The Princess of Wales visited the Windsor Family Hub this morning. Located on the Waleses' doorstep and close to their home, Adelaide Cottage, it's one of a number of engagements we've seen the Princess carry out in Windsor.
It marks a return to the regular schedule following George, Charlotte and Louis' half-term break from Lambrook, and William and Kate's glittering appearance in Jordan to attend their first major overseas royal occasion. The Jordan trip was an unexcepted delight for royal watchers and I hope the first of many overseas deployments for occasions which call for...ahem...a hefty dose of sparkle :) Kate looked tanned and relaxed as she arrived. As Carole and Pippa Middleton were also in Jordan, I hope they took in a day of sightseeing afterwards and soaked in the magnificent sights.
An arrival video.
The Princess of Wales is joining parents taking part in a stress management course, a health visitor session, and a baby massage course on a visit to the Windsor Family Hub this morning. pic.twitter.com/bEQ6GnF6Ij
— Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) June 6, 2023
Today's engagement was very much in Kate's wheelhouse and in keeping with her ethos of supporting children and families.
Kensington Palace said: "The Windsor Family Hub is run by Achieving for Children, a not-for-profit community interest company which provides children’s services for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. It offers a wide variety of services designed to support parents, carers and children of all ages including universal provision delivered through family hubs. This is offered alongside targeted support provided at the earliest opportunity to facilitate family resilience and prevent issues escalating."
Kate joined several groups availing of the services offered by the Hub, including parents participating in a stress management course and others joining a baby massage course.
Kate spoke to parents about their experiences and the positive impact of the Hub on their family lives.
A Palace spokesperson noted: "The Princess has dedicated her time to raising awareness of the critical importance of early childhood and in January 2023, with The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, launched Shaping Us, a long-term campaign. The Shaping Us campaign aims to transform the issue of early childhood from one of scientific interest to one of the most strategically important topics of our time. The campaign also highlights that, by focusing our collective time, energy, and resources to build a supportive, nurturing world around all children and those caring for them, we can make a huge difference to the physical and mental health and happiness of generations to come."
A lovely group photo.
Kate opted for a sophisticated blue and navy look today.
Kate's blue and white houndstooth blazer is a sold-out ZARA piece, which originally retailed for about £60.
It looks like Kate repeated her Ralph Lauren Nadalia top.
Kate accessorised with her Mappin & Webb Empress jewellery.
And sported a new pair of flats -- the Emmy London Lulu shoes in 'midnight'.
The £405 pair are described as:
'A stylish pointed flat in a rich midnight navy shade. With a low-profile heel and extra padding, Lulu is the perfect balance of comfort and beauty. The midnight navy shade is a super wearable tone making these pretty and practical flats a brilliant finishing touch to just about any outfit.'
They are available in multiple colours on Emmy London's website.
Tomorrow, the Princess will visit Maidenhead Rugby Club for a discussion with men on early childhood.
Nice to see her out and supporting her favorite project. Perfect polished look for spring/summer ! I really like the light blazer with the darker pants
ReplyDeleteA good working wardrobe look not too expensive with the exception of the shoes .
ReplyDeleteI’m wondering if they all went to Jordan for a holiday with Carole and Pippa being there .
I’m disappointed that again it is a really local visit and Maidenhead tomorrow is only 15 minutes from Windsor .I really wish she would travel further afield and cover more counties of the UK .
A good working wardrobe look not too expensive with the exception of the shoes .
ReplyDeleteI’m wondering if they all went on holiday to Jordan with Carole and Pippa being there too.
I’m disappointed that again it’s a visit on the doorstep and Maidenhead tomorrow is only 15 minutes. I want her to expand her patronages and causes and cover more counties of the UK
Stunning as always. Charlotte any idea when they will have joint engagements
ReplyDeleteAnother great work outfit for Kate. I must say I prefer flat shoes with slim trousers (I know its an age thing, but there you go!) so I really like this. The monochrome lifted with a bit of pattern is also good and you can't beat a bit of houndstooth!
ReplyDeleteGreat photos and worthy cause. She looks lovely but I don’t believe it is the Zara jacket - houndstooth is different size and the cut is very different too. Look at the pockets. But I do wish she would have her hair 6” shorter!
ReplyDeleteAgreed, Kate's jacket is more of a gingham print than houndstooth and the pockets and buttons are different.
DeleteGorgeous. ensemble!
ReplyDeleteGreat to see the Princess supporting young Mothers and their children. The service provided is a lifeline for some. Nice look today, smart casual. The blazer is beautiful on her and a very good price. Looking forward to seeing her tomorrow. S.🙂.
ReplyDeleteWhat a delight! I have been loving Kate's hair lately. I wouldn't complain if she went a bit darker but this is great, too. This is probably the closest I have seen Kate to my day-to-day style and work attire so I am thrilled. It is a perfect ouftit for the occasion, understated but polished and elegant, yet very down to earth. I wonder if she wore flats so that she wouldn't scratch the floors while talking to the family who were just in socks. Very nice engagement.Ella
ReplyDeleteMe too! This outfit it Totally in my wheelhouse! I wish the blazer wasn't sold out, I'd snap it up in a minute! :) She radiates her loveliness inside & out!
DeleteKate looks lovely - I love that jacket! I think I'll have to look for something similar as I've been thinking of buying a new jacket for ages. :) Zora from Prague
ReplyDeleteI rather liked the jacket too. If Kate favorite Boden is available in your country you might try there. They have a very similar one at the moment.
DeleteThank you, Adrienne 😊
DeleteWhen I went to the gift shop in Buckingham Palace a couple of years ago (right after COVID lockdowns were over and we were allowed to travel over from the US) I bought a pendant and earrings set that are very similar to this, except there is a small red stone in the middle. They were modestly priced but look quite elegant :) My little bit of "Royal" jewelry.
ReplyDeleteI really like what she's wearing. Like a PP, I'm a bit taken aback by how many of her engagements take place in Windsor. It was less obvious when they lived in KP and visited places in London because it's the capital city where many organisations have a HQ. But Windsor is a small town. She needs to branch out quite a bit I think. They do fewer engagements than earlier generations, they cover fewer topics (albeit more intensively, e.g mental health, early years, sports, environment) and they have a limited geographical range (Windsor focus). I don't think it's wise to downscale everything.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree particularly as Windsor is not a very deprived area . So many causes are desperate for support particularly the ones who had the Queen as their patron and are unlikely to get a replacement. They need to cover greater distances and visit different organisations.
DeleteCatherine and babies my absolutely favorite thing! She is a natural.
ReplyDeleteGreat look for the engagement. Ali
ReplyDeleteI'm not normally excited by gingham (or Zara these days), but this checked blazer is a fresh look for the Princess, and of course the entire outfit was very suitable for the engagement. She looked quite nice.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I am put off by hyperbolic language from the Palace, such as calling the Princess's early years initiative "one of the most strategically important topics of our time," when as I've pointed out, the critical importance of early childhood to healthy and successful development to adulthood is hardly an original idea that hasn't received much previous attention. I won't repeat the details of my concerns, but I do think the Palace needs to stop presenting the Princess as a great pioneer in some Brave New World that's about to set us all off on a brand-new course of child rearing and family advocacy. It's starting to sound rather silly, which is unfair, since her interests are perfectly valid. They just aren't very novel.
Her PR push is stronger than the actual work she does. She does very little work, and whatever she does is designed to take the least amount of time possible, including travel - hence localizing in Windsor. It is a shame because she has other qualities that make her very relatable and seem like an inherently decent person. It is just that work comes last in her life.
DeleteI agree. Sadly, this PR language is hurting her profile more than her (lack of) work itself. Gathering yet another think tank is not really relevant or helpful to this topic.
DeleteThere is quite the dissonance between what we are told and what we are shown. If they would tone it down and sprinkle in more relevant bits on their social media it would perfectly cover her small number of engagements and the missing impact. They could showcase studies, pioneers, charities, programs, ideas for no budget/little time activities (acknowledging that maybe your children might hate it at first or that it might not work well a lot of times). Heck, even just post a weekly quote around the topic. It would make her look busy because it gets her topic into the front even though she doesn’t actually do something. And it would give a constant stream of awareness, so we really might find a shift - in parents and therefore in society and politics one day.
C.
Unsurprisingly the media are now picking up on her doing so many local engagements- one third of her working days since September were within 12 miles of their home .Huge swathes of the Uk are not visited. I appreciate that they want to do the school runs but could they not take it in turns like most people do ?
DeleteI criticize Kate often for the lack of her visible work. However, I am not mad she focuses her work around Windsor these days. Windsor is a royal residence and the royalty lives and operates there so it can be expected for them to focus their work around there. It also saves incredible amount of money and resources through easier security and travel arrangements. K^W were often criticized for travelling by private helicopter to engagements, taking a train is super lengthy and difficult for safety reasons. I think there are so many more factors Kate's team has to consider besides just "wanting to be close to home and kids". That is why I wouldn't personally criticize this. I would openly say that I think we need more public engagements and appearances, more reports and pictures from Kate's initiatives' meetings etc., but focusing on Windsor area makes sense economically, security-wise, logistically, and yes, family-wise too.
DeleteI completely agree with the rather grandeous wording issue. It is borderline ridiculous at times. It is not an issue relating solely to Kate though, there are more charities/people in humanitarian field that use some over-the-top wording for their effort, thus hurting it rather than promoting it.
Ella
I feel like we almost never see Kate in flats that aren’t either boots or sneakers/athletic shoes. I like it!
ReplyDeleteIn terms of blue, that is actually a nice outfit. The shades compliment each other and are different enough to look interesting and show every single piece. The blazer is especially nice- it wuld have never looked at it twice from the shop website picture and probably on a hanger. It looks a bit bulky. But worn, it is a surprisingly nice piece- or Kate had a tailor tweakt he cut a bit to fit as well.
ReplyDeleteI would have preferred a bit of an heel- wedges, block or kitten heel. Espcially because her posture is much better when wearing them.
Great photos and worthy cause. She looks lovely and love the visit she really passionate
ReplyDeleteLove the engagement, love the blazer. It looks pretty, polished and fresh for summer.
ReplyDeleteI love this casual look. She is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos of Kate. She really is a beauty, inside and out! It looks like she got a tan. (But please use sunscreen!)
ReplyDeleteThere is much to like about this look, it’s polished and she’s wearing flats! Agree that K needs to spread out geographically. Maybe undertake one engagement per month outside of the greater London/Windsor area. When they do visits to Wales or other areas it tends to be multiple events in one day which makes sense to maximize the time spent but has the tendency to feel like one visit even with various outfit changes.
ReplyDeleteGreat to see her in flat shoes!
ReplyDelete