The Princess of Wales sported a Hobbs coat and Mango dress for her visit to Colham Manor Children’s Centre.
She was there in her role as Patron of the Maternal Mental Health Alliance (MMHA).
Her patronage was announced this past May. More from ITV’s story.
The MMHA is a UK-wide charity and network of more than 100 organisations, working to ensuring women and families affected by perinatal mental problems have access to high-quality comprehensive care and support.
The Princess took part in a mothers and babies group.
More from Hello’s coverage.
She said: “I think more places like this would be so valuable in communities, bringing people together.” The Princess also told one mum: “It’s fantastic what’s being done here. It’s not about having more services, it’s actually about being able to integrate them.”
Another mother, Saher Hussain, who was there with her 12-month-old daughter Hanna, said she had suffered from post-natal depression but struggled to get support when she had lived in the nearby borough of Harrow. “I was so scared it would happen again and, unfortunately, it did,” she said. “But it’s been a lot easier to find the support in Hillingdon.”
The group included women supported by Birth Companions and Home Start Hillingdon, two charities that are part of the MMHA.
A video from Rebecca English of The Daily Mail.
The princess was at Kate was at Colman Manor Children’s Centre to see how mothers experiencing a variety of problems ranging from loneliness to post-natal depression, addiction and brushes with the law can get help from experts and volunteers. pic.twitter.com/wgkCQHTDIL
— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) November 9, 2022
Colham Manor was selected for today’s engagement as an example of how the borough’s integrated efforts help mothers and families.
The Princess also spent time speaking with representatives of charities working with perinatal mental health issues.
The Daily Mail’s coverage has more.
The royal went on to meet representatives from agencies working across perinatal services including specialist psychiatry staff, midwives, health visitors and social workers for a roundtable discussion.
There, they discussed how the service has developed to meet the needs of the most vulnerable mothers in their community,
Earlier this year, the royal said no mother is ‘immune to experiencing anxiety and depression’ in a video to mark becoming patron of the MMHA.
In a social media post, the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood noted, “Perinatal mental health issues can be devastating for women and their families. Today’s visit showed the importance of compassionate, high-quality support through pregnancy and the early years, which can make all the difference to parents and their babies.”
The Princess was given a lovely bouquet.
Another view.
There was a darling moment when the Princess arrived as she stopped to talk with Akeem, who is three.
This People article has more.
Appearing not to have any shyness about speaking to a royal, Akeem asked Kate her name. “My name is Catherine,” she told Akeem, who simply replied, “Okay,” prompting laughter from the gathered crowd.
When Akeem showed interest in Kate’s poppy pin, which is worn in remembrance of those who lost their lives in war, she offered for him to have it. “Do you know what this is for?” Kate asked as she took the pin off her coat. “It’s for remembering all the soldiers who died in the war. There you go — that’s for you.”
As Akeem held the poppy, the mom of three made sure to give the pin to his mother, who was standing nearby.
Rhiannon Mills of Sky News posted a video of the encounter.
It’s not everyday you get a poppy from a Princess ???? Akeem who’s 3 was very chatty when Kate unexpectedly stopped to say hello at a maternity mental health visit so she gave him her remembrance poppy. Thanks Liberty from Colham Manor primary and Akeem’s mum for letting me share pic.twitter.com/ykP1wyujtf
— Rhiannon Mills (@SkyRhiannon) November 9, 2022
Following today’s engagement, Kensington Palace posted on Twitter.
A wonderful first visit with the Maternal Mental Health Alliance this morning, seeing its work and the benefit a holistic approach brings to so many mothers and families.
Spending some time with new mothers, understanding more about their experiences of mental health and how integrated services are making a real difference in the community.
Now for our look at what Kate wore today.
She wore a coat by Hobb’s, the British retailer’s ‘Lori’ Wool Cashmere Blend Belted Coat, with thanks to Elizabeth at Kate’s Closet and Carly at Kate Middleton Style for the joint ID effort.
The midi-length garment is made of 68% wool, 19% cashmere, and 13% polyamide. The double-breasted style is inspired by military design and features wide lapels, a stand collar, cuff detailing, and a self-belt.
Beneath the coat, the Princess wore a dress by Mango, the retailer’s Ribbed Knit Midi Dress (£35.99, now sold out). Thank you to Natasha for this ID, and also Regal Replikate.
The ribbed-knit dress is also midi-length, with long sleeves and what I would call a mockneck as opposed to a crewneck, as the piece is described online. It is made in a fabric that is 78% polyester and 22% polyamide. The piece is part of Mango’s Committed Collection, made with more sustainable fibers and processes. Mango says that in 2020, 19% of its polyester-composed garments were made with recycled polyester; they cite a goal of 50% recycled polyester use by 2025. (Read more on the company’s practices here.)
Thoughts on the look from this British Vogue story.
What do Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Sienna Miller and the Princess of Wales have in common? They’re all fans of a knitted midi-dress. To visit a children’s centre in Middlesex on Wednesday afternoon, Kate selected a sleek ribbed dress in khaki green, and styled it under a belted coat in a similar shade.
The Princess frequently mixes affordable pieces with her Alexander McQueen formalwear and Jimmy Choo heels, but her latest high-street find is from a retailer that’s especially popular with the street-style set: Mango. Camille Charrière just unveiled a collaboration with the brand, and celebrities from Sienna to Selena Gomez have been snapped wearing its pieces.
The Princess brought back her ‘Palace’ Handbag by Jimmy Choo (no longer available) that was first noted when carried in Galway in March 2020. The leather bag has a croc-embossed design, measures roughly 8″ x 5″ and comes with a detachable strap so it can be carried as a crossbody or shoulder bag.
She also repeated her Gianvito Rossi 85 point-toe pumps in dark olive suede.
With thanks to Middleton Maven, her belt looks very much like Ralph Lauren’s Crocodile-Stamped Leather Belt (£149, about $170 at today’s exchange rates). The leather belt features a crocodile-embossed print with a double-prong buckle, and it measures about 1.25″ wide.
The Princess wore her hair down today.
And her Kiki McDonough Classic Citrine Pear Drop Earrings (£550, roughly $630).
The Princess also wore a poppy on both her coat and her dress.
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Also today, updates on Saturday’s ensemble. You may remember we did not have a firm ID on the boots worn by the Princess.
Today Middleton Maven shared news from Gianvito Rossi that the boots are a custom-made design.
The skirt worn by the Princess is similar to this CO Pleated Skirt ($695) in a color called Cabernet, with thanks to Laura for the tip. There was also a Zara past-season skirt that was mentioned, but unfortunately, I forgot to bookmark it and now cannot find the info or photos. If I do find it, I will add it to the post.
VIDEO:
The Royal Family Channel shares more than three minutes of video from today’s engagement.
ElizaMo
Sunday 13th of November 2022
I love the colour of this dark olive Hobbs coat on Catherine, I find it most flattering on her. In your second to top picture it almost looks as if there is an attractive sheen on the fabric, which also hangs nicely. The coat which has a remarkably neat fit for one with a tie belt, something which can easily become bulky. It is a lovely length on her.
I think Catherine is brave with her mixing of greens as they are notoriously hard to match, but she seems to get away with it. The Mango dress scores many points by virtue of being both High Street and recycled material. It's one way she can keep up the professional monochrome look-- that underscores her new role -- without unnecessary outlay. The dress is a simple, fun design, and Catherine is wise to choose such a flexible style around children, she has plenty of room for comfortable movement. I like that she upgrades it with a Ralph Lauren belt.
The Jimmy Choo clutch is another neat upgrade which also has the virtue of being a re-wear, and it's touching to see Catherine stick to a favourite style of shoe in the repeat Gianvito Rossi 85 pump. The translucent McDonough citrine drops prove their worth once again with their ability to blend in with whatever is being worn. A most satisfying ensemble for the occasion.
Sweet Sue
Sunday 13th of November 2022
This ourfit is very similar to the very bland camel outfit from a few days ago. I like this much better. The green is a much better color on Catherine. The coat has buttons so it hangs correctly when closed. The belt is more polished and fits better with the dress. All that said, and while I like knit dresses very much, I hope this outfit doesn't become Catherine's go to look because it is somewhat boring. I did hear that the palace won't be releasing details on her outfits going forward to take the focus off what she's wearing to what she's doing. And while I very much agree with that philosophy (and why I like this site so much because you do focus first on the event), I would hate for Catherine to become an intentionally boring dresser!
Amber
Saturday 12th of November 2022
I'm a huge fan of monochromatic outfits, and this is my favorite shaded of green on Kate (and on me :).
Louisa
Saturday 12th of November 2022
Is this the first instance of the Princess wearing Mango? I can’t recall any other items from this brand, at least not in her official wardrobe. This olive green knit dress looks fantastic on her, and the coat with its wide self-tie is very figure flattering. I know some WKWers would like to see more rewears (I wouldn’t mind this either), but I do appreciate Catherine choosing such a modestly priced dress that is also more eco-conscious. It’s in line with William’s environmental work as well as sensitive to the difficult economic conditions in the UK and elsewhere.
admin
Saturday 12th of November 2022
No, she has worn other designs by the brand, including a green top seen at a SportsAid event: https://whatkatewore.com/2020/02/26/kate-mixes-old-and-new-for-sportsaid-engagement/. :)
Sue V
Friday 11th of November 2022
This is not a specific comment on Catherine's outfit for this engagement (indirectly perhaps, as the IDs seem to have come from IG/Twitter Catherine fashion cognoscenti rather than her office?) but I read an article online today that Catherine’s aides were no longer going to give out details about her outfits at engagements, excepting high-profile State occasions or overseas visits. The reason given was that writing about her fashion choices (and the cost) for ‘normal’ engagements tended to overshadow the actual cause. I think this is particularly true about certain types of the press, either in their online or print versions, so it is an understandable stance to take.
I do not think it will impact WKW much: on this site we always see a variety of photos, clips that showcase what the PoW has worn for us to discuss, debate, make suggestions, and there seem to be plenty of ‘eyes’ that manage to pinpoint where an outfit has come from. Plus we are also here for the knowledgeable background information.
However, from a personal point of view and one I frequently reference in my comments, I would really like to see Catherine and her team take this a step further by making much more use of re-wears of existing garments. So much of Catherine’s wardrobe is in a classic, timeless style which, with a bit of tweaking (alterations, mix’n’match of accessories, bolder choice of combining existing items) would give ‘new’ outfits and not cost a penny, or very few.
It will be interesting to see how this pans out.....
Zell
Tuesday 15th of November 2022
@Sue V, I like the idea of not having the prices or even the designers of what Kate wears given out by her people. It gives us all a chance to just enjoy her outfits for the sake of their beauty, alone. It also will, I hope, take a bit of pressure off the Princess of Wales, who surely must sometimes feel like a dress-up doll for the masses to comment on, critique, rebuke or even to praise. The princecess is much more than what she wears.
ElizaMo
Sunday 13th of November 2022
@Sue V, I think they are caught between a rock and a hard place on this. To my mind the clothes are the very thing that help bring attention to each outing and it might be a fool's errand to try to control that. I don't see how discussion on the outfits can be avoided when they are clearly intelligent choices by an intelligent woman and should be celebrated. Fashion is not trivial, it has only acquired that reputation through the misogyny which cancels anything that mostly interests women.
I'd be sorry to see the official confirmations go as they help prevent misinformation spreading and the IDs will keep on coming regardless. If fashion is the rock in the question, then I guess the hard place must be the cost of living crisis, about to hit the UK full-on. Listing items might be seen as flaunting a bigger wardrobe budget than others, but Catherine has stepped into the new role of Princess of Wales and has a higher status to keep up, her clothes are a part of that.
She is already a confirmed recycler, and like other royal ladies, not only makes use of High Street labels, as per Mango above, but also picks from the range of recycled and vintage available. I'd have said she does more than enough to be considered responsible. They can try to stop the official listings of what is worn, but I can see them having to backtrack at some stage. A worthy experiment, no doubt
Lindsay
Sunday 13th of November 2022
@Sue V, I agree that she probably has enough classic coats to last a lifetime! However, I like it when she wears a lesser known or young designer, bringing them much needed attention and boosting their career. I particularly enjoy seeing the thought that goes into engagements abroad or with foreign leaders. And I think she has the ability to highlight sustainable and ethical fashion, gently nudging the industry forward. By wearing these brands even once in public, she can do a lot to make ethical practices economically viable. While I don’t need to hear about Alexander McQueen or Chanel, I hope to continue to hear about the smaller and more affordable brands that are trying to use best practices in labor and environmentally friendly production!
Constance
Saturday 12th of November 2022
Sue V's post is very interesting in her discussion that Catherine (or her advisors) want more focus on her work and causes than on her clothes (this may cause more of a treasure hunt in reporting for Susan et al!). I too would like to see her wear clothes more than once and think people would respond well to that (except in the case of her occasional "misses"). I also like it when she includes something more reasonably priced. However, when her clothing choices highlight British designers or shops that creates good publicity (and sales), which I think is also appreciated during this economic downturn. So I think she would have to balance the approach.
I especially admire Catherine's coats. It is difficult to find coats that are longer than one's dresses or skirts but an unattractive look to wear coats that are shorter. I like the olive coat and shoes but not this particular dress.
berenike
Friday 11th of November 2022
@LadyLeah, Hi. I so agree with you. The most certain way to make people interested in Catherine's clothes is that she constantly wears something new. People are therefore understandably interested to see what she is wearing this time and that increases interest in her clothes. If people would not expect something new every time, they might pay more attention into whats been said and done. I too believe, that she has enough clothes to re-wear and still look a jour for a year at least, without buying anything new at all. Look at the new Queen, she re-wears her clothes reasonably often and nobody has critized her for that.