Kate joined the Queen and Prince Philip today for a visit to London’s famous Underground.

PA Wire

The occasion was part of the events celebrating the Underground’s 150th Anniversary.

Transport for London

The anniversary was officially marked on January 9, but events commemorating the milestone will go on all year.

Transport for London

It was good to see HM out and about, although most accounts noted that she looked pale. It was the first time she carried out public engagement in almost ten days, she continues to recover from “symptoms of gastroenteritis”.

Rebecca English, The Daily Mail, Mail Online

The Queen was wearing a Karl Ludwig tweed dress with an Angela Kelly hat.  As one might anticipate, everyday Tube riders were surprised to encounter members of the Royal family at an Underground station.

Transport for London Twitter

They were given a tour of Baker Street station, below we see Kate being welcomed with some lovely flowers.

Transport for London

Richard Palmer of the Express explains how Kate came to be involved in today’s function.

She and Philip were joined by Kate, who had scheduled a series of official engagements this week and asked if she could be part of the visit to the historic Tube station after their two offices compared diaries and the Queen formally invited her. “She just fancied it. She asked if she could come along,” a senior royal aide said.

Kate was given a new ‘accessory’ during the visit, one of the famous Baby on Board buttons.

For those unfamiliar with the buttons, here is more from the Daily Mail:

The lapel badges are available free to expectant mothers using public transport as a gentle hint to fellow travellers to offer them their seat and behave, well, in a slightly more courteous manner.

PA Wire

The Duchess did not put the button on but instead commented she would wear it at home. The group also toured a new train and HM unveiled a plaque naming that train ‘Queen Elizabeth II’.

Kate wore a teal blue By Malene Birger coat for today’s engagement. Laure Laura from Kate Middleton Style discovered this posting on a fashion selling/swapping/trading site.

VideDressing.com

The piece is 100% wool with elaborate trim at the neckline and down the front. There are large tabs at the cuffs and on the outer front pockets, accented by oversized buttons. The piece is closed with concealed hook & eye fastenings, if you look closely at the image of the coat back above you will see the additional fabric gathered at the waist.

When our friends at Grazia asked a Malene Birger representative about Kate’s coat they were told it was not one of their designs. But looking at details closely reveals the piece is identical (except for color) as the Malene Birger.

VideDressing.com/PA Wire

The soutache style trim is topped with black beads, those beads are set on individual sequins.

The dual signatures on the inside of the garment confirm the listed piece is by Ms. Birger. You can see the interior pockets and polka dot fabric referenced on the Vide Dressing listing.

VideDressing.com

One FYI, if reading the VideDressing description (which is in French), it may appear the coat style or name was ‘manteau,’ that is merely because manteau is French for coat.

Denmark’s Princess Mary has also worn this piece, it dates back to at least November of 2006.  Coincidentally, Princess Mary was also pregnant when seen in the coat. Many thanks to the WKW Facebook friends who shared this information, as well as those messaging and emailing.

This is not the first time we have seen the Duchess in a coat with the Birger name on it, she wore a piece by Day Birger et Mikkelsen several times, although Ms. Birger left this company to start her eponymous label. We show Kate wearing it to the 2006 wedding of Laura Parker Bowles to Harry Lopes (below left), then again in 2010 for another wedding (Mel Nicholson and Oli Baker at St. Andrews) and once more for the wedding of Zara Phillips (below center) and then July of 2012 for the London Paralympics Opening Ceremonies.

Splash News/Splash News/Paralympic Sport TV

Kate accessorized with a hat we have seen previously, the elegant Whiteley beret-styled piece worn in January of 2011 to the wedding of Harry Aubrey-Fletcher and Louise Stourton.

PA Wire/Splash News

We also saw Kate’s Episode ‘Angel’ pumps again, along with her Cornelia James Wool Gloves with Bow, and sapphire earrings.

House of Fraser/Cornelia James

We have included links below to a few sites, including the London Transport Museum’s Gift Shop. It has all manner of London Underground 150 items, including mugs and books like these.

London Transport Museum Gift Shop

The teal was perfect for Kate’s coloring and the accessories worked well. She truly looks happy and very centered these last few weeks. Today’s coat looked a trifle short though, hopefully the Duchess isn’t planning to stick with the shorter lengths.

I apologize for the tardy post, we’ve encountered significant technical issues throughout the day. We’ll see you Friday for coverage of Kate’s time with the Scouts.

LINKAGE:

• You can visit the Underground’s website here, or the Transport Museum here, the Transport Museum Gift Shop may be found here
• The Daily Mail’s photo-laden story is here
• Watch ITV’s video here, there is also a short video at that link of Kate being given the Baby on Board button
• Visit the Malene Birger website to see its spring collection, the a/w 2013 collection can be viewed here here at Fashionising’s site, those interested in Copenhagen Fashion Week might enjoy visiting that site