The Duchess Mixes Old and New Styles in Glasgow

The Duchess of Cambridge blended familiar pieces with a new blouse for today’s engagements in Glasgow, Scotland. 

The Earl and Countess of Strathearn (as the couple is styled in Scotland) were in Glasgow, one of several trips senior royals are making tied to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The day started with a visit to St. John’s Primary School in Port Glasgow.

The couple was at the school to participate in a Roots of Empathy session. 

More from The Telegraph’s story by Hannah Furness. 

The Roots of Empathy programme originated in Canada and is used at schools including St John’s Primary School in Port Glasgow. A local baby and parents visit classrooms, with an instructor on hand to talk children through his or her development and feelings.

The program was organized by one of the Duchess’s patronages, Action for Children. In her People story, Stephanie Petit reports that the program “sees infants taken to visit elementary schools on a regular basis to allow the school children to observe the infants’ development and emotions.”

That is 10-month-old Saul Molloy you see crawling around in class. We learn more from The Mirror’s story. 

Saul has been a so-called ‘tiny teacher’ since he was four months old spending one lesson every week with the children. 

The youngsters quizzed Saul’s mum Laura Molloy, 34, on updates such as whether he was walking and his height, before playing with toys with him on a green mat.

Results are said to show a reduction in violence in adults who have been to classes with babies and greater signs of empathy and emotional intelligence.

The royals joined students in singing Wheels on the Bus and Incy Wincy Spider.

A quick video via The Daily Mail’s Rebecca English. 

William and Kate joined seven-year-olds for the Roots of Empathy class at St John’s Primary School in Port Glasgow organised by @actnforchildren, of which Kate is patron.
The aim is to teach children empathy and the duchess called for classes to be extended across the country pic.twitter.com/BvjGtW0xla

— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) May 11, 2022

Here you see Saul with his mother, Laura.

Another view of the Duchess. 

We go back to The Mirror’s piece one more time. 

The Cambridges then joined 12-year-olds Annie Jones and Zac Hughes, who previously took the Roots of Empathy classes when they were younger.

Describing the class, Kate said: “It’s really amazing as he first came in so small and is now crawling around.

“Amazing just watching, seeing how they reacted to different situations.”

“Do you think enough young people know about empathy and what it means?”

She told them more schools should have classes such as the one she witnessed.

And she spoke about the importance of “emotional vocabulary” and “expressing negative emotions” as an adult.

The Duchess spent time with Saul and his mother.

One more image. 

The couple’s next stop was in the Kennishead neighborhood, where the royals met local tenants of Wheatley Homes Glasgow.

More from this People story.

For their second stop of the day, the couple visited the Wheatley Group — Scotland’s leading housing, care and property-management group tackling homelessness and supporting vulnerable tenants during the cost of living crisis. Over the past two years, they’ve provided more than 5,000 homes to homeless people across Scotland.

The organization is one of the country’s leading housing management companies.

They met people who have been helped through different Wheatley programs.

Another view of the Duchess. 

More from this Metro story.  

Kirsty Holmes, 25, told the couple her four-year-old son Theo’s favourite book is The Gingerbread Man. Kate offered him a cupcake from a plate on the table and praised his Spider-Man glasses.

Afterwards, Ms Holmes said: ‘I enjoyed talking to them, they were very welcoming and down to earth. They seem to really like children, they were asking about our experiences with the books.’

Lynette Wilson, 36, who has children aged one, two and 14, told the couple how she has been helped by Wheatley Foundation’s EatWell emergency food parcel service.

Her daughter Olivia gave William a picture she had drawn of him and Kate told her it was ‘very good’.

The Duke and two-year-old Olivia. 

Olivia took a little tumble but came up smiling. 

The Duke and Duchess heard about the ongoing issues with Scotland’s homeless population.

And met mothers and children who receive books through a partnership with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. The DPIL mails free, high-quality books to children from birth to age five, no matter their family’s income. On the organization’s website, the entertainer notes she “created the Imagination Library as a tribute to my Daddy. He was the smartest man I have ever known, but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams.”

The Duke and Duchess spoke with residents of a new wheelchair-adapted development for tenants aged 55 and over.

And met residents of one of Wheatley’s new-build residences.

They did a quick walkabout. 

And even posed for a selfie. 

The day’s final stop was at the University of Glasgow.

The royals spoke with students about mental health and well-being. 

 The topic is timely as it is exam season at the University.

A Kensington Palace news release notes that “researchers and students in the University’s School of Psychology and Neuroscience are focusing on mental wellbeing and how this can be influenced, both positively and negatively. Their work, and the work of others, is helping to inform some initiatives at the University, and in the wider community of Glasgow, designed to support student mental health. These include peer support initiatives and student-led projects, and Their Royal Highnesses will speak with some of the students delivering this work and taking advantage of it.”

According to the BBC, the couple also met students who have been helping the community get online during the pandemic.

Then it was time for a walkabout.  

There was quite a crowd. 

I think the Duchess is giving Prince William a little wave here.

The Duchess even helped a student solve the day’s crossword puzzle.  More from Rebecca English. 

The Duchess of Cambridge completed a crossword puzzle at the University of Glasgow. Jack Baird was stuck on 7 down:’Forerunner of the Sovereign Grant,the funding provided to support the official duties of The Queen’.Kate knew:Civil List,of course! (tip of the ???? @MattSunRoyal ) pic.twitter.com/GmwV2wKU20

— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) May 11, 2022

Hannah Furness has details in this Telegraph story.  

Speaking afterwards, Mr Baird said: “I was stuck on a clue. It was seven down, which was ‘Forerunner of the Sovereign Grant, the funding provided to support the official duties of The Queen’.

“It was two words of five and four letters. I couldn’t get the second word. I gave it to Kate and asked her as I’m sure she would have known. And she said it was ‘Civil List’.”

He added: “She was very excited. It didn’t look like she was going to get it for a moment.

“I’m really chuffed. I’m going to frame it. She looked thrilled. I think she thought ‘I wouldn’t live this down if I get this wrong’.

The Duchess during today’s walkabout.

How the crowd looked to the Duchess. 

And how it looked through smart phones.

Kensington Palace posted a video of the walkabout. 

So many students! Sorry if we missed you. pic.twitter.com/dqoupFsWS4

— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) May 11, 2022

It was a cool day with temps in the upper 40s. 

A group of youngsters had gifts for the royals.

The little ones were from the University’s nursery.

The couple as they wrapped up the walkabout. 

Now for our look at what Kate wore for the day’s engagements. 

Her coat is by Catherine Walker, first worn for a May 2021 away day in the West Midlands. The Duchess wore it again in November 2021 to visit the Imperial War Museum. The design includes princess seams, notched lapels, and four buttons at the cuff. 

The Duchess was in a new blouse today, the Riley Funnel Neck Blouse (£170, about $210 at today’s exchange rates) by Cefinn Studio. The piece is made in a triacetate/polyester blend and lined in 100% viscose. It has a high stand collar, box pleat at the center front, a back button, and an exposed metal zipper.

A closer look at the details.

Thank you to @innominate_93 on Twitter for this ID.

Cefinn Studio was founded by Samantha Cameron, previously creative director of British accessories brand Smythson of Bond Street. Ms. Cameron is married to former Prime Minister David Cameron. The Duchess has also worn a dress by the brand, the Astrid Raglan Long-Sleeve Maxi ($405, now sold out).  The photo showing her in the garment was taken during private time with the Cambridge children and feels intrusive, so I’ve not included it in any posts.  Below, is the Astrid dress (left & center photos), along with another design in the same print, the Syla Wrap Dress (£290). 

The Duchess had on her Rupert Sanderson Malory Pumps (£495, about $610) in navy suede. 

And carried a bag first seen yesterday, the Polène Paris Numéro Sept Mini ($360).

She also wore her Annoushka Baroque Pearl Drops ($475) suspended from Kiki McDonough Diamond and Yellow Gold Hoops (£500, about $690 at today’s exchange rates).

Today’s blue hues were very much in tune with Scotland’s flag. 

I don’t believe we’ll see the Duchess tomorrow, but do think we will see her Sunday at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, along with the three Cambridge children.  That is because there is a special program Sunday night (local time), The Platinum Jubilee Celebration – A Gallop Through History. More from The Telegraph. 

It has also emerged that even the very youngest of the Queen’s descendants will join the Jubilee celebrations, with 10 of her great-grandchildren riding in a carriage for a pageant at the Royal Windsor Horse Show on Sunday, May 15.

The three Cambridge children – eight-year-old Prince George, seven-year-old Princess Charlotte and four-year-old Prince Louis – will ride a horse-drawn carriage for the “Gallop Through History” gala performance, according to The Sunday Times.

They will be joined by the Queen’s eldest great-grandchildren Savannah and Isla Phillips, who are 11 and 10; Mia, Lena and Lucas Tindall, aged eight, three and one respectively; one-year-old August Brooksbank, son of Princess Eugenie; and Princess Beatrice’s seven-month-old daughter Sienna Mapelli Mozzi.

The Gallop Through History will “see over 500 horses and 1,000 performers create a 90-minute piece of spellbinding arena theatre that will include actors and artists, musicians, international military displays from the Commonwealth and Europe, our own Armed Forces, dancers, and global equestrian displays.” 
UPDATE MAY 15: None of the children appeared. The Telegraph clearly had erroneous information. 

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Unrelated to the Scotland visit, tonight the Duke and Duchess personally posted on their social media accounts, sharing their support for Deborah James. Ms. James is known for her online persona, Bowelbabe, and was a host of the BBC’s popular podcast, “You Me and the Big C.” 

More from The Evening Standard’s story. 

The mother-of-two was diagnosed with incurable cancer in 2016 and revealed that doctors do not know how much longer she has left to live in a heartbreaking Instagram post on Moday.

James has been treated at the Royal Marsden hospital, of which William is patron, and it is one of the beneficiaries of her fund.

Ms. James has been raising funds for cancer research and supporting campaigns that raise awareness of bowel cancer. Here are the Duke and Duchess’s Tweets. Ms. James’s website is here. 

VIDEOS: 

Reuters offers video of the royals singing Wheels on the Bus and reciting nursery rhymes. 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge sang nursery rhymes during a visit to a primary school in Scotland pic.twitter.com/ILNT8rRlyF

— Reuters (@Reuters) May 12, 2022

 The Royal Family Channel has about 3:30 video from the Roots of Empathy engagement. 
Also from the Royal Family Channel, roughly 3:30 from the Wheatley Group engagement. 

 The University of Glasgow posted a 1:30 video. 

Delighted to welcome the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge @KensingtonRoyal to UofG today. They met colleagues and students to talk about mental health & wellbeing. They chatted to lots of #TeamUofG & were presented with gifts by children from our nursery. #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek pic.twitter.com/lttTSnu2HA

— University of Glasgow (@UofGlasgow) May 11, 2022

LINKAGE: 

• Learn more about Roots of Empathy UK here; its Facebook page is here; its Twitter feed is here, and its Instagram page is here.   
• Visit the Dolly Parton Imagination Library here; the Facebook page is here, the Twitter feed is here, and the organization’s Instagram page is here.