The Duchess in Familiar Styles for St. David’s Day in Wales

The Duke and Duchess marked St. David’s Day with a series of engagements in Wales.

The day’s first stop was at Pant Farm near Abergavenny, a goat farm providing milk to a local cheese producer for nearly 20 years.

The royals enjoyed a tour of the farm given by Gary and Jess Yeomans.  South Wales Life reports the farm now milks “… around 600 goats and produce as much food for them on the farm as they can.” Emily Nash of Hello shared a video of the royals meeting some of the goats and hearing about the farm. 

William and Kate enjoyed meeting the very friendly goats and heard a lot about how important farming is to the local economy: pic.twitter.com/JtAdhHoiB4

— Emily Nash (@emynash) March 1, 2022

The Duchess with some of the farm’s goats.

More from The Telegraph’s coverage of the visit.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Wales on St David’s Day to celebrate the nation’s people and culture – visiting Pant Farm near Abergavenny….  Representatives of the wider farming sector, both in Wales and the UK, met William and Kate to discuss the importance of agriculture to the local economy.

The Duchess seemed to enjoy spending time with the goats. 

From this Hello story by Emily Nash: 

….the royal couple cooed over some five-week-old goats in a barn, with one keen to nibble on the future King’s finger as he stroked them, “Ow! That definitely got my finger there,” he laughed. “They’ve got slightly larger teeth at the back!”

The Duke also heard how they were following in the footsteps of the Prince of Wales, who joined Gary and Jess for tea and Welsh Cakes at the farm in 2002.

Also from the Hello piece: 

The Duke studied agricultural management at Cambridge University in 2014, but it seems the Duchess also has farming running in her veins.

Kate told her hosts: “I was looking into my ancestry and there was someone who was a rare breed goat farmer. I will have to find out which on it was. It was just after the First World War.”

The pair also spoke about their children and farming.  More from the Clacton and Frinton Gazette: 

…. William spotted a robot silage sweeper in one of the barns. Gary explained it could also be used to move feed, and the duchess replied: “That was George’s job at half term – moving feed.”

William told his hosts the children had been getting involved on the farm and added: “We are trying some Agroforestry as well.”

Here is a video from Kensington Place. 

Pant Farm, Wales

Seeing first-hand the benefits that local businesses receive through their communities at this lovely family-run farm, promoting local produce and sustainable practices. pic.twitter.com/Rt6WGPCImD

— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) March 1, 2022

The duo then headed to Abergavenny Market, where there was quite a crowd eager to see them.

The couple wanted to learn more about the importance of local suppliers to rural communities.

Kensington Palace noted that “produce comes from all across the local area – including the lovely family-run Pant Farm which we visited earlier today.”

More from the Abergavenny Chronicle’s coverage.

Nicky Hurst runs a stall selling whole foods and cheese.

She said, “William said he is a big lover of cheese and was asking about the best local cheeses we have, whilst Kate was very interested in our Goat’s cheese having just visited a goat farm”

In this quick video from Emily Nash, you can hear the Duke speak about loving cheese. 

William also got offered a job on the Country Fare cheese stall inside the market! pic.twitter.com/lFBJzpPWXh

— Emily Nash (@emynash) March 1, 2022

And from a People story: 

Kate smiled as she said she loved visiting Wales and asked questions as she toured the market.

“She was saying how much she loved the lovely soft Welsh blankets,” Kingsley Jones, who lives in nearby Monmouth, told PEOPLE. “I told her that the modern ones are soft compared to the course [sic] older ones we used to have.”

More from about the market from a Monmouthshire government post about the visit. 

There has been a market in Abergavenny since medieval times and it has been based at its current site in the Town Hall since the building was completed in 1871. The market is a popular focal point, with fresh local produce, gifts, homewares and even a resident baker that makes Welsh cakes on site. The market has featured within Monmouthshire County Council’s Shop Local campaign which was launched when the covid-19 pandemic arrived in 2020. Throughout the pandemic the market has kept going – with covid-safe measures in place and when restrictions permitted – to keep bringing fresh, local producer to shoppers.

After meeting vendors and customers, the couple headed back outside.

Where the crowd had not diminished. 

Some of those waiting to see the Duke and Duchess were children from Cantref Primary School, and Monmoutshire’s Flying Start program were also among those eager to greet the royals.  We learn more from the Abergavenny Chronicle’s reporting: 

The schoolkids were dressed up in bonnet hats and waved flags celebrating St David’s Day.

Teacher Lauren James said: “The children were very excited and keen to ask them about their children and what subjects they most enjoyed when they were in school.”

A quick video as the couple left the market and started their walkabout. 

Kate and William leaving Abergavenny market #royal #dukeandduchessofcambridge #princewilliam #princesskate pic.twitter.com/ck7Hk20WjU

— Simon Perry (@SPerryPeoplemag) March 1, 2022

They were given daffodils, the national flower of Wales. 

Students Sam and Luc gave the couple the flowers and some Welsh cakes.

And from a People story by Simon Perry: 

While greeting well-wishers during a royal walkabout in the Welsh town of Abergavenny on Tuesday morning, one of the first questions they were asked by local Liz Brewer was: “How are the children?”

William replied, “The children are very well, thank you.”

Brewer and her friend were stationed outside one of the couple’s outings at Abergavenny Market in hopes of meeting them. 

“I told them that we’d been here for two hours, but it was worth it,” Brewer told PEOPLE, adding that Kate thanked her. 

Another view from the walkabout. 

The Duchess chatting with well-wishers. 

Here is a quick video from the market visit and walkabout. 

The importance of community for local business is so vital as we met and heard from third, fourth and even fifth generations of family businesses welcoming customers. pic.twitter.com/OsPGG5CMEF

— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) March 1, 2022

And one more photo from the walkabout. 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge then traveled to Blaenavon, where they visited the Blaenavon Hwb, a youth center that helps support more than 600 local young people.  They heard from some of those helped by the center.

From this Wales Online piece: 

Like many South Wales valley towns, Blaenavon has had to overcome economic hardship in the last 30 years and the Hwb is playing its part by ensuring that the next generation are able to reach their potential by providing a space for alternative education and supporting youngsters.

More from a BBC report: 

Ashleigh Taylor, director of development and programmes at the Hwb said for many of the children “this will be the highlight of their life”.

She said the youth ambassadors the Duke and Duchess were meeting are the “most vulnerable of the most vulnerable”.

“To give them this opportunity is the most amazing thing,” Ms Taylor said, adding: “for them to be recognised and celebrated for their achievements it was absolutely wonderful to see.”

She said Will and Kate were “so kind” and “recognised the challenges” the community has on supporting vulnerable children.

The duo had a go at making Welsh cakes, a traditional treat for St. David’s Day described by King Arthur flour as “a cross between a pancake and a baking powder biscuit.  “

More from British Food and Travel:

Some claim that they date back to medieval times in Wales. Women in each generation handed down their recipes to their daughters and granddaughters.

So what exactly is a Welsh cake? It is a firm dough of flour, sugar, butter, egg and currants. The spices vary, some recipes use none while others add nutmeg or ginger. The dough is rolled out, cut into rounds and cooked on a griddle or bakestone. They are then sprinkled with sugar.

William worked on the dough, and the Duchess cooked them.

Here I think she is basically saying, “take a look.” On the right, 16-year-old Libby, who was helping with the cakes.

From this BBC story: 

In this photo by James Petts from Flickr, you see a batch of cakes. 

We return to the BBC’s story: 

Thomas, 13, said it was “nerve-wracking” helping the prince.

“His Welsh cakes were really unique. He rolled and cut them out,” he said.

But he admitted he probably would not ask the prince to make any more Welsh cakes for him again.

William later asked “what’s happened to them?” and pointed out that one looked like a Pac-man video game character.

The Duke and Duchess also played a little pool before leaving the Hub. 

Another view of the Duchess. 

The couple’s final stop was the Blaenavon World Heritage Site.  More from a Kensington Palace news release. 

“Blaenavon history is an important part of its identity, with parts of the town and surrounding area recognized in 2000 as a World Heritage Site – an outstanding example of how the 18th-19th Century iron and coal industry in Wales drove the Industrial Revolution. The Heritage Site, in partnership with the Blaenavon Hwb, uses the power of culture to empower young people’s voices and helps to promote the area’s rich history through the World Heritage Youth Ambassador program.” 

In this quick video from Kensington Palace, you see the royals with some of the Heritage Site youth ambassadors. 

These young people had fountains of knowledge! Educating us on everything from how many heritage sites there are here in Wales to the importance of the program.

It’s clear that the Hwb & Blaenavon World Heritage partnership really gets to the heart of the needs of young people. pic.twitter.com/eJvycj3R4u

— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) March 1, 2022

Before leaving, the couple “planted a tree for the jubilee.”

The program is a UK-wide initiative. 

The endeavor marks Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee this year by inviting people to “Plant a tree for the Jubilee” as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy.

“Everyone from individuals to Scout and Girlguiding groups, villages, cities, counties, schools and corporates will be encouraged to play their part to enhance our environment by planting trees during the official planting season between October to March. Tree planting will commence again in October 2022, through to the end of the Jubilee year.”

Now for our look at what Kate wore, beginning with the ensemble worn to Pant Farm. 

The Duchess brought back her Seeland Advanced Woodcock Jacket (€239, roughly $266). 

I do not know which pair of skinny jeans the Duchess wore today. UPDATE March 8 2022: With enormous thanks to Bojana, it looks like the Duchess was wearing jeans by Frame, a US-based company.  The ‘Le High Skinny in Film Noir‘ ($189) is made of a cotton/poly/elastane blend described as being super-stretchy. It looked like she was wearing the red scarf first noted in 2011 during the 2011 North American tour, long believed to be a Hugo Boss design.  The Duchess wore the scarf in Canada, and on Christmas Day 2012. 

UPDATE: Thank you to Sem for her comment sharing that this People story quotes Prince William as saying, “She’s wearing a Welsh scarf today though,” William told Gary and Jess Yeomans, who own Pant Farm.”  I interpret this to mean the manufacturer is Welsh, as opposed to referencing the color red, which is the color of the kit worn by the Wales team.  I will do some checking tomorrow and see what I can find out. 

She wore the Blundstone boots seen last week in Denmark, the Classic Chelsea design ($219.95).

With thanks to Mari for the ID, the Duchess was in a pair of earrings by Wales-based jeweler Spells of Love, the brand’s Medium Twist Hoops (£60, about $80 at today’s exchange rates) in sterling silver with 18k recycled gold vermeil.

The company was founded by jewelry designer Hayley Jones in 2016 and notes on its ‘About’ page that “Creating sustainable jewellery that is accessible to a wider audience has been integral to Hayley’s vision from the very beginning.  Spells of Love treads lightly on the planet, championing eco and ethical manufacturing processes and small batch production.”  

Now for the day’s second look.

Many recognized the Sportmax Long Belted Coat, crafted in virgin wool, with wide notched lapels, angled flap pockets, deep back vent, and pick stitching.  The Duchess first wore the coat for Christmas 2015 church services at Sandringham; again in February 2016 for Kate’s first solo engagements in Scotland; again in January 2017 at Sandringham; in March 2019 for engagements in Blackpool, and again today. 

We do not yet have an ID on the turtleneck worn today; I will update the post if I learn anything about the item. 

The Duchess brought back a once-frequently-worn item we haven’t seen for quite a while, her Aquatalia Ruby Dry boots. 

Russell and Bromley offer a similar design shown below left, the Raindrop boot (£295, about $390 at today’s exchange rates), while the closest style I can find at Aquatalia is the Rania ($295). 

I’ll wrap up with one more image from today.

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A very quick note about HM: today, she was feeling well enough to resume some engagements.  Town and Country reports, “And today, the Queen had recovered enough from COVID to virtually receive two ambassadors: Carles Jordana Madero of Andorra and Kedella Younous Hamidi of Chad.  The Queen remained at her home in Windsor while the diplomats were received in Buckingham Palace.”

That is good news. 

VIDEO: 

The Royal Family Channel has more than two minutes of coverage in this clip. 

 And here is almost three minutes of the market visit and walkabout. 

 

LINKAGE: 

• The Abergavenny Chronicle’s coverage is here; the Clacton & Frinton Gazette’s story is here; a Wales Online blog with live coverage is here; the BBC piece is here; a Daily Mail article is here; an Evening Standard story is here.
• Emily Nash’s Hello piece is here; Stephanie Petit’s People story is here.