Kate in Royally Fabulous Erdem for V&A Photography Centre Opening!

The Duchess of Cambridge made her first visit as Royal Patron of the Victoria & Albert to open the museum's new Photography Centre tonight.

The Duchess arrived to a sea of flash bulbs.

In March, Kate became the first Royal Patron of the V&A. The Palace said "The patronage reflects Her Royal Highness’s continued personal interest in the visual arts, photography and design." Director Tristram Hunt said: "The Duchess’s personal interest in photography, textiles and the visual arts, alongside her support for the role of art in supporting mental health and nurturing young people’s creative talent, fits naturally with the collections and civic purpose of the V&A." The visit follows the Cambridges appearance at the Global Ministerial Summit yesterday, where William described Kate as "My wife, the arty one".

Kate was welcomed by Mr Hunt tonight.

The museum is steeped in royal history. It was officially opened by Queen Victoria in 1857. Over four decades later, the laying of the foundation stone of the Aston Webb building (to the left of the main entrance) on 17 May 1899 marked the last official public appearance by the monarch. It was during this ceremony that a change of name from the South Kensington Museum to the Victoria and Albert Museum was made public. Queen Victoria's address during the ceremony, as recorded in the London Gazette, ended: "I trust that it will remain for ages a Monument of discerning Liberality and a Source of Refinement and Progress."

Today, the V&A is the world’s leading museum of art, design, education and performance with collections unrivalled in their scope and diversity. It was established to make works of art available to all and to inspire British designers and manufacturers. The V&A’s collection spans more than 5000 years of human creativity, showcasing work in virtually every medium and from many parts of the world.

The Duchess met curators who have worked on the project for some time.

Kate toured the opening display at the Photography Centre entitled Collecting Photography: From Daguerreotype to Digital. The display explores photography from the medium’s invention in the 19th century to the present day. Drawn from the V&A’s collection of over 800,000 photographs, the display showcases contemporary photography alongside seminal prints by pioneers William Henry Fox Talbot and Roger Fenton.

Kate looked in the stereoscopic viewer which showed photographs taken by a mother in the 1850s, depicting her children in an array of settings. The Duchess noted "It brought images like that to life" for visitors to the centre.

The Mail reports:

'Kate revealed this evening that her eldest child, Prince George, is liable to blaming his pencils rather than his drawing ability. Shown a pencil drawing by William Henry Fox Talbot she was told the camera inventor blamed his lack of ability in drawing on the pencil, which inspired him to invent photography.

He wanted nature to draw its own picture on the paper instead of failing with the pencil, Martin Barnes, senior curator of photographs at the V&A, explained.'She said "George would do that!" — that is blame the pencil, which was sweet,' he said afterwards. The conversation came as Barnes showed Kate the humble little wooden box with a simple lens was made by Fox Talbot in 1835.'

The history of the photography collection in the V&A is closely connected with the development of the Museum as a whole. Its first director, Henry Cole, was an amateur photographer himself and a great supporter of the art of photography. He began a photography collection in 1856.

The new Photography Centre will more than double the space dedicated to photography where prints, negatives, camera equipment, photographic publications and original documents will be displayed together to tell a broader story of international photography. A frequently changing selection of new acquisitions, a ‘Light Wall’ for displaying the most cutting-edge photographic imagery, and a ‘Dark Tent’ projection area complete the new space.

Introducing the photography collection.

Bespoke case showcasing the Linda McCartney Photography Collection.

One of the most important and innovative photographers of the 19th century, Julia Margaret Cameron had close links to the V&A throughout her career. Best known for her powerful portraits, Cameron's photographs were highly innovative: intentionally out-of-focus and often including scratches, smudges and other traces of her process. In her lifetime, Cameron was criticised for her unconventional techniques, but also appreciated for the beauty of her compositions and her conviction that photography was an art form. Her works feature in the centre.

Thomas Ruff, known for taking a critical and conceptual approach to photography, created a new series for the photography centre, inspired by Linnaeus Tripe’s 1850s negatives of India and Burma from the V&A collection.

The Mail writes: "Tristram Hunt said of Kate's visit: 'She had an early sneak preview of the coronet and was very interested discussing the history of it and the design by Albert. We also showed her the Beyoncé papillon ring — a butterfly whose wings flap  which was a very generous gift by Beyoncé. She was suitably impressed. 'But she didn't get to touch it — or try it on. 'It was hidden behind glass,'  Mr. Hunt smiled. Kate was taken back to her college days of when she studied Lewis Carroll. 'She talked about her undergraduate dissertation on photography so we looked at some of the Alice photographs,' he says. 'She was very knowledgable about the history of photography and interested in the galleries. We were delighted to host her. One of our curators had done a doctorate on the same lines and they had a very scholarly conversation . She said she worked incredibly hard on it."

Before departing, Kate unveiled a plaque.

The photography centre is a wonderful addition to the V&A. Admission to the museum is free.

A video from the event.

When news Kate was wearing Erdem broke on Twitter, there was air of trepidation, shall we say. The last number of the designer's looks the Duchess has worn have been decidedly misses, but when photos by the talented James Whatling began to come in, it was clear the designer had redeemed himself. Kate arrived looking stylish in the Iman Off The Shoulder Boucle Tweed Dress. The dress features elements the Duchess has favoured for some time: the midi length, the off-the-shoulder style. This felt very fresh and different, however. Indeed, the Spring 2018 Collection it comes from was inspired by none other than Her Majesty herself: "After discovering that Queen Elizabeth II was a fan of jazz, Erdem Moralıoğlu designed his Spring '18 collection around what the Queen might have worn to Harlem's Cotton Club." The burgundy in the dress was complemented by the addition of the belt and matching shoes. This Erdem works beautifully for Kate; the entire look has a very autumnal feel to it.

The £1,395 dress is described: "This Italian-made dress is cut from lightly frayed bouclé-tweed and encrusted with crystal and faux pearl embellishments. The layered off-the-shoulder neckline sweeps across the décolletage, while the fluted hem gently ripples as you walk."

A closer look at the buttons and shoulder detail.

Kate's dress is sold out. The Iman style is available in several sizes in floral print at Neiman Marcus.

A closer look at the belt.

Kate's earrings are also Erdem (with thanks to Alexandra).

The $1,220 Floral earrings are described: "Elegant, refined, and feminine, these Floral earrings by Erdem illustrate the designer’s attraction to romanticism. This accessory is defined by the layering of numerous mother-of-pearl beads with orange, black, and gray crystals." The style (with a different centre stone to Kate's) is available at 24 Sevres.

Japanese Ginger identified Kate's clutch as the Jimmy Choo J Box in Bordeaux Velvet.

And Kate's custom burgundy pumps are also Jimmy Choo. 

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We have several other updates to share with you today. Firstly, Hello! reports Kate visited an art fair in Battersea Park last week:

Kate, whose son Prince George goes to school in the area, was spotted at The Decorative Antiques & Textiles Fair on Friday afternoon. She enjoyed a spot of shopping and browsing just after 2pm, most likely before collecting her son George who was a five-minute drive away.

"Kate was very casual, wearing blue jeans and a pink shirt. She had on a pair of white trainers," a source told HELLO! "She was very, very pretty. She appeared to be on her own with no obvious security in sight. She was walking along the aisle with someone who looked as if he was explaining something to her, perhaps a dealer or a member of the exhibition staff."

Buckingham Palace released the programme for the upcoming Dutch State visit (23-24 October). There was an expectation we would see the Cambridges involved in the visit, but there was no official word confirming any royal participation until this week. The couple are not involved in engagements over the two-day visit, which includes Westminster Abbey, Pop Brixton, a UK-Netherlands Innovation Showcase and a trip to HMS Belfast. I do think, however, that there's a very strong chance we will see William and Kate at the private luncheon and/or the State banquet on Tuesday, 23 October. Attendance for both of these events is not confirmed in advance. Kate made her first solo visit abroad to the Netherlands in 2016, where she was warmly greeted by King Willem-Alexander, it would seem fitting for the Cambridges to be involved in some capacity.

Last but not least, Princess Eugenie will marry her longtime love Jack Brooksbank at St George's Chapel, Windsor on Friday morning at 11 am. The Palace has confirmed Prince George and Princess Charlotte will serve as Page Boy and Bridesmaid for the day. The pair will join a very royal bridal party.

Best Man
Jack Brooksbank has asked his brother, Thomas Brooksbank, to be his Best Man at his wedding to Princess Eugenie.

Maid of Honour
Princess Eugenie has asked her sister, Princess Beatrice, to be her Maid of Honour.

Bridesmaids
HRH Princess Charlotte of Cambridge (aged 3)
Miss Savannah Philips (aged 7 – daughter of Mrs Autumn Phillips and Mr Peter Phillips)
Miss Isla Philips (aged 6 - daughter of Mrs Autumn Phillips and Mr Peter Phillips)
Miss Mia Tindall (aged 4 – daughter of Mrs Zara Tindall and Mr Mike Tindall)
Miss Maud Windsor (aged 5 - goddaughter of Princess Eugenie, daughter of Lady Frederick Windsor and Lord Frederick Windsor)
Miss Theodora Williams (aged 6 – daughter of Ms Ayda Field and Mr Robbie Williams)

Page Boys
HRH Prince George of Cambridge (aged 5)
Mr Louis de Givenchy (aged 6 – son of Mrs Zoe De Givenchy and Mr Olivier De Givenchy)

Special Attendants
The Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor (aged 14)
Viscount Severn (aged 10)

How can you watch the wedding? The wedding will be Live Streamed for those around the world to watch on The Duke of York's YouTube Channel and The Royal Family YouTube Channel from 10am. Viewers on Facebook will also be able to watch the live stream on The Royal Family and The Duke of York's pages. On Twitter, followers can watch the stream on the Royal Family and Duke of York Live Twitter pages.

For televised coverage, The Telegraph reports:

• ITV has placed the coverage of the historic event in the hands of the widely respected team of This Morning, hosted by Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford. Coverage begins at 9.25 am.
• They will broadcast live from Windsor, showing events unfolding inside and outside the grounds of Windsor Castle, as well as giving their comment and reaction.
• The BBC will show highlight clips later that day, after it decided against live coverage of the wedding despite the reported request of Eugenie's father, the Duke of York. 
• ITV will broadcast a 30-minute highlights programme, The Royal Wedding: A Family Celebration, at 8pm the evening following the ceremony.
• On the other side of the world, Channel 7 will provide exclusive access to ITV's live stream for Australians from 20:00 Sydney time, whilst networks in New Zealand have yet to advertise their plans.
• For those in the US, Harper's Bazaar confirms: "TLC announced Thursday it would be the exclusive network to air Princess Eugenie’s wedding. Their broadcast, called Royal Wedding Live: Princess Eugenie, will begin at 4:25 a.m. EST on Friday, October 12, and the cable network will air an encore of the broadcast starting at 7:25 a.m. ET. (The West Coast will be on a standard three-hour tape delay, a rep confirms.)"

I will post a Live Stream on the blog before the wedding begins on Friday morning. See you then :)