We are back with a quick post about a call the Duke and Duchess had with local business owners and first responders from Kangaroo Island, South Australia. 
The couple made the call last Friday, wanting to hear about the impact of the ghastly wildfires which the island dealt with in January. Below, a scene from the fires.
More from a January BBC story:
Kangaroo Island in South Australia has been likened to a Noah’s Ark for its unique ecology. But after fierce bushfires tore through the island this week, there are fears it may never fully recover.
Kangaroo Island is one of Australia’s most important wildlife sanctuaries, renowned for its biodiversity. Now it’s feared that half of the island (more than 215,000 hectares) has been scorched.
Hopefully, these two maps provide a better sense of the location.
The Duke and Duchess spoke with (top row) Peter Davies, Dana Mitchell, Captain Mike Swayne; on the bottom row, Stephanie Wurst, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Brigadier Damian Cantwell. 
Captain Swayne spent five weeks fighting the fires as a volunteer for the South Australian Country Fire Service. On the call, he spoke about the problems first responders encountered, especially the weather conditions and the incredible speed at which the fires spread. 
More from The Mirror’s article.
Stephanie Wurst, a farmer who lost her home and farm infrastructure as well as half her livestock, told the couple it was a “pretty traumatic time looking back at it now” and said “we’ve had so much support”.
The Duchess asked: “How are your kids with it as well? [You’re] trying to manage this with their worries and their fear as well, how are they doing now?”
Speaking to Brigadier Damian Cantwell of the Australian Defence Force, the Duke said:”I think both Catherine and I would say to you, and Mike and your team, what a fantastic job you did and it sounds like some of the most difficult circumstances.
In addition to the devastating fires, everyone had to deal with COVID-19 as they tried to recover and rebuild following the fires.
Here is a clip from the call.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge heard from local business owners and first responders from Kangaroo Island 🇦🇺 a small community off the south of Australia, who were impacted by devastating bushfires earlier this year. pic.twitter.com/lYAAwsfEzM
— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) October 1, 2020
The fires burned more than 800 square miles and the loss of animal life was enormous. It’s estimated 50% of the koala population was lost in the fires. In the video, you saw Dana Mitchell with Grace the koala. Below, an injured koala being treated at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park on January 8th. Dana and her husband Steve are co-owners of the park. 
The park reports that in months following the fires, they saw more than “600 koalas, kangaroos, echidnas, goannas, birds, and possums come through in need of critical care for burns, dehydration and starvation.” Below, Dana with an injured animal in mid-February.
Below you see Dana and Steve Mitchell and son Connor with Penny Lenehan Hawser, an Australia Zoo ranger, as a recovering koala is released back into native bushland. 
The park itself was able to reopen May 16th.
Kensington Palace noted that the Duke and Duchess “praised the efforts of all those who had worked to tackle the spread of the fire and protect the island’s residents in the most challenging of circumstances.” Prince William said, “It’s fantastic to hear about the community spirit in Australia as always, which is what Catherine and I see when we come down there. Aussies are very good at looking out for each other and it’s fantastic to see that you’re all pulling together.”
Now for our look at what Kate wore for last week’s call.
It very much looks like she brought back a Dolce and Gabbana Fitted Dress likely selected for its color; gold is one of Australia’s national colors. The piece was first worn for a July 2018 Wimbledon match. 
The dress is from the brand’s Resort 2017 collection and made in a rayon/acetate crepe. The piece features a fitted bodice, round neckline, concealed back zipper, and ruffled sleeves.
I wasn’t able to get a good enough view of the Duchess’s earrings to venture a guess as to which pair she was wearing.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Also today, I want to share a delightful follow-up about Kate’s All the Falling Stars necklace and earrings. You’ll remember the Personalized Gold Three-Layered Disc Necklace ($127.65) with Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis’ initials the Duchess has worn recently. 
And the Gold Disc Circle Earrings ($58) seen on Tuesday. 
There is an interesting story about how Kate acquired the jewelry. Monique Jessen has more in her People story.
Thérèse Tully, a physiotherapist in Galway, Ireland, met Kate when she and Prince William visited the Salthill Knocknacarra Gaelic Athletic Association club (SKGAA) as part of their tour of Ireland in March. Needing somewhere to change in between engagements, the couple used her treatment room on site — and it was there that she left a note to the couple and a special gift for Kate.
I’m guessing the Duchess needed to change out of her dress into the more casual pieces worn at the sporty engagement (below). 
Back to Monique’s article:
“It’s so amazing to see her wearing them, she seems to be getting so much wear out of the pieces – I’m just delighted,” Thérèse Tully tells PEOPLE exclusively.
“I wanted to give her something handcrafted from Galway, so I called Aisling, a local jeweler and commissioned her to make something bespoke, something fit for a princess. I didn’t give her much notice but she did an amazing job,” she adds.
Below, a photo of Aisling from the All the Falling Stars site. 
After the couple left the room, Tully couldn’t wait to go inside and see if her gift had been accepted.
“I came back into the room and the boxes were gone and I was so excited! I phoned Aisling straight away and we just screamed down the phone, we were so happy,” she shares.
What a fun backstory about the jewelry! You can read the entire piece here.
A quick Retail Roundup note: LK Bennett has launched its mid-season sale and everything in the sale is at least 50% off. Another Kate favorite, Reiss, kicked off its sale this week as well, with the designs up to 60% off.
VIDEO:
Here is the full ten-minute+ video from last week.
LINKAGE:
- Learn about the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park’s Koala and Wildlife Rescue Centre by clicking here; visit the Facebook page here
- An Islander Online story about the Wildlife Park reopening is here; The BBC story about the fires is here; a NY Times piece about damage to the island is here
Always loved the yellow dress and she still looks as good.
If you go onto the Kensington Royal Instagram account the most recent posting is of George, Charlotte and Louis asking Sir David Attenborough questions. I think this is the very first time we’ve had the opportunity to hear the children speak. They have such proper British accents. Click on their photo to access the video:
https://www.instagram.com/kensingtonroyal/?hl=en
First, the wildfires in Australia are horrific and heartbreaking. I feel so bad for the people, and wildlife, that have been killed or lost their homes.
Second, I love this yellow dress- sunny, simple, with clean, flattering lines.
I loved the story about the animals being rescued. Australia had just as devastating a fire season as US West coast is having now. Lovely story on the earrings and I always like Kate’s tailored dresses and this is such a beautiful color; love it just as much as the first time she wore it.
Love the styling on this dress, sleek yet a feminine but not cutesy sleeve detail. This dress looks great on her, even without a belt. That’s just good tailoring.
Thank you!
Kate looks sunny and beautiful, inside and out. Caro, I also remember that when she wore this, supposedly William said she looked like a banana. Sounded like something a husband would say.
That’s the other yellow dress that she wore in Australia. It had white colorblocking.
Wow!! I have always been obsessed with Kate’s sunny yellow Dolce dress! I think it’s the fluttery sleeves that do it for me, along with the sleek fit. Very pleased to see her re-wear it 🙂
It absolutely kills me to see Kate in dowdy midi-dresses when she has stunners like this in her closet …
I agree with every word.
So sorry about the tragic fires. God help them.
I ordered the God Disc Circle earrings. They are on backorder. What a nice story about the necklace and jewelry.
I’d just like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Kate for wearing a sunny yellow dress on a day of the most miserable Scottish Highlands weather. And, of course, I must include What Kate Wore in that for being there, and posting! And not forgetting the star turn by Grace the survivor koala.
I loved this D&G on Kate when I first saw it and my admiration is unchanged. Such a wonderful colour to have as a national emblem and most fortunate that the bold colour suits Kate so well. Such a tragedy for this beautiful island to be hit by those fires and such moving stories of recovery and how thoughtful of Kate and William to acknowledge the struggle while so much else is going on in the world.
Thanks too for including the delightful story behind the All Falling Stars necklace and earrings. A terrific gamble by the ladies and one which has paid magnificent dividends.
Whether in person, or on a video chat, William and Kate seem to spread such joy. They are both so genuine and caring and the conversation is never to draw attention to themselves, but rather to uplift the recipients. Our pandemic world is in such turmoil right now and the people of Australia and the west coast of the USA have had the additional trauma of devastating fires. Therefore recognition and concern from the royals must be very welcome.
Kate’s dress is certainly sunny and bright. For me the yellow is too intense, but I can understand why it is worn. The dress style is a nice change from all the granny/prairie looks that we have been seeing. The jewellery is really beautiful, modern, elegant and affordable. What a thoughtful and obviously appreciated gift.
Aww what a sweet video engagement, beautiful dress, and great story about the earrings.
I was so hoping to see the return of the banana dress 😉
I think she’s already worn that on a previous zoom to Australia 😂 Next time she might have to wear green!
I VERY LOVE this dress and am delighted to see it again! Isn’t there something about yellow being significant in Australia? I am remembering the Roksanda Ilincic she wore there years ago.
Thank you, too, for the story about the necklace and earrings, which I have been admiring!
So happy you liked the jewelry story! Gold is one of Australia’s colors. 😊
Yes – gold and green, which is why I made the comment on Caro’s post. Failing that, for another sartorial nod, Kate could rewear the Jenny Packham she wore when presenting Charlotte 😉
That was a lovely dress. I wonder if we will ever see it again? However, I don’t think many Australians would get the connection. The Jenny Peckham dress had a buttercup print, as I recall. Our green and yellow national colours are taken from the golden wattle, or acacia, which is our national flower.
When the Queen visited Australia for the first time in 1953, the government gave her a beautiful wattle brooch made of diamonds. She has worn it for at least one portrait by an Australian artist. It would be wonderful if it could be loaned to Kate for a future tour, especially since she has worn the NZ fern and Canadian maple leaf brooches on visits to those countries.
A friend of friends lives on Kangaroo Island. He took a video of the wall of flame descending on his house. It was an absolute inferno. By a miracle, his house was saved. Sadly, there was a beautiful hotel on Kangaroo Island where I had been intending to have a holiday. It was burnt to the ground.
Thanks for the info, Marguerite, about your national flower. Here are a few photos and the story about the golden wattle.
https://www.vdio.com/golden-wattle-national-flower-of-australia/#:~:text=%20Golden%20Wattle%3A%20National%20Flower%20of%20Australia%20,the%20botanist%20George%20Bentham%20in%201842.%20More%20
Here is a photo of the Queen wearing the brooch on Christmas Day 2017 and a description of it.
https://writeroyalty.com/the-australian-wattle-royal-brooch/#:~:text=The%20Australian%20Wattle%20royal%20brooch%20is%20designed%20to,Abbey%20on%20Commonwealth%20Day%2C%20in%20London%2CMarch%2013%2C%202017.
Thank you, Bonnie. But then as a Canadian, you are a fellow citizen of the Commonwealth.
It was interesting to read the article about wattle (although some of the English is a bit dodgy—I think it’s a translation!), and I especially loved the piece about the wattle brooch and to see pictures of the Queen wearing it in 2017. It’s gorgeous! I remember visiting Drummonds, the jewellers. My father used to buy presents there for my mother, on a slightly more modest scale! Sir Robert Menzies, who was Prime Minister when the brooch was presented, was a Victorian, so would have chosen a Melbourne jeweller.
Yup I know the wattle is our flower – I’m Australian too! It was more a tongue in cheek comment as the dress has touches of both yellow and green-and Kate is nothing if not a sartorial dresser! (Although, as you say, the buttercups present a problem as they’re not wattle 😂) She just might need to shop for some more green and yellow haha.
That’s the dress I initially thought she was wearing when I saw the video. I’d forgotten that the Roksanda Ilincic had longer sleeves.
https://whatkatewore.com/2014/04/16/kate-returns-to-roksanda-ilincic-for-australian-arrival-and-william-thinks-she-looks-like-a-banana/
OMG, Prince George was seriously the most adorable baby who has ever existed. I remember I was completely obsessed with him at that age!
He had the best baby faces! The most expressive looks on his face, every single second, it seemed. He was just so fun to watch.