The Princess in Victoria Beckham for Early Childhood Engagement

Hello, and welcome to an abbreviated post covering Thursday’s engagement by the Princess of Wales. We had some major technical work done on the site, and I wasn’t able to post for several days; as a result, coverage of the Princess’s visit to Home-Start Oxford was delayed.

Home-Start Oxford is part of a network of charities that help support more than 60000 families throughout the UK. It is located about an hour northeast of Windsor.

Home-Start is starting to roll out training based on the Center for Early Childhood’s film series. The animated films are used to help demonstrate how “…building social and emotional skills in the earliest years is crucial for healthier, happier outcomes in adulthood,” per a Kensington Palace news release. 

The Princess joined a training session as volunteers watched the films and discussed how they can support nurturing interactions in their family support groups.

During Thursday’s visit, the Princess met with volunteers and families.

We learn more from this piece in The Express by Emily Ferguson.

Crouching down to help youngsters who were making colourful cakes from plasticine and flour, Kate appeared entirely at ease in the lively environment as she chatted with mothers about her own children.

Kate, who was completely unfazed that her designer olive green suit was getting dusted in flour, visited Home-Start Oxford on Thursday to learn about the charity’s work supporting parents juggling work, finances and creating loving homes for their families.

More about the visit from this Hello story by Danielle Stacey.

The Princess spoke to sisters Mariam Namakula, 30, and Sumayya Nabatanzi, 28, from Oxford, as their combined five children ran around having fun. When one of the children injected Kate with a toy syringe, the royal was left with flour on the jacket of her trouser suit and she asked another child “What are you making, are you making a cake? Delicious”.

Ms Namakula said afterwards: “She was enjoying herself with the kids and said ‘the messier it is, the better the fun’. Kate was saying Charlotte enjoys the outdoors and doing activities, and making things and how her kids are growing up fast. She said George is 12 years old and would soon be starting secondary school.”

A group photo.

The Princess also spent time chatting with well-wishers gathered near Home-Start. 

Another view. 

Additionally, on Thursday, an academic essay the Princess co-authored, titled “The Power of Human Connection in a Distracted World,” was released. Below is a portion of that essay by the Princess and Professor Robert Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study on Adult Development.

While new technology has many benefits, we must also acknowledge that it plays a complex and often troubling role in this epidemic of disconnection. While digital devices promise to keep us connected, they frequently do the opposite. Our smartphones, tablets, and computers have become sources of constant distraction, fragmenting our focus and preventing us from giving others the undivided attention that relationships require. We sit together in the same room while our minds are scattered across dozens of apps, notifications, and feeds. We’re physically present but mentally absent, unable to fully engage with the people right in front of us.

So, what are we to do about these trends driving us away from human connection? The answer begins with recognising that attention is something we can choose to give each other in every moment – at home, at work, in our communities

Now, we turn to our look at what Kate wore for Thursday’s engagement.

The Princess repeated the Victoria Beckham separates first worn in May when presenting a British Fashion Award.

The jacket has now been named the “Katherine” ($1250); the pants are called the “Alina Trouser” ($750). Both are crafted in a blend of polyester/wool/elastance in a color called “willow” by the brand. 

Many thought the Princess wore the ensemble as a subtle nod of support for Ms. Beckham, coinciding with the release of a Netflix documentary. This coverage is from Tamara Abraham’s column in The Telegraph.  

You’d need to be living under a rock to have missed the fact that the Netflix documentary about Victoria Beckham is available to stream today.

It appears to be on the Princess of Wales’ radar too, given that she chose to wear a Victoria Beckham suit for an engagement in Oxford this morning.

In a rare nod to the celebrity news cycle Catherine wore a sharply tailored olive green blazer and trousers for a visit to Home-Start Oxford…

At this point, the top worn beneath the jacket is UFO, although there is a strong similarity to the past-season chartreuse ‘Hallie’ style from N. Peal.   

We saw the return of the Celia Pumps ($750), a point-toe style with a 4” heel by Ralph Lauren.

And the Green Amethyst (prasiolite) Pear Drop Earrings (£850, about $1130 at today’s exchange rates) by Kiki McDonough.

The Princess also wore her Daniella Draper Gold Trio Diamond Midnight Moon Necklace ($1800), personalized with her children’s initials, and her five-ring stack. That includes her wedding band, her engagement ring, an Annoushka Eclipse Eternity Ring, what is believed to be Cartier’s Étincelle sapphire and diamond band, and a second diamond eternity band.

One late addition to the post: confirmation of a state visit by Germany to the UK in December. More from this BBC story. 

The president of Germany will visit the UK later this year, Buckingham Palace has announced.

The visit by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, from 3 to 5 December, will be the first German state visit to the UK in 27 years.

King Charles and Queen Camilla will host the visit at Windsor Castle as Buckingham Palace is undergoing renovations.

I imagine the Prince and Princess of Wales will play a key role in this visit, something more to look forward to in December! I’ll leave you with one more photo from Thursday. 

NOTE: It looks like we may have lost a few comments due to the technical work, and others were delayed in posting. I apologize for any missing comments that may have gotten lost in the cyber-shuffle.