Year in Review 2017, Part 1: A Brexit Charm Offensive

It's that time of year again! Welcome to the first of our Year in Review: 2017 posts. A highlight on the blog is always looking back at the events, notable engagements, family photos and fashion highlights of the past twelve months. As with last year, a substantial chunk of Kate's duties were carried out abroad, and once again we've dividing the Year in Review into two posts. In Part 1, we're looking at the Duchess' trips in Europe.

March

Unusually, the Cambridges did not visit a Commonwealth country in 2017. Instead, the Foreign Office had one firm focus on their mind: Brexit. The Royal couple were deployed on several visits across Europe in what was described as a "soft power diplomatic charm offensive". William and Kate's first trip as goodwill ambassadors saw them undertake a two-day visit to Paris to bolster Anglo-French relations as Britain prepared to exit the European Union.

On St Patrick's Day, 17 March, the couple attended a parade with the 1st Battalion Irish Guards at Cavalry Barracks, Hounslow before boarding a flight to Paris where they were greeted at Élysée Palace by President Francois Hollande. The Duchess sported her green Catherine Walker coat which did double duty from the parade to the palace. An aide said of the meeting: "They are very grateful that the President has invited them to the the Elysee Palace for a meeting at the very start of their trip, which gives you an indication of the importance and status of the visit."

Following a quick change - into a bespoke McQueen dress, Gianvito Rossi pumps and pearls - it was time for a reception at the British Embassy.

William and Kate met young French leaders and a host of well-known faces including Jean Reno and Audrey Tatou.

Day one closed with a glittering gala dinner and the appearance of a shimmering new Jenny Packham gown.

Day two saw William and Kate undertake several engagements in the City of Light. The Duchess was clad in bespoke Chanel. The piece was described as "striped cotton tweed waisted frock coat with a box pleated skirt and bracelet sleeves in blue and red". Given Kate's talent for sartorial diplomacy, the fashion power house was the natural choice for the day. I loved this look, the belt the bag, the shoes...

Part of the day saw Kate meet inspirational Jessica who was wounded in the Paris attacks. The Mail Online reported: "The Duchess asked how she had found readjusting to life after the accident. 'You feel like you're in a dream,' Jessica said, adding that she had tried to view her rehabilitation work as a job in the week, and enjoy her weekends as she did before. She used her convalescence to learn Italian, and is now hoping to work organising fashion shows, telling the Duchess she had noted her Chanel outfit. 'I was ambitious, I am still ambitious,' she said, speaking in English. 'If I want revenge I must live and work and prove they [the terrorists] can't touch how we live in our great country. It sparked something: I realised you need to live.'"

Playing Rugby in Chanel :)

A memorable photo from the beautiful Musée d'Orsay.

When it comes to picturesque moments Paris is the city that keeps on giving. The Duke and Duchess posed for photos at the Trocadéro - with a stunning view of the Eiffel Tower as the backdrop.

The Cambridges concluded their visit to Paris with an appearance at the Six Nations Rugby match between Wales and France.

May

The Duchess undertook her second solo overseas visit as a member of the Royal family in May - carrying out a variety of engagements in Luxembourg. Kate represented Her Majesty at commemorations marking the 150th anniversary of the 1867 Treaty of London that confirmed the country's independence and neutrality.

On arrival, Kate's first port of call was the Grand Duke Jean Museum of Modern Art (MUDAM). The Duchess was accompanied by Princess Stéphanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. I do so enjoy seeing various royal families together and Kate and Stephanie made quite the royal pairing!

Kate toured exhibitions and was keen to learn more about iconic works of art.

Teo Schlek was feeling very shy when he met Kate :)

Kate selected a bespoke pale blue Emilia Wickstead coatdress for the day. Below, Kate and Prince Guillaume.

Kate was given a guided tour of 'Luxembourg 1867 – Open City', the new exhibition, which explains how the dismantling of Luxembourg’s fortifications laid the foundation for the transformation of Luxembourg into an open and outward-looking city and country. The royals viewed original copies of the treaty and a model of Luxembourg City before the fortress’ demolition.

July

July was a busy month for William and Kate with trips to three European countries. The Cambridges undertooke a five-day tour of Poland and Germany, with two very special guests accompanying them :)

Speaking in Warsaw at the start of the tour, British Ambassador to Poland, Jonathan Knott told Sky News: "One of the features as you know of the Royal family is that they are apolitical, they are above politics, so this is really about the connection between peoples, between organisations. "That's one of the reasons why we've made sure that they talk both about Poland's past, but also that they see some of the potential for collaboration in future."

Kate and First Lady Agata talking among a sea of UK and Poland flags.

Wherever William and Kate travel, my favourtie photos always come from the walkabouts and the excitement from those they meet.

They visited the Warsaw Rising Museum, which opened on the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of fighting in Warsaw. The Museum is dedicated to the uprising of 1944 which saw the Polish resistance Home Army attempt to liberate Warsaw from German occupation. The couple met members of the Polish Army and WWII Resistance.

Kate selected McQueen and dazzling ruby and diamond jewellery for the day.

In honour of the royal visit, the British Ambassador hosted a Queen's Birthday Party at the picturesque Orangery in Łazienki Park.

Kate's choice of dress by Gosia Baczynska proved quite divisive on the night. The Duchess tends to wear at least one piece by a local designer when touring another country and the reception seemed the perfect time to choose a Polish design. The dress is really quite a departure from Kate's signature look; it's a contemporary piece but was also quite edgy for the Duchess. The black and white dress features a plunging neckline and leaf embellishment at the waist.

Day two in Poland remains the most memorable day of the Royal tour for me.

The couple paid a sombre visit to the former Nazi Concentration Camp, Stutthof. Stutthof was one of the last camps to be liberated by the allies, in May 1945. 110,000 people – men, women and children – from 28 countries were imprisoned in Stutthof, of whom as many as 65,000, including 28,000 Jews, died. The couple had the honour of spending time with Zigi and Manfred - two friends who returned to the place of nightmares for the first time since the war ended.

Afterwards, Mr Shipper said William and Kate were clearly 'very moved' by what they saw, adding: 'You could see their faces. They were in pain.' Reflecting on his decision to return he added he 'most probably' wouldn't have returned to Stutthof if it wasn't for the royal visit but said he realised how 'important' it was to come back now he had returned. He had returned to Auschwitz-Birkenau several times, where he was also held. He said: 'I asked myself many times "why don't I want to go to Stutthof? I don't know. But when I came I realised how important it was."'

In the guest book, they wrote: "We were intensely moved by our visit to Stutthof, which has been the scene of so much terrible pain, suffering and death. This shattering visit has reminded us of the horrendous murder of six million Jews, drawn from across the whole of Europe, who died in the abominable Holocaust. It is, too, a terrible reminder of the cost of war. And the fact that Poland alone lost millions of its people, who were the victims of a most brutal occupation. All of us have an overwhelming responsibility to make sure that we learn the lessons and that the horror of what happened is never forgotten and never repeated."

From there, the couple travelled to Gdansk where a rapturous welcome awaited them.

The day was a perfect example of the logistical challenges the tight schedules on overseas trips can present. Within a very short space of time, the Cambridges went from a concentration camp to a street party.

They tried some Polish and Gdansk delicacies, including Goldwasser, a traditional liqueur with flakes of gold. "It is very good, very sweet," William said. "And very strong," Kate added.

Finally, William and Kate visited the European Solidarity Centre, in Gdansk’s shipyards, the birth-place of the Solidarity movement in Poland. On departure they walked through the iconic shipyard gates, a key symbol of the protests during the 1980s, before laying flowers at the foot of the Solidarity Monument to Fallen Shipyard Workers, who died during the suppression of a workers' strike in 1970.

The following morning it was time to say goodbye to Warsaw.

A final look at Warsaw from Prince George...

And "Hello Berlin" from Princess Charlotte :)

Matching mother-daughter bouquets.

The day's engagements began with an official welcome and lunch with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

William and Kate's next stop was the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin’s most famous landmark and a symbol of German unification. The couple posed for photos upon arrival; we generally see them do this at least once during tours when visiting a landmark. It always lends itself to fantastic photos. Once again, we saw Kate opting for an elegant Catherine Walker ensemble for the varied day.

William and Kate travelled to the eastern district of Marzahn to visit Strassenkinder, a charity which supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, including homeless children. Strassenkinder care for 200 children daily, providing welfare assistance, education and sports activities.

There was a lovely moment when a little boy ran up to Kate for a hug before she left.

That night, it was red McQueen and Simone Rocha earrings for the Queen's Birthday Party at the Ambassador's residence in Berlin.

In a diplomatic speech, William raised Brexit: "This relationship between the United Kingdom and Germany really matters.  It is the product of many years of working closely together.  It will continue despite Britain's recent decision to leave the European Union."

Heidelberg was a very appropriate stop for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - it has been twinned with Cambridge since 1965.

At the German Cancer Research Centre, William and Kate received a briefing on leukaemia.

They wandered through the central market square, on which a British-German market was set up offering local food and drink. After a quick lesson from local apprentices, the Duke and Duchess got to grips with pretzel making.

William and Kate embarked on a rowing boat each joined by rowers from Cambridge and Heidelberg. Richard Palmer reproted: "Kate had jokingly told her crew: 'No pressure, but I do want to beat my husband,' before the race and she was given a huge advantage over William after an Olympic gold medalist was chosen to be in her boat. Filip Adamski, who was in the winning German eight in the London 2012 Games, was selected as her stroke. The rest of both crews were made up of local amateur crews from Cambridge and Heidelberg. William, with a hint of bravado, insisted it was 'fine' when told he was up against an Olympic champion as he arrived on the banks of the Neckar. But he admitted to his wife: 'This could  be a challenge,' before setting off without any advice on how to cox. Kate spent several minutes taking tips from her teammate before setting off, admitting she was 'worried about crashing' and indicating with her hands that she feared zig-zagging along the water."

William looked over and said "we're going to get them. Let's keep it up".

Prince William's team was victorious in the end. It's fun to see friendly competition between the couple and best of all for royal fans it produces brilliant photos.

Cheers!

That evening, the Duke and Duchess attended a reception in the vintage mirrored hall of Clärchens Ballhaus. Ahead of the reception the British Council said: "Both the British Council and Their Royal Highnesses William, the Duke of Cambridge, with his wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, share the same passion about strengthening the intercultural and international links between Britain and the world. During their visit to Germany, Prince William and his wife Catherine aim to learn what makes Berlin such a strong magnet for artists from all around the world - especially for British creative professionals."

Kate selected the 'Wild Sparrow Dress' by German designer Markus Lupfer. The teal jacquard dress is from the pre Autumn/Winter 2017 Collection. It's a very fresh choice for Kate and one of the most memorable looks from the tour. Kate also debuted Diana's Triple Pearl and Diamond Spacer bracelet. Diana wore the elegant piece on a number of occasions.

The reception concluded the penultimate day of the tour.

The Duke and Duchess travelled from Berlin to Hamburg for the final day.

The first stop for the Duke and Duchess was the Maritime Museum on the bank of the river Elbe. The visit was planned to "celebrate" the joint UK-German year of science, which this year is focused on oceans. The museum houses a huge collection of model ships, construction plans, uniforms, and maritime art, amounting to over 40,000 items and more than one million photographs. William and Kate viewed a model of Her Majesty's Yacht Britannia, the former royal yacht of the Queen, in service from 1954 until 1997.

William and Kate made their way through Hamburg’s dockside warehouse quarter to the Elbphilharmonie where Kate conducted a few bars of Beethoven's 5th.

A final walkabout.

As they prepared to leave, Charlotte took a tumble after stomping her feet when Kate took some papers away from her. The moment made quite a few headlines :)

Sometimes being two isn't easy...

After a quick recovery, George and Charlotte joined in to explore an EC145 helicopter - the same one William flew with the East Anglian Air Ambulance. George was very much in his element. Do William and Kate have a budding pilot in the family?

Kate opted for a vibrant pop of colour for the final day of the tour - wearing a lavender bespoke dress by Emilia Wickstead. She saved the best for last in the fashion stakes. I'm not a huge fan of Ms Wickstead's designs but this one was perfect for Kate.

At the end of July, the Cambridges visited Belgium for a two-day visit to attend commemorations marking the centenary of the first day of Passchendaele, the third Battle of Ypres.

The Duchess and Queen Mathilde greeted each other warmly.

William spoke movingly at the Menin Gate monument: "Today, the Menin Gate records almost 54,000 names of the men who did not return home; the missing with no known grave. Members of our families; our regiments; our nations; all sacrificed everything for the lives we live today. During the First World War Britain and Belgium stood shoulder to shoulder. One hundred years on, we still stand together, gathering as so many do every night, in remembrance of that sacrifice."

Day two in Belgium saw the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend commemorations at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's Tyne Cot Cemetery to mark the centenary of the first day of Passchendaele.

Tyne Cot cemetery near Ypres in Belgium is the largest Commonwealth burial ground in the world with 11,971 servicemen buried or remembered there - with 8,373 of them identified.

Four Belgium Defence F16's flew the Missing Man Formation over Tyne Cot Cemetery bringing the ceremony to an end. The Royals watched the display.

I always think it important to see senior members of the Royal family representing Britain at commemorative events. It is vital to remember and pay respects to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. The Belgium trip was most certainly not about fashion, however, looking back at the year, I think Kate's understated, elegant choice during the visit were particularly regal.

In late September, Kensington Palace revealed the Cambridges would undertake another European tour in the autumn. A tour of Scandinavia encompassing Finland, Sweden and Norway was planned for November. With news, the Duchess was expecting her third baby and suffering from Hyperemesis gravidarum, it was postponed. Prince William visited Finland solo and the Norway/Sweden portion was rescheduled for January 2018. Richard Palmer reported: "The Duchess of Cambridge's continuing illness with acute morning sickness has forced the Royal Household to drop plans for her and Prince William to tour three Scandinavian countries next month. She and William had been due to spend four or five days touring Norway, Sweden, and Finland but Kensington Palace has decided she is not well enough to undertake the tour at the request of the Foreign Office."

It's very interesting to see the royals playing an important role in relations in Europe as Brexit unfolds. They are globally known and ideal ambassadors for the UK. I'm looking forward to seeing what 2018 holds in terms of overseas visits. With the arrival of Baby Cambridge in April, it's possible we'll see a brief trip abroad toward the end of the year, though I would be surprised to see any full scale tours next year with Kate's maternity leave. Did you enjoy William and Kate's European tours this year?

In Part 2, we'll be looking at the year in the UK :)