Duchess in Casual Separates for Nature Garden Unveiling

Kate wore casual separates as she unveiled the Back to Nature Garden at the annual Chelsea Flower Show. 

Simon Perry of People tweeted a video of Kate arriving.

Princess Kate has just arrived for a surprise visit to @The_RHS Chelsea Flower Show where she is showing some local schoolchildren her specially-designed garden pic.twitter.com/mBmKDsOCNA

— Simon Perry (@SPerryPeoplemag) May 20, 2019

The show has long been one of the favorite events put on by the Royal Horticultural Society. Below, Kate speaking with Sir Nicholas Bacon, chairman of the RHS.

The Duchess has been working on the project for several months. Below you see her with landscape architects Andreé Davies and Adam White(blue sport coat and blue dress). The pair co-designed the garden with Kate, a project done in tandem with the RHS. 

It was designed to inspire children, families, and communities to get outside so they can have the benefit that nature provides in both physical and mental wellbeing. 

From the RHS description of the garden:

Wild trees and shrubs and a cool calm colour palette of green and blue make this garden a relaxing and calming space, while the planting includes edible produce, plants for craft activities, food for wildlife and nectar to attract pollinators. A playful pathway bordered with beautiful foliage textures weaves through the garden, around the rocks and stepping stones.

Rebecca English of The Daily Mail was at a preview yesterday and shared these photos.  

A wide shot shows the waterfall. 

There are also forget-me-nots, one of Princess Diana’s favorite flowers.

At today’s unveiling of the garden, Kate was joined by schoolchildren. 

From a People magazine piece by Simon Perry:

Kate, 37, helped the children use reeds to create little boats, which they then tossed into the stream for a race, and toasted marshmallows on a camp fire. “I love the smell of the smoke,” she said. “It’s great, isn’t it?”

Maya Bell-Springer, 6, relaxed in the garden’s small den made of hazel sticks – which George, Charlotte and Louis had helped collect wood to build. “It is lovely and relaxing,” she said.

Another view. 

Kate with one of the students. 

This is where the marshmallow roasting happened.  

The tree house is one of the key elements in the garden. 

Kate on her way to the treehouse. 

Kensington Palace tweeted a video of the Duchess heading up the ladder.

The Duchess of Cambridge climbed a treehouse as she visited her garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show pic.twitter.com/OK908gKfqb

— Press Association (@PA) May 20, 2019

The Duchess with some of the children visiting the garden. 

As an FYI, for those on Instagram, there are more photos being posted to the Kensington Royal Instagram account. Here is today’s post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you everyone that joined The Duchess of Cambridge in her #RHSChelsea Back to Nature Garden this morning! Ahead of joining The Queen and Members of @TheRoyalFamily at the #ChelseaFlowerShow on Monday evening, The Duchess was joined by local schoolchildren for some outdoor activities, including reed boat baking and marshmallow toasting. The Duchess also took the opportunity to thank the incredible team of collaborators who have been involved in the project. The Duchess has designed @The_RHS Back to Nature Garden to inspire children, families and communities to get outside and enjoy the huge benefits that nature has on our physical and mental wellbeing.

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on May 20, 2019 at 3:30am PDT

 

Kate wore the Mabel Shirt by MiH Jeans.

It is made of a cotton broderie anglaise,  We show it at Stylebop ($305) where it is still in stock in a size 10. It is also available for pre-ordering in all sizes at MiH. Many thanks to KatesRoyalLove for the shirt ID.

The Duchess paired the top with linen culottes by a brand new to her closet (as best we know), Massimo Dutti.

The tailored style is made of a 79% viscose/21% linen blend with wide legs, button front, belt loops, front and back pockets. The photos are via Buyma, a resale site. Our thanks to Middleton Maven for her ID. NOTE: Thank you to Sarah for her comment letting me know the fabric is a blend. I had incorrect info in the post saying it was all linen.

For more on the brand, we go to The Telegraph. The paper did a story just last week titled: “Zara’s sophisticated older sister: why you should be shopping at Massimo Dutti this Spring.” (The label is owned by the same company that owns Zara.)

But for the woman who likes minimal classics with an expensive twist that she can turn to for years, Dutti should be your go-to.

Its most popular department (and the first you should head for) is tailoring, so it comes as no surprise that for its first 10 years it was a menswear-only label, with womenswear being introduced in 1995.

Kate brought back her trusty Superga Cotu sneakers ($65).

The style has a canvas upper, cushioned footbed, and natural rubber sole. It is available at Superga ($65), as well at DSW ($64.99).

And her Monica Vinader Siren earrings in 18K gold-plated vermeil atop sterling silver. We show them at Monica Vinader ($195, includes free delivery). They are also available at Selfridges ($150, delivery extra).

To see Sunday’s post about the Cambridge family visiting the garden, click here.

To see our next post on the Royal Family’s visit to the Chelsea Flower Show this afternoon, click here. 

VIDEO:
A Royal Family Channel video on this morning’s event runs about 3-minutes.

LINKAGE:

• Learn more about the Back to Nature Garden by clicking here; Visit the Royal Chelsea Flower Show site by clicking here; the organization’s Facebook page is here; Twitter feed here; the RHS Instagram page is here.
• The Daily Mail’s story is here;
• People’s article is here; a Hello! fashion piece is here; The Telegraph’s fashion story is here
• The Evening Standard’s gallery is here; a PopSugar gallery is here