The Duchess Does a Little Shopping, Kate’s Calendar Getting Crowded (UPDATED)

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We have a very brief note about Kate doing a bit of antiquing yesterday.  The Duchess was seen shopping in the towns of Fakenham and Holt, both are located in Norfolk.  More from the North Norfolk News:

“It was a private visit with friends – she stayed approximately 30 minutes and viewed all rooms.

“She was happy to mingle with other customers and security was very low key.

“No purchases were made by the Duchess, Although some were made by her friends.

The spokesperson added that Kate looked “radiant and well”.

Back to the story in the North Norfolk News:

Clare Kowalyk, who works at Lanes Jewellery on Market Place, said: “She was in town. Apparently she comes here quite a bit.

“She looked in the window (of the shop). There is quite a buzz in the town.”

From the Lanes Jewelry Twitter feed:

The next tweet from Lanes will surprise no one:

Kate was in familiar pieces, including the Really Wild Clothing Company waterproof shooting waistcoat we saw in June of last year, worn when she spent time ‘roughing it’ with kids taking part in a Widehorizons program, an element of the larger ARK charitable organization.

I think this photo may jog some memories. (Recognize the ‘dampers’ or ‘twists’ they are cooking over the fire?)

UPDATED 4.17.13:

Really Wild Clothing Company says that Kate was not wearing the waistcoat shown above. The Company posted on their Facebook page that Kate wore Tweed Waistcoat in Mulberry.

The Tweed Waistcoat in Mulberry, as worn by The Duchess of Cambridge last week. Now in our sale at £150, please contact us if you would like further details.

The link goes to the company’s “Contact Us” page. As of April 17 Really Wild Clothing says the piece is still available, and urges those interested n purchasing it to call them at 01491 352 600, or email them at orders@reallywildclothing.co.uk.

For those fortunate enough to be near Berkshire, the company is doing its first ever warehouse sale in Thatcham, on April 25 and 26.

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Kate’s purple sweater has been seen previously as well, many believe it to be by Ralph Lauren; she also wore a pair of jeans of indeterminate make. You may also recognize Kate’s bag, it is her Tod’s D-Bag, a style actually named after the late Princess Diana.

Diana was very fond of Tod’s and carried an earlier version of the bag. Kate has been seen with different colors, including both grey and tobacco.

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There have been a number of engagements added to Kate’s Calendar.  We have posted previously about Kate’s attendance at next Sunday’s (the 21st) National Review of Scouts at Windsor Castle, followed by the National Scout Service at St. George’s Chapel. More information on that event may be found here.

 Tuesday, April 23: The Duchess will be in Manchester to help inaugurate a new school counseling program, she will visit the Willows Primary School in Wythenshawe. The program is a partnership between the Royal Foundation, as well as Comic Relief, Place2Be and Action on Addiction. More on the Duchess’s role from the School’s website:

The Duchess will be accompanied by Merseyside funny man, John Bishop, a Comic Relief ambassador.  Together, they will meet pupils, parents and staff to hear about their experiences.  The visit is part of a collaboration with Benita Refson, chief executive of Place2Be, a service in school which supports the pupils learning. Benita said “We are delighted to announce that we will be working with The Duchess of Cambridge, Comic Relief and The Willows Primary School.

During her time at the school Kate will meet volunteers, staff, and parents. There will also be private time with children who have benefited from the services of the charity.

Sadly, almost immediately after Kate’s visit was announced the school’s playground was set afire by arsonists. More from the Manchester Evening News

But delight turned into misery after their £40,000 playground frame – dubbed The Fort –was deliberately torched.

The blaze has destroyed the playground but staff have vowed to pull out the stops to ensure the Tayfield Road school is ready for the April 23 visit.

Three 13-year-old boys are suspected of setting the fire. Staff, parents and community members have vowed to rebuild the playground, back to the Manchester Evening News article:

Headteacher Ann Whitehead said the school had already received offers of support from local residents businesses. She said: “We were all devastated when we heard about the fire but we’re not going to let them beat us.

“We’re determined to rebuild the fort with the help of the local community and others, and have had offers already from companies wanting to help us with this.”

Kate is familiar with the M-PACT program, she met families working with the program last October when visiting Stockton-on-Tees.

Wednesday, April 24: Kate attends an evening reception at the National Portrait Gallery. Kate is Patron of the Gallery, most recently she visited in January when her first official portrait was unveiled.  Below we see the Duke and Duchess during that engagement, they are chatting with artist Paul Emsley.

The function on the 24th celebrates the work being done by The Art Room, another of Kate’s patronages. The group uses art therapeutically to help children gain self confidence, and to cope with emotional issues. Below, some recent pieces created by Art Room students.

Some students taking part in Art Room programs will be at the Gallery. The charity’s “Pledge for the Future” campaign will be officially launched.

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Friday, April 26: Kate, William and Prince Harry officially open Warner Brothers Studios Leavesden, an enormous film complex. During WWII the Ministry of Defence produced thousands of aircraft, including the Mosquito Fighter and Halifax Bombers at Leavesden. More recently, this is where all eight of the Harry Potter movies were made. The royals and 500 guests from the trio’s charities will tour the facility and also enjoy The Making of Harry Potter attraction.

One of the Tour highlights is the model of Hogwarts Castle.

Below we show Aragog, the animatronic spider created for ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.’ (I don’t know about you, but I probably wouldn’t need to get too close to this part of the exhibits.)

The trailer that can be viewed on the Warner Bros. website offers a taste of what the Tour is like. Following the Tour there William, Kate, and Harry host a meeting for their Charities Forum in the Great Hall.

Monday, April 29: Kate helps celebrate Children’s Hospice Week. She will visit Naomi House Children’s Hospice. After a tour of the facility she will join some of the Naomi House children and their families in a tea party. More from This is Hampshire:

During the tea party, her Royal Highness will watch a musical performance by Ollie Wade singing his own song Free, written in memory of his brother, Ben, who died in 2011 after he and his family received end of life care and bereavement support at Naomi House.

Ollie’s song will be released at the start of Children’s Hospice Week to raise money for Naomi House.

Children’s Hospice Week runs from April 26 to May 3 and is the UK’s only awareness and fundraising week for children with life-limiting conditions and the services.

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Also, the link for comments is now located at the top of the post, although it appears to open at the bottom of the post. Saying I’ve nary a clue about that change would be an understatement.

LINKAGE:

• The Art Room’s website is here, its Facebook page here
• Learn more about Place2Be via its website
• Read more about Action on Addiction’s M-Pact Program by clicking here
• Visit the Comic Relief website, or its Facebook page here
• Visit the Making of Harry Potter website here, its Facebook page is here, learn more about the Harry Potter sets by clicking here