The Duchess in a Mix of Old and New Styles for ‘MumSpace’ Engagement

The Duchess sported a new blazer for today’s visit to PACT (Parents and Communities Together), a community-led social support project in Southwark, London.

The organization was created in 2014 by Citizens UK, a community organizing group.

PACT offers “a variety of weekly workshops that provide a fun space for kids to play and a safe environment for parents to build a network of support and share their experiences,” per the group’s website.  Stephanie Petit reports in her People article that “The group started after parents, community and faith leaders identified mental health issues and isolation as the biggest challenges impacting their ability to parent and give their children the best start in life. The project has since expanded to Leeds and Newcastle.”

The Duchess attended a MumSpace session, a group offering support for parents with babies and toddlers.

Below, the Duchess and Mena Amnour, an organizer of MumSpace.

The PACT site notes that at MumSpace “Each week we have a special time for parents to discuss a relevant issue. A Health Visitor also attends these groups to provide advice and signpost parents to other services.” Below, the Duchess and little Zoe work on making fruit kabobs.

The Duchess was evidently impressed by how quickly Zoe could devour a strawberry.

More from The Telegraph’s story by Hannah Furness: 

The Duchess of Cambridge made fruit kebabs and accepted pretend cups of tea from toddlers, as she spoke of the vital importance of play to building healthy children.

Helping young children chop and eat fruit to the soundtrack of a catchy song about bananas, she spoke to parents about the importance of a “holistic” system to ensure isolated new mothers and their babies do not “fall through the cracks”.

Hearing how PACT runs “Parent University” courses for expectant parents and those with newborn babies, the Duchess heard how mothers were learning about social and emotional development as well as the basics about labour and feeding.

Below, the Duchess with a young man named Jonathan who was celebrating his second birthday today and also working on the fruit kabobs.

In this video from Rebecca English of The Daily Mail, you can see Jonathan working on cutting his banana. 

Helping Jonathan, who is 2 today, chop his banana pic.twitter.com/upydCQGIjs

— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) February 8, 2022

From the Press Association’s story via Yahoo UK: “The duchess said she wished she had been able to attend a similar group when she was a new mother to her first child Prince George, saying she would have “learned a lot”.

Another video Rebecca English shared. 

Meanwhile The Duchess of Cambridge has visited @PactUK (Parents and Children Together) in Southwark to learn more about how communities can support parents and their families with their mental wellbeing and improve health/development outcomes for children – and make fruit kebabs pic.twitter.com/gycbPUYV75

— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) February 8, 2022

Here you see the Duchess speaking with Ms. Amnour (back to camera), and Josephine Namusisi-Riley (2nd from left), who leads PACT in Southwark. (Unfortunately, I am unable to find an identifier for the woman on the far left.) 

In a social media post after the engagement, the Kensington Palace account noted: “One of the key takeaways was how local support networks are such a core principle in giving parents the confidence and resilience to support their children. The project is another great example of best practice in leveraging the power of communities for support of one another.” 

We return to The Telegraph’s story:

Hearing how some new parents worry about their children being “naughty” despite them behaving in a developmentally-appropriate way for toddlers, she agreed: “Behaviour is communication.

“Throwing things is all about learning.”

Now for our look at what Kate Wore, starting with what appears to be a new blazer.  Done in a Prince of Wales check, the Catherine Walker jacket is single-breasted with a fitted silhouette, notch lapels, flap pockets, a center-back vent, and four buttons at the cuff. 

The black and white pattern has a thread of light grey or blue running through it. 

Thank you to Chrissy and Middleton Maven for their ID work on this item. 

Found by Bojana suggests the Duchess was in her Frida Cigarette Trousers ($117), a poly/viscose/elastane bend by LK Bennett, and I think she is correct.

Bojana also suggests the Boden Cashmere Crewneck ($175) as a possible match for the Duchess’s top.  The piece is 100% cashmere with a semi-fitted cut.  

Without more photos, it is tough to say if this is the design the Duchess wore or not. (It is very similar and well could be, but most readers know how hesitant I am to declare something as a specific item without really good photos.)  

The Duchess had on her Gianvito Rossi Piper 85 pumps ($695).

And Blue Eloise mask ($21.25) from Amaia Kids.  

We saw the return of the Duchess’s Kiki McDonough Yellow Gold & Diamond Hoops (£600, about $812 at today’s exchange rates) and Annoushka Baroque Pearl Drops ($475). 

NOTE: With thanks to Val for her comment, the text has been corrected to reflect the drops being the Annoushka pair, not Kiki McDonough as I originally wrote.  

She also wore her Lapis Lazuli Pendant ($220) in yellow gold vermeil from Astley Clarke. 

 

LINKAGE: 

• Learn more about PACT here and the Southwark group here; PACT blog posts are here; PACT Southwark’s Twitter feed is here; the Citizens UK Facebook page is here.
• The full Yahoo UK piece is here; The Telegraph story by Hannah Furness is here; The Daily Mail’s coverage is here; The Evening Standard’s article is here. 
• Danielle Stacey’s story for Hello is here; People’s article by Stephanie Petit is here