Catch-up Post on The Duchess’s Engagements & Outfits

I am back with a post covering the Duchess’s last several engagements. We’ll begin with last Thursday’s visit by the Cambridges to the Newham Ambulance Station in East London.

The station is the second busiest in the London Ambulance network, handling more than 75000 calls in the past year.  The couple was there to hear from staff how they have been coping during the pandemic. From The Newham Recorder’s story: 

The Royal couple also heard more about the mental health and wellbeing support provided to staff at the station, including drop-in sessions and wellbeing spaces alongside wider London Ambulance Service (LAS) initiatives.

LAS deputy chief executive Khadir Meer, who welcomed the couple, said: “Our service has had to work harder than ever over the past year to care for London.

“It’s vital and extremely rewarding work, but it can take a toll and even the most resilient of us need support at times like these.

More from The Telegraph’s story by Victoria Ward. 

Over the last year, the Cambridges and The Royal Foundation have worked to support those working on the frontline of the pandemic, including through the provision of grants to ten leading charities at the heart of mental health and frontline support as part of a bespoke COVID relief fund.

While they were there, they ended up FaceTiming a paramedic’s family. 

We return to The Telegraph piece.

As they chatted to paramedic Jay Khan, she asked if it was okay to call her father, Abu, in Banglasdesh as he had been  separated from his family since the beginning of lockdown when his mother became sick.

She had soon whipped out her phone and the royals found themselves having a chat with Abu 5,000 miles away.

The Duke, 38, told him: “You must be very proud of your daughter. She’s looking forward to seeing you soon.”

Abu replied:  “Yes we are all very proud of her.”

Buoyed by her success, Miss Khan then called her sister Nasrin and granddad Baharam in the UK, putting them on to the Cambridges.

The Duke told them: “She works very hard and she’s looking forward to seeing you soon.”

Some of the funding from NHS Charities is being used to continue operating London Ambulance’s fleet of Wellbeing Tea Trucks, which provide hot drinks, and snacks, offering a chance for a break to staff and volunteers.  More from the London Ambulance Service site: 

The Royal couple also saw one of eight of the Service’s so-called ‘Tea Trucks’ that have played an important role delivering hot drinks and snacks to crews at control rooms and hospital bays while London’s cafes and hospital canteens remain closed in lockdown.

The Duke and Duchess are Patrons of NHS Charities Together which has donated £100,000 for supplies on the trucks. This ‘Tea Truck’ was named “Sir Tom” in honour of Captain Sir Tom Moore for his incredible fundraising for NHS Charities Together.

The couple visited the wellbeing garden. 

The area was created by staff so they would have a quiet space after their shifts.

We learn more about the artwork in the garden from Robert Jobson’s Evening Standard story: 

During the visit, the couple were pictured standing in front of a “Healing Hurt” heart mural – complete with a crown.

The street art – in the station’s wellbeing garden – featured a red heart mended with two plasters, beneath a golden crown, and above the words in capitals “Healing Hurt”.

The colourful murals were by street art group Art Under The Hood.

Now for our look at what Kate wore to Thursday’s engagement.

Many will recognize her Massimo Dutti coat, seen below when it was first worn in January 2020. 

The Limited Edition Cashmere Wool Camel Coat is made of a 95% wool/5% cashmere blend.  It features double-breasted styling, front flap pockets, peak lapels, and a deep back vent for ease of movement. 

Beneath the coat, it looked like Kate was wearing the Sophie Knitted Rollneck Top ($180) by Reiss, crafted of a blend of nylon, wool, and alpaca. 

The turtleneck is available in several other colors. Many thanks to Gabi and Lady Coventry / Middleton Maven for the ID on this piece.  

The Duchess wore a new (to us, anyway!) pair of suede pumps for the engagement.

There are suggestions on social media the style is by Jimmy Choo, and others think it is by Gianvito Rossi.  Until there are better photos of the heels, I’m reluctant to identify them. 

Kate brought back a bag by Métier London that we first saw in December during the mini royal train tour.  It is the brand’s ‘Mini Roma’ style ($1170), and measures 4.3″ x 8.2″, and comes with a metal chain handle as well as an adjustable leather strap. 

The Duchess repeated an Amaia Kids style face mask, the ‘yellow pepper’ design‘ first worn in October 2020 for the ‘Hold Still’ exhibition community launch.

We also saw the return of the Citrine Drop earrings (£458, roughly $640 at today’s exchange rates) from jeweler Kiki McDonough.  

Here is a 4:30 video of the visit. 

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For a video released by the Irish Foreign Ministry on St. Patrick’s Day, the Duchess sported a bright green blazer.  The Duke and Duchess are the second speakers, hitting about 11-seconds into the piece. 

The couple shared “Happy St. Patrick’s Day” greetings in the video, and Kate wore a Zara Textured Blazer (£59.99) jacket in ‘apple green’ for the taping. 

The garment is made of an acrylic/polyester/viscose blend and features double-breasted styling, shiny gold buttons, flap pockets, and notched lapels. This offers a closer look at the details and fabric.

She also wore her Daniella Draper Mini Cupid Hoops with Baby Shamrock Charms and Gold Baby Shamrock Necklace ($390), pieces we first saw during the couple’s visit to Ireland last March.  

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We now move to a March 11 school engagement by the Cambridges.

The duo visited School 21 in Stratford, East London. 

From The Mirror’s coverage: 

Children at School21, a state-funded school for pupils aged 4-18, will be given access to lessons on issues such as anxiety and depression from Mentally Healthy Schools.

The lessons are on a website financed from an initial £800,000 grant from the then Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry and launched by Kate at Roe Green Junior School in Kingsbury, north west London, in January 2018.

The future Queen has championed the idea of early intervention by experts to help children struggling with mental health problems.

Kensington Palace posted a quick video.

But returning to school won’t be easy for everyone, and for many, the last year will have taken its toll. No one should feel alone and that’s why from today all schools across the UK can get free expert information about mental health, courtesy of #MentallyHealthySchools. pic.twitter.com/TVTxIrS2Fb

— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) March 11, 2021

The Duke and Duchess took part in play sessions.

It was a brisk, windy day.

Back to The Mirror’s story:

Kate, in a pink Max & Co coat, knelt down to talk to children in a pop-up cafe, while William helped a little girl building  a wall in the playground’ construction area.

He joked he he had been taking orders from the construction manager. “I was just doing what I was told,” he said to laughter from teachers.

Later he sat on a raised floor talking to a little boy who was brandishing a clipboard,  as Kate went to a water play area and then joined children in a sand pit hunting for treasure. 

The Duchess helped children look for buried treasure in a sandpit. 

It looks like Kate made new friends.

The Duke and Duchess then spent time with teachers and staff to talk about the Mentally Healthy Schools project’s goals.

Now for our look at what Kate wore to visit the school. 

 She wore the Runaway Belted Coat by Max&Co., a division of Max Mara.  It is 100% wool, with oversized notched lapels, patch pockets, an open front, slits at sleeve hem, and a self-belt. It is a signature piece for Max&Co., available in an array of colors. There were several pink shades offered, as you can see in the photos below. 

Harrod’s has the coat in stock ($606) in a slightly lighter shade of pink. 

Beneath the coat, a new Boden sweater, the brand’s Hambleden Scallop design ($90) in a color called Azalea Pink.

The jumper is a blend of 70% cotton/30% wool, with the scalloped stitching at the neckline and cuff, with a ribbed hem.

It looks like this color is sold out, but the piece is offered in several other colors. 

Kate brought back her Jigsaw High-Waisted Sport Luxe Trousers. 

Along with her Jaeger ‘Kate’ bag (£150, no longer available) in navy leather. 

One related note: Marks and Spencer now own Jaeger.  After Jaeger went into administration (somewhat similar to filing bankruptcy in the US), the department store acquired the brand and plans to start offering merchandise this spring. 

Kate brought back her Emmy ‘Josie’ pumps ($430).

The Duchess wore her hair in a ponytail. 

She had on an Amaia Kids Pink Pepper mask (£15).

And the recently-identified Chain Huggie Hoop earrings ($22) by UK-based Orelia. 

Many thanks to Couture Royals for solving this mystery with her earring ID!

Apologies to those I missed on other IDs, I wasn’t able to entirely catch up with who discovered which pieces. 

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Our final look is from a call made to mark International Women’s Day on March 8. 

The Duchess spoke with 21-year-old Jasmine Harrison to congratulate her on becoming the youngest woman to solo-row the Atlantic.

The trip of nearly 5000 kilometers took 70 days to complete. In its story, Hello reports, “Jasmine set out from the Canary Islands in December, and arrived in Antigua last week. Her epic journey raised funds for ShelterBox, an international charity that distributes green boxes containing lifesaving supplies to disaster victims, and the Blue Marine Foundation (BLUE), which is focused on restoring ocean health.”  

The Duchess wore a blouse by Boden. 

It was the British retailer’s Dora Tie-Neck Blouse ($110). 

The piece is 100% viscose, described as lightweight in a semi-fitted silhouette.  The blouse buttons up the front and has the attached tie, as well as full sleeves with buttoned cuffs.     

Kate brought back her Rhodochrosite Mini Pyramid Charm Hoop earrings ($110) by Missoma, shown below as worn for a previous engagement.

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Please know how much I appreciate the lovely comments and messages on the loss of my mother.  I feel so very fortunate to be supported by such a wonderful community.  Thank you a thousand times for your kindness and wisdom.