about it and reminiscing on the past to be honest, if he’d had the time.”

The pair met volunteers with Wales Air Ambulance and spent time speaking with family members as well.  

Kate really enjoyed this little one.

The Duke and Duchess then traveled to Anglesey where they visited Halen Môn Anglesey Sea Salt. 

The local business has been operating for over two decades and won the Queen’s Awards for Sustainability in 2017. They learned about the salt-making process during today’s visit. 

Kate and William’s final stop today was Newborough Beach.

Where they connected with a group of Scouts.

More from The Daily Post’s story by Mari Jones.

The Duke and Duchess met with members of the 1st Menai Bridge Scout Group on the beach at Llanddwyn in what was described by one of the group’s leaders as a “reunion of friends”.

The Duchess volunteered with the group when she lived on Anglesey, and asked to meet with them during the royal couple’s visit to the island.

Sue Hesketh, the group’s Cub leader, said: “She said how nice it was to see us again, and how happy she was that we were still involved in scouting.

More from the Mari Jones piece.

Christopher Hughes, 16, remembered the Duchess helping with the group when he was just nine years old, and was reintroduced today to the future queen. Speaking about her work with the group in the past, he said: “We didn’t know who she was at first, but we were told she was important.

Malcolm Rogers, a Scout leader, said: “It was a reunion of friends today. It was so lovely to see the Duchess again. “She really got stuck in with us and the children and, when we had a James Bond-themed party, she made a very attractive Miss Moneypenny.

The Royals also met local primary school students and worked on a beach clean-up with them.

The project was organized by Surfers Against Sewage, a marine conservation group, and the Isle of Anglesey County Council. 

Kensington Palace reports that “…in April Anglesey became the first county in the UK to be awarded Plastic Free Communities status by the group, in recognition of its work to reduce the impact of single-use plastic on the environment through its the ‘Plastic Free Anglesey’ campaign.”

 

The Duchess relaxing with one of the volunteers. 

One more photo from today’s beach visit. 

Now for our look at what Kate wore, beginning with her first outfit. 

She was in the Philosophy by Lorenzo Serafini blazer we first saw in February 2017.  From the a/w 2017 collection, the garment is made of a rayon/wool blend and features classic double-breasted styling. Design elements include front patch pockets, peak lapels, front darts, a center back vent, and embossed shank buttons. Below, the piece on Kate in 2017 and again today. 

Today’s trip brought the return of a pair of boots that were once part of the frequent footwear rotation.  We’re talking about the Aquatalia ‘Rhumba’ platform boots, not seen on Kate for some time. The style is made of weatherproofed stretch suede with a 3.4″ stacked heel (the platform is almost an inch, so the walking height is said to be 2.6″); the boots also feature Aquatalia’s slip-resistant rubber sole. We show the original style below left and the current version on the right ($695), although the contemporary style is not identical to Kate’s pair. 

The Duchess carried her Aspinal Midi Mayfair bag ($645).

The bag is done in a distinctive croc print, has a detachable strap and the brand’s signature lock closure on the front. The bag measures 6.2″ x 8″ x 3.5″ deep. We show it at Aspinal of London; it is also available at Orchard Mile in the US where it is also $645. The bargain price seems to be at Selfridges, where the bag is $540.

Kate’s hair was in a ponytail.

And she wore her Kiki McDonough Citrine Drops.

Now for Kate’s second outfit.

She was in a new jacket (at least to us), the Wax Parka by Troy London ($470) in the navy colorway.

The jacket is described as lightweight, made of 100% cotton with a dry wax finish. It features multiple pockets, a cinched waist, and hood.  Our thanks to Middleton Maven for her speedy jacket ID. Kate also owns the piece in a khaki color. 

If you look at the collar area it appears the Duchess was wearing her Barbour Longshore Quilted Padded Jacket (£160) beneath the parka.

That is a piece we first saw during the Northern Ireland visit in February.

Described as providing lightweight warmth on cooler days, the piece is still available in limited sizes at Next and also at Outdoor & Country. Kate also wore her Penelope Chilvers boots.

For all the details on today’s introduction of Baby Sussex to the world, pop over to What Meghan Wore!

VIDEO:

This first video runs about :45.

The second video is roughly 3 minutes, all of it from the beach visit.

LINKAGE:

• Click the Halen Môn Anglesey Sea Salt link to visit the company’s website; its Facebook page is here and Twitter feed here
• The RAF Valley website is here;
• The Anglesey County Council site is here; a Facebook page is here; Twitter feed here; Instagram page here