The Cambridges Celebrate Canada Day

Happy Canada Day to all celebrating! The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge marked the day with a video call to staff at Surrey Memorial Hospital in British Colombia during which they heard about staff experiences during the pandemic and their thoughts on how this monumental change has affected them and their families. The call took place last week with the Cambridges Zooming in (we've been saying Zooming in instead of Dialing in amongst my family of late) from Anmer Hall.

Kensington Palace said: "On Canada Day we say thank you to frontline workers across the country for your amazing work protecting and supporting your communities. À l'occasion de la fête du #Canada, nous remercions les travailleurs de première ligne à travers tout le pays pour votre travail extraordinaire de protection et de soutien de vos collectivités."

More from the Evening Standard:

'The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, speaking from Anmer Hall, heard from six-months-pregnant health care social worker Sunny Dulai about the challenges she faced during the pandemic, with a smiling Kate telling her: "Good luck Sunny going forward ... with your new baby."

The duke had asked: "Sunny, is it right in saying a little birdie says you're expecting in September? How have you found it? How has it been working?"

Sunny spoke of the immense challenges telling the couple: "Initially I was like, 'no, I can do this', emotionally, it wasn't really impacting me. Then, as I got later in my pregnancy and the more the pandemic started to move along, it really did impact my mental health. I felt like I was angrier because I didn't have the support networks at home that I typically have." She added: "I never once felt that I needed to stop working where I work, because of the support I got from my team." The couple praised their "fantastic" efforts and said they hope to meet them in person in the future. Kate added she has "huge admiration" for all they've done.

The Daily Mail reports:

'The duchess described it as 'heartbreaking' when she heard that a patient's wife had sung to him from a phone held in a bag as staff did their utmost to keep loved ones connected during the crisis. Kate said: 'That's heartbreaking to hear. You guys see that and feel that on a daily basis. How do you manage yourself? Are you all OK?'

The couple had been told of the distress experienced by patients and their families who were separated from one another. William asked: 'Have you guys had to pick up a lot of the emotion, that feeling, and be there to support the patients?' 

Royal fans will remember nine years ago William and Kate marked Canada Day on Parliament Hill as part of their electric tour of the country as newlyweds. I recall that time in royal watching particularly fondly, as there was a shared air of excitement and anticipation surrounding the first tour.

The Duchess wore her cream ruffled Reiss dress from the engagement photos with a red hat with maple detail by Sylvia Fletcher, Kiki McDonough Grace earrings, Asprey pendant, the Fan Clutch by Anya Hindmarch and Hobbs London Albini court shoes. It was completed with the Queen's Maple Leaf brooch. It remains one of Kate's best looks in my opinion.

Laura suggests Kate's red tweed dress is a bespoke Alexander McQueen piece. The structured shoulders and design do seem a very solid match. Below, the Short-Sleeve Tweed Shift Dress. Kate's could very well be a custom version of this.

For those searching for a Repli-Kate, Middleton Maven shared a great Kate Spade alternative which is currently on sale. Marks & Spencer are selling a Tweed Checked Knee-Length Dress in pink mix for $125.

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Yesterday, on what would have been the opening day of Wimbledon, the Duchess of Cambridge narrated a video telling listeners a much-awaited return to the normal schedule next year will be "worth the wait".

"We will bide our time until we sit at the edge of our seats again, and celebrate again. So, when the time is right, and we open the gates, we will be back again, and it will have been worth the wait."

Before we close, I'm excited to share news I'm writing the Royal Digest blog again. It's very much going to offer a variety of coverage focusing on European and other British royals. There will be a strong emphasis on the work with fashion, history and of course all things sparkly. COVID-19 has changed the landscape of royal watching and indeed royal blogging. I expect it could be some time before we see the traditional royal calendar return and the usual events such as tours, 'away days', walkabouts and much more. It seemed the like the right time to expand. Coverage on 'Duchess Kate' will continue as normal here. If you would like to pop over, please click here.