The Duchess Mixes Old and New for Pride of Britain Awards Shoot

More information has been released about the Duke and Duchess’s role in the Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Awards.

NOTE: A few more photos and a video clip from the awards have been released; scroll to the bottom of the post to see them.   

The Awards “celebrate and honour the achievements of a truly remarkable group of people who have selflessly done extraordinary things to help those in need this year.” We first mentioned the awards in this post covering Kate and William’s engagements for Hold Still events in London, sharing this tweet from The Daily Mail’s Rebecca English. The couple’s second engagement that day was at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital. It turned out Kate changed out of her McQueen coat (seen below) into navy separates for the video shoot at the hospital.

Joining the royals for the shoot, Kate Garraway, of ITV’s Good Morning Britain program; she is seen below with NHS workers.

In the program, Ms. Garraway introduces the Duke and Duchess, who then present a special Pride of Britain award to NHS workers.  The three employees representing NHS workers are Helder Lopes Landim, a porter at Barnet Hospital; Martha Sarpong, an operating department practitioner at Chase Farm Hospital; Charlotte Greenfield, a critical care physiotherapist at the Royal Free Hospital.  Prince William told the workers, “We cannot thank you enough. On behalf of a grateful nation, it is a tremendous honour for Catherine and I to present this Special Recognition award to the army of dedicated NHS staff.”

The NHS reports all three workers spoke with Kate and William: 

Helder, who has worked at Barnet Hospital for five years, said: “Will asked me what it had been like and I said it had been very tough but that we had worked together as a team and were now prepared for any second wave.”

Martha, who worked at Barnet Hospital during the first surge, added: “Kate wanted to know how it had felt receiving the support of the public towards the NHS. I told them how humbled it had made me feel and how the support of my neighbours had meant so much to me and how proud I was to tell people I worked for the NHS.”

Kate Garraway’s selection for participation in the program was not by happenstance. Her husband, Derek, has been hospitalized since March as a result of COVID-19. Below, the presenter giving an update on his condition in June.  More from this Daily Mirror story: 

Kate paid tribute to the medical staff who helped her family in their darkest moments. “There’s no doubt that the NHS saved Derek, my husband’s life” she said.

“He wouldn’t be here without individuals that have kept him alive. You can never find enough words can you, to say thank you for that? But I do want to.”

Her husband is out of a medically-induced coma and has tested virus-free, but he is still unable to speak, and the damage to his body is so severe it’s expected he won’t be out of the hospital until some time next year.  In his story for The Mirror, Russell Myers reports the Duke and Duchess told Ms. Garrawy they wanted to give her a hug after hearing about the family’s long ordeal. From that piece: 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were visibly moved as the Good Morning Britain host told how husband Derek is still seriously ill in hospital seven months after being struck down with coronavirus.

They listened intently as she discussed the impact that the disease has had on her family and how their children Darcey, 14, and Billy, 11, are still not allowed to see him because covid rules only allow one visitor is allowed for each patient.

William said: “You are doing amazingly though. If it wasn’t for social distancing we would both give you a hug.”

The paper’s front page. 

Back to the story. 

The Duchess asked how the family were coping under the stress.

The 53-year-old presenter, who has returned to work to try to keep life as normal as possible, replied: “I think we are all doing OK but it’s very difficult because you can’t visit that often and the children haven’t got to visit Derek. And I think that’s a huge pressure for everyone – mental and physical health.”

Kate also discussed how William’s father, Prince Charles had been diagnosed with Covid at the same time as her husband in March. William said: “Yes, my father had it really early on.”

Ms. Garraway is working on a documentary about the virus’s impact in different parts of the country; it is expected to include coverage of her husband’s illness and recovery. 

Prince William said during the shoot that “We’re always keen to help, especially this year with everything going on. It’s been difficult for a lot of people,” per the Daily Mirror’s story.  

Among the many winners being showcased in the program, six-year-old Tony Hudgell, who walked 10 kilometers on his prosthetic legs to raise £1.5 million for Evelina London Children’s Hospital.

More from The Mirror’s story: 

At the age of two he had to have his legs amputated, and the family had no idea if he would ever walk.

But, in true Tony style, he has proved them spectacularly wrong.

Just before lockdown he had been learning to walk using his new prosthetic legs, and when he saw 100-year-old Captain Sir Tom Moore completing his own incredible charity walking challenge on TV, Tony – affectionately known as Bear – immediately said: “I can do that.”

Speaking of Captain Sir Tom Moore, he is also one of this year’s winners. 

Many will remember the World War II veteran, who set out to raise funds for NHS Charities Together by walking 100 laps of his garden before his 100th birthday. The latest total for the fundraiser is almost £39 million. 

Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford is another winner, receiving a Special Recognition Award.

More from The Daily Mirror’s story. 

The Manchester United and England striker has been given a Special Recognition award for his dogged campaign to stop children going hungry over the summer.

Determined to help children like him, who had grown up receiving free school meals, he also helped raise £20 million to feed another three million people and is continuing to provide a powerful voice for under-privileged families.

The Awards air on ITV this Sunday at 9pm local time (4pm EST) this Sunday, November 1.

Now for our look at what Kate wore. Many readers immediately recognized her jacket, the Smythe One-Button Blazer.

The piece was first worn in 2011 as the Duke and Duchess headed to Canada for their first tour.

The jacket is now called the Duchess Blazer and Kate owns it in two colors. Crafted of 100% wool, the piece features a fitted silhouette, back cutout, welt pockets, and decorative button above the left pocket. It is available at Saks in most sizes, at Smythe in a mix of sizes, and Amazon. 

Kate’s blouse looks like the Betty Blue Rainbow Print Silk Shirt ($335) by Lisou, a boutique British brand. 

The blouse is 100% silk with puffed, elbow-length sleeves, concealed front placket, point collar, and gathers at the shoulder. The choice makes perfect sense, as rainbows were used to show support and gratitude for frontline medical and essential service workers. Below, signs on a school in Surrey this April.

Rainbows were referenced in HM’s speech to the nation.

The moments when the United Kingdom has come together to applaud its care and essential workers will be remembered as an expression of our national spirit; and its symbol will be the rainbows drawn by children.

Many thanks to Emily for her fab ID of this piece, and a note of thanks also to Natasha.   

The London-based brand is a new one for the Duchess, founded by Rene Macdonald in 2017 and “specialising in beautiful silk pieces with a twist.”  In a recent story, The Daily Mail reports, “The upcoming British brand is one of those under-the-radar labels well-loved by a coterie of celebrities from London to Los Angeles, including Dame Helen Mirren, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Hilary Duff.”  Below, Ms. Macdonald wearing Lisou designs.

More from the brand’s site: 

One of our core beliefs is to make a positive global impact; to that end we donate the proceeds from one piece per collection directly to helping young Africans with medical and educational needs. In addition to this, we run an annual initiative in partnership with local schools supporting creative arts in our local community. We believe in quality above all else, and a return to the days of slow fashion and treasure box investment pieces. All our products are designed in London, finished in Portugal, and delivered directly to you.

In a Vanity Fair piece, Ms. Macdonald notes, “I think constantly about how to celebrate different body types and how I can bring out the best of women’s features. It’s all about learning to dress for your body shape and occasionally being willing to be pushed out of your comfort zone. Women are nothing if not adaptable!”  Below, Ms. Macdonald and Donna Ida in more of Lisou’s vibrant prints via the brand’s Instagram. 

In addition to being sold by Lisou, the brand is also stocked at Harvey Nichols, and also at Atterley. 

The Duchess may have repeated her Sport Luxe Wide Leg Trousers (£62) by UK retailer Jigsaw that we first saw during a trip to Cyprus. 

UPDATE: A longtime WKW friend who wishes to remain anonymous points out the Duchess was not wearing her Jigsaw trousers; the zipper opening is on the opposite side. 

I will update with more info if/when there is more definitive info on the trousers. 

We saw the return of the UFO belt worn recently with an Emilia Wickstead Dress (center) and for the first day of school for George and Charlotte (below right).

The Duchess wore her Yellow Pepper style (£15, about $19) face mask by Amaia Kids.

And she repeated her “Alia” earrings (£62) by Spells of Love, shown below left as worn on a previous occasion.

I am hopeful we may see more photos on Sunday when that program airs. If that is the case I will add them to the post.  

UPDATE: The Palace has released a few more photos from the video shoot.

Below, the royals speaking with Helder Lopes Landim, Martha Sarpong, and Charlotte Greenfield.  

And a video from the event. 

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge paid tribute to our frontline heroes. Watch the Pride of Britain awards tonight on ITV at 9pm #celebratingheroes #prideofbritain@DailyMirror @TSB pic.twitter.com/sHnwOMVUnC

— Pride of Britain (@PrideOfBritain) November 1, 2020

LINKAGE: 

• The Pride of Britain site is here; the ITV page with info on the awards is here; the NHS release about the award for their staff is here
• The Daily Mirror’s piece about the shoot at St. Bartholomew’s is here; The Daily Mail’s coverage is here
• The Daily Mirror’s profile of Tony Hudgell is here; The Mirror’s article on Captain Sir Tom Moore’s award (announced in April) is here; its piece on Marcus Rashford is here 
• The Daily Mail’s Lisou London profile is here; a Draper’s piece with Rene Macdonald is here; the Vanity Fair article is here