The Princess of Wales in Alexander McQueen for London Engagements

The Princess of Wales mixed old and new pieces for engagements in London today.

The engagements were chosen to “highlight the importance of nurturing relationships throughout early childhood and beyond, including those outside of ‘traditional’ parent and child settings,” per a Kensington Palace news release.

The day’s first engagement was at the Foundling Museum. Here is a quick video from Victoria Murphy as the Princess arrived.

The Princess of Wales arrives at the @FoundlingMuseum this morning as she carries out engagements in London to highlight the importance of nurturing relationships throughout early childhood and beyond. pic.twitter.com/H5YcLxU42q

— Victoria Murphy (@byQueenVic) May 25, 2023

More from this People story. 

Kate’s first stop was the Foundling Museum, which tells the story of the 18th-century Foundling Hospital, the U.K.’s first children’s charity. It was initially established in 1739 as a home for children at risk of abandonment, and Princess Kate has served as patron of the modern museum since 2019. 

The Princess met with people who have been in the UK’s care system.

Among those in the group, British rapper and entertainer Professor Green (2nd from right), who was brought up in kinship care and is a Shaping Us champion.

Professor Green and actress Karima McAdams at the Shaping Us launch in January. 

We learn more from The Daily Mail’s coverage.

During her visit, the princess met trainees who have taken part in the scheme’s creative writing programme.

Themes of the museum’s current exhibition Finding Family inspired the trainees to create poetry, and the royal joined a conversation between them and the singer to hear more about how creative writing has helped them to express their emotions and own experiences.

The royal said she felt ‘honoured’ to have met the group and hear their aspirations.  

The Princess also met with foster carers and adoptive parents.

People reports, “The small group spoke about the importance of love and support for all children, and how positive relationships have a lifelong impact.”

They also discussed the need to create opportunities for positive, lasting connections with others.

Another view of the Princess at the museum today. 

Here you see the Princess with artist Grayson Perry, CBE, a Foundling Fellow ambassador. The artist and the Princess have worked together on numerous initiatives, including The Art Room.

In related news, the Princess has joined a fundraising effort for the museum—more from this Simon Perry piece for People. 

The organization wants to secure the museum’s home and custodianship of the Foundling Hospital Collection for the next 999 years and needs around $1.2 million. Princess Kate, who is patron of the center, said in a statement released Wednesday that the Foundling Museum has delivered pioneering creative “programs and life-changing support to families and young people for over twenty years.”

“Their ground-breaking work to support each care-experienced young person to fundamentally change the future direction of their lives is one that means the world to me. Importantly, it shows that it is never too late to make a difference, and that by providing the right support, we can enable those who have faced real difficulties to overcome their challenges and achieve their goals,” the royal mom said.

Below, the Princess as she was leaving the museum. 

A social media post from Kensington Palace after the visit.

The day’s second engagement was with a support group hosted by a charity called Kinship. Below, a video from The Mail’s Rebecca English.

I’m @kinshipcharity where the Princess is meeting youngsters and their carers who are not necessarily parents (such as aunts and grandmothers) pic.twitter.com/X3JAXiMtSY

— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) May 25, 2023

Kinship care is described as situations “…when a child is looked after by their extended family or close friends if they cannot remain with their birth parents.”

More on from a Kinship post about today’s visit. 

Her Royal Highness met grandparents, aunts and uncles who have been supported by Kinship, including attending kinship carer peer support groups. While playing with some of the kinship carers’ young children, she heard about their day-to-day experiences of raising their children and the joys and challenges those experiences bring. 

You see Professor Green in this next photo, and his grandmother, Nanny Pat, who raised him.

The Wimbledon Times has more in this story. 

Professor Green, born Stephen Manderson, was raised by his grandmother after his mother gave birth to him at the age of 16.

He said his Nanny Pat was “very nervous” to be meeting the princess and had got her hair done beforehand and bought a new blouse. The rapper added: “It’s the first time Nanny Pat met Kate, she was very nervous.

Speaking about being brought up by his grandmother, Manderson said: “It was just the done thing. Family doesn’t necessarily mean two parents with 2.4 children. My home wasn’t broken.

She attended the two engagements with the British rapper Professor Green – real name Stephen Manderson…

 

The Princess told his grandmother, who was also in attendance, that she had heard “so much” about her as the pair discussed her experience of being a kinship carer. Mr. Manderson said: “When my mum gave birth, the doctor handed me to my nan and that set the tone for the rest of my life.

 

“My nan became my guardian when I was three. The first time I heard about Kinship I rang my nan and told her ‘did you know you were a kinship carer’ and she was like ‘what, no?’”

 

The Princess said: “I don’t think a lot of people in this situation have heard of this term. They are very unfamiliar with it.”

We return to the Wimbledon Times article. 

Kirsty, from south-east London, was at the group session with her nephew Blue, aged three, who she has looked after since he was five months old.

She said after meeting Kate: “It was just so lovely. It means a lot, it really does.

“She was asking what it’s been like for us and what support we get and talking about childhood development.

“She seemed to really care about it, it really was lovely.”

Richard Palmer of The Express shared a couple of videos from the engagement. 

No standing on ceremony for the Princess of Wales today. pic.twitter.com/ENNB35Va5P

— Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) May 25, 2023

One more image from the Kinship engagement.

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

She was in the ice pink Alexander McQueen separates first noted during a June 2022 Early Years roundtable. 

The single-breasted jacket (no longer available) has padded shoulders, side panels, and pointed lapels. The Cropped Tailored Trousers ($735) have a zip front, belt loops, inset side seam pockets, and a back welt pocket.

The top worn beneath the jacket has not yet been identified—thoughts on today’s ensemble from Emily Chan’s piece in British Vogue. 

And now with Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie – starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling – hitting screens in July, the trend is set to enjoy another resurgence in the months to come.

In fact, it seems that even the Princess of Wales can’t resist this summer’s candy-pink mood. The royal stepped out for an engagement at London’s Foundling Museum wearing a pastel-pink suit from Alexander McQueen, which she paired with a matching blouse underneath and a pair of white pumps (a shoe choice that’s become a new summer staple for Kate). Finishing off the look? A statement white belt featuring a pearl buckle that’s reminiscent of the kitschy accessories worn by our favourite Mattel doll.

The Princess accessorized with a belt by British shoe and accessory brand Camilla Elphick. The Pearl White Belt ($120) is calf leather and features the company’s signature oversized pearl buckle.

Thank you to Kylie for this ID! Some readers may recall the Princess wore a pair of shoes by the label when attending a July 2022 polo match. 

We saw the return of the Gianvito Rossi 105 Pumps in white leather. 

The style is on sale at Farfetch ($522) and also available at My Theresa ($695), as well as at 24S ($775). Elyse Walker also has it on sale for just $363, but it is only offered in two sizes. 

The Princess brought back her Maria Black’ Cha Cha’ earrings ($188 for single earrings, $376 for pair).

They are made of recycled sterling silver with 22K gold plating and baroque freshwater pearls. In addition to being offered at Maria Black, they are also sold at Farfetch, at Reiss, and at Garmentory.  

LINKAGE: 

• Visit the Foundling Museum site here; the organization’s Facebook page is here; its Twitter feed is here, and its Instagram page is here.  
• Learn more about the Kinship organization at its site here; the charity’s Facebook page is here; its Twitter feed is here, and its Instagram page is here.

VIDEOS: 

The Royal Family Channel has almost three minutes of coverage in this video.