The Duchess in Catherine Walker for Her First Beating Retreat Concert

The Duchess brought back a Catherine Walker design for tonight’s ‘Beating Retreat‘ ceremony.

The previously unannounced engagement was held at Horse Guards Parade in central London.

 

 

Beating Retreat takes place every year on the Wednesday and Thursday before Trooping the Colour, also known as the Queen’s Birthday Parade.

It is described as “a spectacular evening pageant of music and military precision drill, including horses, cannon and fireworks.” This is Kate’s first appearance at the event. Below, a photo from last night’s concert. 

Tweets from Mark Lapin, who was at tonight’s concert, give you a sense of the size and scope of Horse Guards Parade. 

More about the event from the Household Division site.

Military Beating Retreat concerts have a long tradition dating back to the 1690s. Originally the beating of the drum was used to order troops to break off fighting and withdraw to the safety of camp as darkness fell, later it signalled the closing of the camp gates at the end of the day and called troops back to base for the night.

Today a Beating Retreat is an evening military concert with a marching display and usually marks the lowering of the Regimental flag at sunset.

In this photo from Mr. Lappin, you can just pick out the Duchess in the center of the reviewing stand on the far left of the image.  

Returning to info via from the Household Division site.

Soldiers of the Household Division are instantly recognisable through their distinctive uniforms and headdress and have a history spanning over three centuries.

Invariably described as ‘truly spectacular’ and ‘London at its finest’ the Household Division Beating Retreat cannot be seen anywhere else in the world and is a not to be missed event.

In its story, The Daily Mail reports the pageant includes “three hundred musicians, drummers and pipers from the Massed Bands of the Household Division performing traditional military music and marches. It has taken place on Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall every year since 1966 and raises money for service charities.” Below, a photo of the London Scottish Pipes and Drums posted just before tonight’s performance. 

The Kensington Palace Instagram feed has several photos from tonight. (You can scroll through them using the arrow on either side of the photos.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Duchess of Cambridge takes the Salute at the @HouseholdDivision’s Beating Retreat — a spectacular evening pageant of music and military precision drill, including horses, cannon and fireworks. Military Beating Retreat concerts have a long tradition dating back to the 1690s. Originally the beating of the drum was used to order troops to break off fighting and withdraw to the safety of camp as darkness fell, later it signalled the closing of the camp gates at the end of the day and called troops back to base for the night. Today a Beating Retreat is an evening military concert with a marching display and usually marks the lowering of the Regimental flag at sunset, performed each year on the Wednesday and Thursday evenings preceding the Queen’s Birthday Parade, or “Trooping The Colour” as it is often called ?PA @armyinlondon @household_cavalry #BeatingRetreat #HorseGuards #horseguardsparade

A post shared by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Jun 6, 2019 at 2:56pm PDT

Now for our look at what Kate wore this evening, starting with a Catherine Walker piece we have seen before. 

The Duchess was in the cream coat first worn at the end of the Cambridge’s 2016 Canada tour. As noted in our 2016 post, “The piece has a modified princess silhouette, inserted waistband, off-center front closure, front flap pockets, and a hidden placket. The collar, pockets, and seams are all accentuated by trim in a slightly darker hue than the coat fabric.”

We first saw Kate in the coat in October 2016 when the Cambridge family was leaving Victoria, British Columbia at the end of their tour. The Duchess also wore it for 2017 Easter services at Windsor.  

Below right you can see the back of the garment.

The Duchess brought back a Mulberry bag, the label’s Amberley Clutch.  The bag is leather, measures about 9″ x 5″ x 1″ and comes with a detachable chain. Unfortunately, it is no longer available.

Kate also had on her oft-worn Gianvito Rossi 105 Pumps in the ‘praline’ suede color.

We saw the return of the Cassandra Goad Cavolfiore earrings (£4490, about $5700 at today’s exchange rates). Done in 18K yellow gold, each earring has seven pearls set with a diamond.

The Duchess wore the Irish Guards shamrock brooch by Cartier worn on St. Patrick’s Day and other isolated occasions, like the 2016 Northern Ireland garden party. 

Today’s Beating Retreat falls on the 75th anniversary of D-Day when Allied troops launched their attack on the beaches of Normandy, France. One of the pieces played was the theme from the classic film about the Normandy invasion, “The Longest Day.”

The day began at 6:56 am, the exact time 75 years ago that British troops stepped on to the beaches of Normandy and Piper Bill Millin lead them ashore under heavy fire playing “Highland Laddie,” “The Road to the Isles,” and “All The Blue Bonnets Are Over The Border” as his comrades fell around him. At 6:56 am this morning,  Trevor Macey-Lillie, the Piper Major from the 19th Regiment Royal Artillery, played “Highland Laddie” on Sword Beach. 

Below, remembrance cards displayed on paper poppies on Arromanches-les-Bains, Normandy.

Following is a recap of some of the events marking the occasion today and yesterday. It is a lengthy section and some may want to scroll right past it if uninterested in the topic but planning to leave a comment. Today, the Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, and Prime Minister Theresa May attended the Royal British Legion Service of Remembrance at Bayeux Cathedral in Normandy.

Following the service, there was a parade of veterans and active duty personnel through the streets of Bayeux.  

Three generations.

That led them to the (CWGC) Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery at Bayeux where they took part in a commemorative service.

A veteran at Bayeux. 

Another Normandy veteran at the Bayeux ceremony.

Back in England, Prince William took part in ceremonies at the National Memorial Arboretum, Britain’s national site of remembrance for fallen servicemen and women.

He quoted his great grandfather, King George VI, who spoke to the nation as the Normandy invasion was happening:

“Four years ago, our nation and empire stood alone against an overwhelming enemy, with our backs to the wall. Now once more a supreme test has to be faced.”

“This time the challenge is not to fight to survive but to fight to win the final victory for the good cause.” 

“At this historic moment surely not one of us is too busy, too young, or too old to play a part in a nationwide, perchance a worldwide vigil of prayer as the great crusade sets forth.”

In this 37-second video, you’ll hear the voice of D-Day veteran Jim Radford singing what has become an enormously popular song, The Shores of Normandy. As of this morning, the song is ahead of the Ed Sheeran/Justin Bieber duet I Don’t Care, and it also bests Katy Perry’s latest on the Amazon UK new singles chart.

Today we remember together the service and sacrifice of British, Commonwealth and Allied armed forces and their families as we commemorate the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings #DDay75thAnniversary pic.twitter.com/GQzLem1q6M

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) June 6, 2019

D-Day veteran Charles Shay, seated, at the ceremony. The Penobscot tribal elder is a recipient of both a Bronze Star and Silver Star, as well as the Legion d’Honneur.

Yesterday there was a commemorative parachute drop over the fields of France. Here you see 95-year-old veteran Harry Read after he took part in that parachute descent. In 1944 he was a 20-year-old wireless operator.

A US WWII veteran, Tom Rice, age 97, also took part in a parachute drop over Carentan, Normandy. From the AP:

This time, 75 years almost to the hour after he parachuted into Nazi-occupied France, Tom Rice again found himself floating down through Normandy’s skies, now a grizzled 97-year-old thrilled as a little kid.

“Woo-hoo!” the ex-paratrooper yelped after hitting the ground, carrying the memories of comrades lost in battle and on a new mission — of remembrance this time — for the ever-shrinking numbers who sacrificed so much in World War II.

There were many other events yesterday marking the occasion. Below, veterans Jack Gutman (L) and James Frolking react during a ceremony at the American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer. 

Canadian veterans of the Battle of Normandy and family members during a ceremony at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery in Normandy.

Canadian Richard Brown (c) also attended the Beny-sur-Mer Canadian event; here you see him being applauded as he leaves the event with his son Andy after it concluded. 

Lawrence MacAulay, a Canadian Member of Parliament and Minister of Veterans Affairs shared photos from that event. 

US veteran Leila Morrisson as she arrived for a ceremony yesterday Carentan, Normandy.

US WWII veteran Loren Kissick from Puyallup, Washington, stands on Omaha Beach. 

Canadian forces stormed Juno Beach on D-Day. Below, veterans at the Juno Beach Centre.

The Royal British Legion hosted more than 250 D-Day veterans on its D-Day 75 Voyage of Remembrance. From the Legion: “After leaving Dover it first visited Dunkirk before arriving in Poole where veterans watched displays by the Royal Marines.” 

Stanley Elliss, age 97 on the beach in Dunkirk. 

The veterans received a warm welcome in Poole.

The Legion has shared a series of videos about the veterans and the trip.

Today our specially chartered ship departs from Portsmouth, taking D-Day veterans back to the French beaches they landed on 75 years ago. June Denby was only 17 in 1944, and will be one of hundreds of veterans on board. Read her story: https://t.co/t0Pvbl5jFk #DDay75 pic.twitter.com/3FeO3lsB1F

— Royal British Legion (@PoppyLegion) June 5, 2019

 

Our final photo is another look at piper Trevor Macey-Lillie on the Beach this morning.

 

VIDEOS:

This link takes you to a site where you can see quite a bit of tonight’s Beating Retreat concert: https://www.pscp.tv/ArmyInLondon/1YqGojENqEMKv

This series of still photos offers a good overview of the invasion.

 

 

For those who want to watch yesterday’s Portsmouth ceremony, the BBC has it up on YouTube.