Hello-Hello and Chag Sameach to all celebrating Passover this week, along with good thoughts for everyone marking Holy Week and Easter. Today we look at a video call the Duke and Duchess did with primary school students, as well as a few throwback Thursday styles. We start with yesterday’s Zoom call.
A Heads Together release notes, “They spoke with staff and children at Castleton Primary Academy, a Place2Be partner school, which is located close to Burnley General Hospital and has a high percentage of children whose parents are key workers. The school has remained open as a hub for five academies in the surrounding area that are part of the Pendle Education Trust.”
More from this Daily Mail story:
William, 37, and Kate, 38, were seen giggling as the pupils, wearing Easter-themed bunny ears, presented them with a ‘virtual’ bouquet of paper flowers.
The couple, dialing in from their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall, spoke to staff and youngsters from Casterton Primary Academy in Lancashire, where teachers are helping to look after the children of key workers in frontline services including the NHS and social care, as well as supermarkets and delivery drivers.
As noted above, the school is located near Burnley General Hospital, and several children have parents who work at the hospital. Some shared pictures they made of their parents, like Harris and Lloyd, seen below. 
More from The Mirror’s coverage:
Harris told them: “This is a picture of my mum and she works for the NHS as an admin for the health visitors and I’m really proud of her.” The Duke said: “Well done you! Look at that, that’s a great picture.”
Kate, 38, added: “You should be very proud of her, they’re doing an amazing job, all the NHS workers, so well done.”
Showing them her own picture, Lloyd said: “This is my mum and she works at a special school.”
Hello! reports, “Another pupil said that their dad was a packer in a bakery, to which William replied: “That’s a very important job too, keeping everyone well fed.”
Here is one little girl speaking about her artwork.
Our children spoke to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge about their amazing key worker parents. We’ll share some of them with you here… pic.twitter.com/E3ES3UEXVR
— Casterton Primary Academy (@ShineCasterton) April 9, 2020
These four children sharing their artwork are brothers and sisters, and their mother is a careworker.
In addition to the picture Lloyd painted of his mother, he also made Kate a bouquet of flowers. More from The Daily Mail:
‘He had spent three days painstakingly making paper flowers covered with ladybirds for the Duchess,’ Anita said, adding: ‘He spent so much time on it and called himself the origami king. He did a virtual handover of his posey. He was very proud.
‘The flowers had ladybirds on them and the Duchess said her Louis loved ladybirds and had been in out in the garden looking for them.’
Here is Loyd talking about the flowers he made.
— Casterton Primary Academy (@ShineCasterton) April 9, 2020
The Duchess said, “Well done honestly to you and everyone who’s in during this time. It must be such a relief for all the parents, who are key workers, to know that the normality is there for their children – they’ve got the structure, and they’ve got a safe place for them to be, so really really well done to all of you.”
Anita Ghidotti, president of the Pendle Education Trust, spoke about the call.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spent time video chatting to kids of key workers yesterday 📲@AnitaGhidotti tells #BBCBreakfast that William and Kate put the children at ease ⤵️
More here: https://t.co/eeoHpouzwx pic.twitter.com/mMkzqRfTHw— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) April 9, 2020
More via Hello’s story: “Leala Porter, Project Manager at Pendle Primary Academy, Place2Be, said: “We were so massively grateful that they took the time to call us. There’s been a genuine warmth throughout the school today with the children. The couple talked a lot about our northern spirit and thanked us for all we were doing. It meant such a lot.”
The Duchess wore what appears to be a past-season Zara sweater. 
Here is a closer look; it better shows the gathers at the shoulder not really visible in the product shot above. Many thanks to HeavenQRF for another stellar ID. 
The piece is a viscose/nylon blend. It was also offered as a dress that is very similar to the Zara dress worn when the Duchess was in Wales this February.
It looked like Kate had on her Catherine Zoraida Fern Leaf Earrings (£165 / $205) shown below as worn at a previous engagement. 
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Because we do not expect to see Kate and William at Easter services this Sunday I thought it would be fun to review Easter ensembles we have seen in previous years. We begin with the Duchess’s look last year. 
A quick peek at HM after last year’s service.
Two more images of Kate in the dove grey suit by Alexander McQueen, first seen in 2014 (more on that shortly). 
The Duchess accessorized with a clutch and heels by Emmy London and a hat by Jane Taylor; we’ll also look at more closely a bit further down in the post. Fans were delighted to see the return of the diamond acorn earrings by Robinson Pelham first seen at Kate and William’s 2011 wedding.
Kate also brought back a brooch featuring oak leaves and four “acorns” crafted of gold and a pearl. The Middleton family crest features acorns. (The brooch as worn Easter 2019 is shown below left and on other occasions in the center and right closeups.)
The Duchess was expecting Prince Louis when attending Easter services in 2018, and she wore the chocolate brown Catherine Walker coat seen in 2015 for St. Patrick’s Day with the Irish Guards. The double wool crepe garment features princess seams and box pleats. 
A look at HM leaving the chapel in 2018. 
Kate accessorized with her oft-worn Betty Boop hat by Lock and Company. 
She repeated her Gianvito Rossi suede heels and Loeffler-Randall “Tab Lizard-Effect Leather Clutch.” For jewelry, the Duchess wore her Balenciaga earrings and faux pearl brooch. 
At the 2017 Easter service, it was also a Catherine Walker repeat. 
Below, a view of the Duke and Duchess approaching St. George’s Chapel in Windsor with several other royals enjoying the sunshine on their way to the chapel. Below you can see Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice as well as Lady Louise and Viscount Severn, accompanying their parents, the Earl and Countess of Wessex.
And HM exiting the service. 
The custom Catherine Walker coat was initially seen in Canada during the 2016 tour, shown below left. 
She wore her Rupert Sanderson Malory pumps and carried a clutch by Etui Bags.
Kate debuted a new hat in 2017, the Jacqueline style by Lock and Company, and brought back the loaned diamond and pearl drop earrings.
In April 2014, we saw Kate and William at Easter services in Sydney, Australia. That was the first time we saw the Duchess in the ensemble that she brought back for last year’s Easter service. 
The tailored coat looks like it was based on this McQueen piece. It features a funnel neck, concealed front fastening, structured shoulders, inset pockets on the side seams, and a rear vent.
Here you see it as worn last year and in 2014.
We also saw the return of the ‘Lupin’ hat created by Jane Taylor, worn with the coat in 2019 and 2014.
In Australia, Kate accessorized with her diamond and aquamarine drop earrings as well as a McQueen clutch and her Harper heels by LK Bennett. 
We have a bonus dress to share as well, not worn for church services, but seen on Easter Day 2014 when Kate and William attended Sydney’s annual Royal Easter Show.
The Duchess was in a dress by an Australian label, Zimmermann. Below, the Duchess meets Fred the Ram. 
Kate also wore the dress for the couple’s trip to Manly Beach (left) and Bear Cottage Children’s Hospice (center) later that day. 
The ‘Roamer Day Dress’ was done in one of Kate’s favorite fabrics, broderie anglaise. The knee-length piece was 100% cotton with fitted sleeves that hit at the elbow, an invisible center-back zipper and insert trim at the waist, bodice, sleeves, and hem. It was part of Zimmermann’s 2014 summer swim collection. 
Kate paired the dress with Minx Espadrille Wedges by Stuart Weitzman. 
That covers our little Easter retrospective!
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One other note today: Wimbledon released a video titled We Cheer for Them. Narrated by Roger Federer, the video notes, “Play is suspended, but now we cheer for a different kind of champion.”
Big hugs from here on Planet Kate to everyone. May all marking the holidays enjoy them in safety and health, and may the same be true for those you love.
I think the chocolate outfit is perfect for Easter- because the duchess is referencing an Easter Egg! I can imagine that would appeal to her sense of humour!
That cream coat is so beautiful and i love white broderie anglaise dresses.
Thank you for the wonderful post, Susan! Kate looked fabulous in the dove grey, both years. She wears pale grey so well; the color is so ladylike and it lets her hair and features stand out. I loved the chocolate brown also. I’m not usually a fan of mustard-colored clothes, but the sweater looks great on her here. Kate looks both cheery and professional in it, and appropriate for children too! She manages to get it right so much of the time– I’m in awe.
Everyone stay safe, and a big thank you as well to the citizens who are still out there working to help the public, in many different arenas.
Thank you for the “chag sameach” . Your thoughtfulness as well as all your wonderful posts are appreciated.
Thanks for this post and for the look back at past Easter looks. I appreciate the extra effort required to come up with material for a post when everyone, including the royals, are on lockdown.
My favorite look is the cream coat with the square pillbox hat followed by the gray ensemble. My least favorite is the brown coat and hat as I think it is too dark for an Easter look.
Happy Easter and stay safe!
The Zimmerman dress remains my all-time favorite of her day dresses. I managed to get my hands on one, but alas, white will never be my color… I ended up finding the following season’s version in black and fell in love all over again.
Mine too! I love that dress!
The Academy has a logo with deep yellow Star that said Shine and a few of the boys had sweatshirts with that same school color, so I believe Kate seems to always wear a color/theme and this beautiful style sweater was in support of the school. I have a sweater top similar with fitted long sleeves and bellowing out from the fitted arms, it is a style that is old that comes back every ten years or so. I think when this sweater top was purchase it was for something else in her wardrobe, possible the Gucci pleated checked wool-twill midi shirt she wore in the winter 2020 or something we haven’t seen yet. 💛💫
How do we know that she is not wearing the dress version of the red dress she already own? She did this in the past already.
In the video you can see her moving around at one point and you can see she is wearing jeans or dark blue trousers.😊
Thank you for such a nice article to read. It is a welcome break from the news.
Do you think that Kate chose this yellow top because it’s the main color in the school’s logo? Their logo features a large yellow star in a color almost identical to Kate’s top. Maybe I’m reading too much into things here, but her outfits seem to coordinate with the venue often enough to be intentional.
Wonderful to have Kate pop up doing her best impressions of a happy ray of sunshine in a yellow sweater! A terrific piece of sleuthing by HeavenlyQRF to establish the Zara credentials and interesting to see similarities with the red dress and much the same pretty style of sleeve. Kate looks relaxed and natural in this charming video link by the couple.
I always like seeing her hair away from her face, which can still achieve a casual look ,as here when talking with kids. The Zoraida earrings are spot on.
Thanks for the fun round-up of Kate’s Easter outfits, I hadn’t realised the Zimmerman came into that category too. My own personal favourite remains the immaculate grey McQueen first worn in Sydney. I think it was cannily improved on its Windsor outing with the discreet diamond brooch and grey pumps. I hadn’t appreciated how many Easter outfits are repeats, but it makes some sense for a family church outing.
Hi ElizaMo, We hadn’t heard from you for a bit and I was hoping that you were well. Much love from Canada to Scotland at this stressful time.
Hi Bonnie, how kind of you! I’m afraid I seem to be drowning in shopping, simply because the supermarket delivery always turns up short and I’m looking to secure basics from all over. It’s time-consuming and the frustration at not being able to enjoy some moments here is immense. But I get there in the end 😉 Glad you say you like this bold yellow, wouldn’t suit everyone, and hard to say if it’s a good colour for Kate as the photography is a little distorting on the video camera. Interested that you like the Zimmerman, I’ve never taken to it, it reminds me of children’s wear from long ago.
Hi again, ElizaMo,
Good luck with the extra effort that shopping now takes. In some ways it seems like the war years and hearing my mother’s stories about going without certain ordinary things. I am just very glad to have food and what I don’t have, I will look forward to having again when the time is right. You are correct, not everyone could wear that yellow. But it is appropriate for Easter and represents sunshine. Nicole mentions that it is the main colour in the school’s logo. As for the Zimmerman dress, I agree that the broderie anglaise was a fabric used for little girls’ dresses when we were younger. I just think it looks so fresh and crisp and as I mentioned, the fabric going in different directions adds a dimension. I find it pleasing, not at all sophisticated, but so pretty.
Thanks for Zimmerman feedback, will go away and think on it!
Yes, ElizaMo, I had started to fret a little bit about your silence on the blog, was really hoping that you were not ill. Sending you spring time wishes from Upstate New York🌷🌷🌷
Thanks Lakegirl, occasionally I have to go quiet for a couple of days. Happy Easter to you 🙂
I agree about the Zimmerman dress. Very 10-year-old’s Easter dress to me.
Happy Easter from Melbourne, ElizaMo! I’ve been missing you too.
All I can say about Kate’s yellow top is that we have similar colouring, and that is a shade of yellow, veering towards mustard, that I would never consider wearing myself. But there you are, as others have suggested, she was probably making a connection to the children by choosing one of their school colours.
I’ll be having my first Zoom chat on Tuesday and have been wondering what to wear! Not mustard, anyway.
Thank you for your concern Marguerite. I wondered if that loud mustard was draining colour from Kate’s face. Good luck with your own Zoom picks, rather difficult I should think given the uncertain quality of photography offered on these outlets. I thought the faces of both William and Kate looked distorted for a start, so heaven knows might might happen with a colour that normally suits us.
I find it a tricky one to come to terms with. It’s good to hear from fans explaining what they like about it 🙂
I think William and Kate need to share their lighting tricks. I haven’t looked nearly as good in any of my many Zoom calls since I started working from home!!
In all seriousness, this was a truly lovely gesture from them. The kids looked so happy and I really enjoyed that video of one of the teachers saying they gave a bit of advance notice of who was calling so the children wouldn’t be frozen in shock! As far as the fashion goes, that colour looks really lovely on Kate.
I enjoyed the looks of Easter past. The beige Catherine Walker look is my favourite of the church outfits – it’s so polished with enough variations in colour and texture to keep the whole outfit from looking too monochrome. I had completely forgotten the Zimmermann dress was connected with Easter as well! Even six years later it is still one of the pieces in Kate’s closet I covet the most.
And finally, thanks for sharing that Wimbledon video. I had the pleasure of attending the championships for the first time last year and was so looking forward to the opportunity to do so again this year, even if it meant queuing overnight. The announcement of the tournament’s cancellation was heartbreaking; obviously, it’s understandable, and in the grand scheme of things watching sports is unimportant right now. Sadly it’s the disruption of regular events like Wimbledon that is a sobering reminder that we are not living in normal times at the moment.
She is so natural with the kids, it’s lovely to see. Kate looked absolutely stunning. She and William really compliment one another. Thank you for this post, Susan! Be well!
Thank you, Rebecca, you too! 😊
Great, uplifting message from Kate & Will! I love that she chose a cheerful mustard to virtually visit the NHS workers’ children and that W&K are highlighting the thousands of innocent children who have been affected by this.
As a side note, Kate has wore Zara before and it’s probably a coincidence but I think she chose a Spanish brand as a respectful nod to country’s situation. If I remember correctly, Zara has also promised to manufacture and donate hospital gowns and masks for healthcare workers.
That mustardy yellow is not a colour that many of us could pull off, but it looks great on Catherine. I remember loving – and wanting – the red dress earlier this year but it was sold out already!
For her Easter looks, I think the dove grey and cream (though that one with a hat that isn’t so much WWII nurse) are best, mostly because the paler colours are most appropriate for spring. The chocolate brown, while beautiful, reads more autumn.
And that white broidery anglaise dress remains one of my dream dresses! Loved it at the time, and search for something similar and affordable every year. Current repli-Kate suggestions on this one would be MOST welcome 🙂
I saw the video on the BBC site yesterday and it made me a bit teary because the Duke and Duchess were so warm and friendly with the children. I bet it was much appreciated by the parents too.
My favorite Easter look is the McQueen coat. Seeing the photos from two different years underscores that a color can appear differently depending on lighting, angle, and probably equipment.
Thank you Susan for such a bright and cheery distraction! When are we getting the poll results?
I love that grey coat worn in 2014 and 2019. The lines are so graceful!
Poll results early next week, Spruha!😊
Thank you – as usual impeccable research! I really love seeing the outfits I had forgotten about. I love the brown coat – even though I would never wear brown myself. I agree with the earlier comment, Catherine always dresses appropriately.
Keep healthy.
Thank you, Lynn, you stay healthy as well!
Thank you for the posts. Being a healthcare worker I need distraction and Kate is my favorite kind of distraction. What I did love about the video is when she introduced herself and William to the children. It’s so good and refreshing seeing how unassuming they can be. Humbling in such times that our own personal importance or doesn’t overtake our humanity. I hope that came out alright. English is my second language so please bear with me hahahahaha.
Thank you for all you’re doing, Sharon, and take good care.😊
Every effort that Will and Kate make at this time shows such support and dedication to service. I loved seeing the kids and some of their teachers wearing bunny ears. The yellow of Kate’s sweater was an interesting shade and seemed appropriate for Easter.
About her other outfits:
The dove grey ensemble worn in 2014 and 2017 fits beautifully, is sophisticated and has the elegance of McQueen’s tailoring. The hat compliments well.
I like the brown outfit worn in 2015 and 2018, but would have preferred a brown shoe rather than the vapid looking nude shoe.
The white coat and pillbox hat worn in 2017, reminded many of us of a nurse’s uniform from WWII.
The broderie anglaise dress is just beautiful. I especially like the way the fabric goes in different directions. The wedgie shoes would not have been my pick.
Thank you again Susan for all you do. Your blogs and the WKW community is such a positive light in this world of sadness.
Awww, thank you, Bonnie. You take good care, and stay well! 😊
Thank you so much again for something nice to look at and read.
Like Ashly, I wish I looked polished and together at the moment, but no hope of that, unfortunately. Have not been able to go to the hairdresser, so look grey and feral at this point.
It is very hard for me to choose a favourite outfit as Kate is one of those women who somehow always manages to look so perfect.
Love the pale grey, but also like the chocolate brown maybe just because she was at that point in her pregnancy where she managed to look so radiant and cute.
In todays video she and William both looked relaxed and happy, but took time to do a very important morale boosting video. I am sure that they can get quite a lot of important work done via phones and computers, while isolating like everybody else. Well done them!
The yellow blouse looked good on Kate, and anything more formal would have been too much, whilst chatting with kids. She really has learnt how to dress right for any occasion.
I wish strength and peace of mind to everybody over the coming weeks!
These posts are a bright little light in an otherwise very dark time. Thank you, Susan, for all of your hard work and please know that the WKW community brings me joy.
It really is my privilege, Lakegirl. Take care and stay healthy!😊
Watching the video of Kate and Will talking to the kids was such a delight. They are so natural! And that sweater is just perfect.
I wish I looked that great while stuck at home right now lol.
My fave Easter outfit is by far the pale blue gray coat worn in Australia. The collar makes it look so sleek.
Thanks again for making these posts.