Kate selected a Hobbs summer dress for today’s launch of a new charitable initiative with William and Harry.

Lewis Whyld/PA Wire/Press Association Images
The event took place at Bacon’s College in Rotherhithe; it is a new project of the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. The partnership with Greenhouse will test a groundbreaking initiative designed to improve sports coaching in schools and communities. More on the project from the Foundation website:
Together we are piloting a new programme for school or higher education leavers to train as professional sports coaches whilst they are still in education.
The project aims to improve the quality and availability of sports coaching and mentoring in inner city schools whilst creating employment at a time when many young people are facing long term unemployment.
Kate, William, and Harry all played sports with the young people gathered for the event, here we see Kate playing table tennis, with thanks to Greenhouse for the photo.
Another look at Kate’s playing the game from CNN’s Max Foster.
Kate chose the Hobbs Wessex dress in linen with a subtle grey checked pattern.
It is a classic silhouette, one well suited to the Duchess.
The Wessex is from Hobbs’ spring/summer collection; it has a modified boat neck, short sleeves, fitted waist, and full skirt and a concealed back zipper. Here are two images showing other angles, thanks to Rebecca English of the Daily Mail for her twitter photos.
This dress originally sold at Hobbs, John Lewis, and other retailers for £119 ($180 at today’s exchange rates), but most recently was discounted to £35 ($55). The dress is sold out on all the online sources I spot-checked.
Here is a better shot of the braided rope belt Kate wore with the frock.

Press Association
William spoke at today’s event, Richard Palmer of the Express shared some of William’s comments via his Twitter feed:
We saw Kate’s trusty Pied a Terre Imperias again.

UK Press Association
The espadrille-style wedge has a canvas upper and buckle slingback; the shoe is available in many colors, including the ‘natural’ worn by Kate. (£80, $160)
This was a beautiful summer look for Kate; the fit and flare silhouette is very flattering on her; it looked ideal for the event without being too dressy or fussy.
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We also have news to share on the Jubilee Tour Kate and William are doing in September. Here is the schedule as released by Clarence House yesterday.
- September 11 – 13: Singapore
- September 13 – 15: Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur and Sabah, Borneo)
- September 16 – 18: Solomon Islands
- September 18 – 19: Tuvalu
More from the Telegraph’s story:
They will be representing the Queen in celebration of her Diamond Jubilee on their first foreign tour since visiting Canada and the US in July last year.
During their stay in Borneo they will visit a rainforest where they could come face to face with orangutans, and where they are likely to learn about efforts to preserve the world’s oldest rainforest, which dates back 130 million years.
Additional Links:
- Learn more about Greenhouse Charity on its website or Facebook page or Twitter feed
- Visit the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge & Prince Harry by clicking here
- Rebecca English’s Daily Mail story is here
- The Telegraph’s video story is here
We’ll be back later today with our post on the Torch Relay.