The Duchess in Smythe and UFO Shirt for Vaccine Call – UPDATED

The Duchess brought back previously worn designs for calls with people who have long-term health conditions who are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

The royals heard about how they and their families have been protecting themselves during the pandemic and their thoughts on the newly-available vaccines.  

In this photo, you see Shivali Modha (Left) with her husband, Hiren Modha (front right), and their daughters Shyaama (top left) and Jyoti (top right). Shivali Modha has type 2 diabetes; because of this, she is considered clinically vulnerable to the virus, with an increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19.

More from Sky News: 

As the Cambridges spoke with Mrs Modha, 39, her husband Hiren and their daughters Shyaama, 11, and Jyoti, nine, she explained how she had been anxious about getting a coronavirusvaccine.

The royals listened as the mother-of-two – who has type 2 diabetes – said how posts on social media had concerned her, but that speaking to members of her family who had been jabbed, and also medical professionals and charity Diabetes UK, had encouraged her to get a vaccine.

From the BBC’s story: 

Prince William told her: “Catherine and I are not medical experts by any means but if it’s any consolation, we can wholeheartedly support having vaccinations. It’s really, really important.

We’ve spoken to a lot of people about it and the uptake has been amazing so far. We’ve got to keep it going so the younger generations also feel that it’s really important for them to have it.

“So it’s great that, Shivali, you’re taking the time to work it out and come to the conclusion that ‘I need to do this,’ because social media is awash sometimes with lots of rumours and misinformation, so we have to be a bit careful who we believe and where we get our information from.

More from Emily Nash’s Hello story: 

Thanking the Duke and Duchess for calling, Shivali told them: “It’s really nice to have you in our home, I wish I could offer you a cup of tea!”

“Same here!” laughed Kate.

William added: “We quite like the sound of the fancy dress evenings, we might come around for one of those!”

More from The Daily Mail’s story: 

The royal family have been supporting the NHS in its rollout of the coronavirus vaccine, visiting vaccination centres and thanking staff and volunteers for their efforts.

….the Queen encouraged those hesitant about vaccination to ‘think about other people rather than themselves’.

Some of the UK’s leading health charities, including Diabetes UK and Asthma UK, have formed a coalition to promote vaccine uptake among people with long-term health conditions.

The couple also chatted with Fiona Doyle, who has asthma, and her 7-year-old daughter Ciara.

During the call, Ms. Doyle said:

“I have always been somebody who truly believes in vaccines, and I truly believe in science and medicine. I think that it’s the best way to look ahead to have a much brighter future and go back to normality. I really hope that as many people as possible, when they get called up for it, take it… It’s nice to know mentally that you have that layer of protection.”

More from the Sky News coverage: 

She mentioned how the charity Asthma UK had supported her during the pandemic, and how she was keen to get a vaccine.

Ms Doyle said: “I can’t wait! I’m priority group six, so any day now I’m really hoping to get called up.”

She added: “I think I’m trying to not see it as a magic cure. I’m not going to go out licking lampposts or anything straight away!”

Both royals laughed at that statement, and Prince William can be heard asking, “Did you used to do that before?” 

We now take a look at what Kate wore for the call.

Kate brought back her Smythe Duchess Blazer ($695) in ‘army green.’  Most recently, we saw Kate wearing the style for a December 2018 visit to an RAF base in Cyprus (below left); on the right, you see her in it during the September 2016 Canada tour, the first time the piece was worn.  

Crafted of wool, the jacket features a fitted silhouette with princess seams and distinctive cutout on the back. It also has peak lapels, welt pockets at the waist and on the chest, single-button front closure with a decorative button on the left.

The blazer is available at Saks ($695), at Revolve ($695), and also at Smythe ($695).  

Many will recognize the white shirt. It was first noted on a January call with nurses.  

UPDATED FEB 28:  It turns out the Duchess is wearing a piece by British brand Holland Cooper, the Shirt Bodysuit (£119, about $170 at today’s exchange rates). The piece is a wrapped, loose-fitting style with a vee-neck, the distinctive notched lapels, an inverted dart back pleat, and gathers at the shoulder seam.

It is made of 90% polyamide, 10% elastane and showcases the label’s signature gold buttons at the shoulder and extended cuff. 

The brand was founded by Jade Holland Cooper in 2008. Many thanks to the always-on-top-of-things Polka Popp; she noticed a Holland Cooper Instagram post about the top.  More about the brand from this Gloucestershire Live story: 

Gloucestershire designer Jade Holland Cooper is “incredibly proud” after one of her outfits got a royal endorsement.

The fashion titan’s Holland Cooper brand posted an Instagram image of the Duchess of Cambridge wearing one of its bodysuits while sitting next to Prince William. “An incredibly proud moment for the HC team to see the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton wearing our white shirt bodysuit!” the post says.

The designer lives just outside Cheltenham with her husband Julian Dunkerton, the founder of fashion label Superdry.

It isn’t the first time a member of the Royal Family has been spotted in Holland Cooper: Zara and Mike Tindall and Peter Phillips and his former wife Autumn have been spotted wearing the label.

Thank you to Jenni for the tip on the story about the brand. 

The Duchess also appeared to be wearing the newer hoop-style UFO earrings seen on several recent calls.

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Separately, there is no update on Prince Philip’s condition as he spends his second weekend in the hospital.  The most recent information from Buckingham Palace, released last Tuesday, was that he was comfortable and “responding to treatment” for an infection, but he wasn’t expected to be discharged for several days. At this point, I think no news is good news.  

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One other quick note: a week from tomorrow, Sunday, March 7, the BBC will broadcast A Celebration of Commonwealth Day.  More from Westminster Abbey: 

The annual service had been due to take place on Monday 8th March, attended by Her Majesty The Queen and members of the Royal Family, but will not go ahead due to the pandemic.

Instead, HM The Queen will share her annual message in ‘A Celebration for Commonwealth Day’, which will be broadcast on Sunday 7th March on BBC One.

TRH The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall, TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and HRH The Countess of Wessex will also take part in the programme, sharing their perspectives on the importance of our Commonwealth links.

So, we can look forward to seeing the Cambridges next Sunday.  The program airs at 5pm local time, noon on the east coast in the US, and 9am on the west coast.  There is more information on this BBC page. 

Here is a 4-minute version of the call posted by Kensington Palace. 

Shivali, who has type 2 diabetes, and Fiona, who lives with asthma, shared their experiences of the pandemic and discussed the positive impact the vaccine will have upon their own lives moving forward. pic.twitter.com/glB44ZSoxu

— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) February 27, 2021

  And here is the full 10-minute call.