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The Princess in Karen Millen & Emily Mortimer for Hospital Visit

The Princess in Karen Millen & Emily Mortimer for Hospital Visit

The Princess of Wales debuted a new British brand for a visit to Royal Surrey Hospital today. 

The Princess was there to visit the hospital’s maternity unit and learn about the holistic support it provides pregnant women and new mothers.

A video as the Princess was welcomed at the hospital. 

The hospital delivers and cares for about 3,000 babies each year.

The Daily Mail noted in its story, “The unit’s ethos is that high-quality maternity and early years care can improve long-term health of the population – a belief the Princess of Wales champions in her work with the Centre for Early Childhood.” Some will recall the Princess is patron of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance

More from Stephanie Petit’s People story

…Kate met staff from the unit’s Jasmine Team, which helps the one in five women affected by mental health illnesses during pregnancy and the postnatal period. She heard how the team collaborates with local services to provide tailored care and spoke with a mother who benefited from the support. 

The hospital received a UNICEF UK Baby-Friendly Gold Award in 2022 for its work on infant feeding and parent-child relationships. More from The Evening Standard’s piece

She was also visiting the hospital’s special care baby unit (SCBU) which provides specialist neonatal care for tiny and premature babies to meet a family who were helped to bond with their baby.

The SCBU is one of only a few units nationally which has the ability for mothers to remain close to their babies at all times through round-the-clock cot side sleeping facilities.

There were moments of levity during the visit. 

The Princess met several newborns and their parents and spoke about her own children. We learn more from The Mirror’s coverage

Meeting baby Giles Talbot-Erasus, she remarked: “I keep thinking Louis is a baby but he’s a big boy now. It just feels like yesterday.”

Admiring his mittens, which covered long fingernails, she added of the newborn’s scrunched-up pose: “George was so huddled up too, he spent quite a few days like that.”

The Princess spent time with Szilvia Novak, seen here with her new daughter, Bianca. 

We return to The Mirror’s article

..the new mum, originally from Budapest in Hungary, asked the princess if she would like to hold the baby while the pair were talking in the hospital’s Special Baby Care Unit.

Kate replied: “Am I allowed to?” before a member of staff helped Ms Novak pass the baby to Kate. As she cradled Bianca in her  arms, Kate said: “She’s very sweet.”

Afterwards, Ms Novak said: “(The princess) was lovely to speak to. I was really impressed. You don’t feel like you have classes between you. It’s really nice.”

Bianca was born six weeks premature.

Below, the Princess with Andrew and Jessica Kemp and their new son, Hugo.

Chris Ship of ITV pointed out that as the Princess wrapped up her visit, there was quite a crowd eager to see her.  

In a social media post, Kensington Palace reports: “It was lovely to meet some of the new mothers and their babies who are supported by such a brilliant team at the hospital.”

Now for our look at what Kate wore. 

She was in Karen Millen’s Structured Crepe Forever Pleat Belted Midi Dress ($300 with promo code DRESS, normally $376), a design made with recycled polyester. Part of the label’s Ready for the Future collection, the piece features a knife-pleated skirt, elbow-length sleeves that are darted and puffed at the shoulder, a notched neckline, concealed side zipper, and self-belt.

The fabric is a blend of 64% Polyester, 31% Viscose, and 5% Elastane. Learn more about the Ready for the Future collection in this PDF.

The dress was also available on sale at Debenhams but in limited sizes. Thank you to Carly at Kate Middleton Style for an amazingly speedy ID of this piece. 

The Princess brought back one of her bags by Emmy London. It looks like carried the Natasha in Midnight Navy ($420). 

And it looked like she repeated her navy Gianvito Rossi 105 PumpsThe Princess wore a new pair of earrings by another British designer, Emily Mortimer. With thanks again to Carly at Kate Middleton Style, it looks like she wore the brand’s Hera White Gold and Diamond Earrings (£795, about $900 at today’s exchange rates). The earrings showcase detachable drops in pavé diamonds surrounding a pear-cut polished gold piece on hinged hoops. 

Here is one more photo from today.

NOTE: The post has been updated to reflect the fact the Princess has worn Karen Millen before. I believe all of the instances when she wore the label were prior to her wedding in 2011. Many thanks to Anna Marie for the heads-up. Here is a link to an eBay auction with an image of the Princess wearing the brand: https://ebay.to/3Cyxkrw

A note about the site: since Sunday morning, we have had intermittent outages on the site. When it has been viewable, the posts only go through mid-August. We are working (like crazy) with our hosting company to get all of the content restored and hope to have the situation remedied within 24 hours. I apologize for the inconvenience and hassle factor; I know it has been a pain in the neck for many of you trying to access the site, let alone the most recent content. 

 
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Monica

Wednesday 12th of October 2022

Maybe she chose the colour because of recent studies on newborn about visual colour identification or just as symbol of optimism.

shannon

Sunday 9th of October 2022

Beautiful bright colour on a dull autumn day like the dress style but the shoes are rather plain would of proffered some white heels instead!But her hair is so gorgeous and youthful she's giving me #Hairenvy

Dawn C

Saturday 8th of October 2022

I really like this dress! The color is fun but not the best color for Kate. I will never understand why designers put seams on the bust area that look unfortunate. I still like it though and the fit is just right for Kate's figure.

Diane

Saturday 8th of October 2022

Susan, so sorry about the technical issues you are having but I am relieved to know there isn't something more serious wrong. I hope the site gets fixed and the hassle is over for you soon.

admin

Saturday 8th of October 2022

Thank you for the good thoughts, Diane! (It has been a week.????)

Patty

Saturday 8th of October 2022

That dress is gorgeous. Great selection for the Princess.

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