Day three of the royal tour of Pakistan took place in the Chitral district of Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, the northernmost district of Pakistan.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spent the day visiting the stunning Hindu Kush mountain range, part of the Himalayas, just a few miles away from the Afghan border.
William and Kate were greeted at Chitral airport and presented with a regimental cap of the Chitrali Scouts, a coat and embroidered shawl. Princess Diana wore a similar hat during her visit to the region in 1991. The link wasn’t lost on William and Kate’s hosts, who presented the couple with a book commemorating the late princess’s visit 28 years ago.
The first engagement of the day took place at the Chiatibo Glacier in the Broghil National Park.
The royal pair learnt how the glacier has retreated in recent years as a result of global warming. This has caused problems for communities downstream.
According to Kensington Palace, William and Kate are keen to learn how communities in Pakistan are rapidly responding and adapting to the effect of climate change. The topic is a key area of interest for the couple.
…they are keen to learn more about the climate change issues affecting Pakistan and our world, and the positive work being undertaken to combat these challenges.
Next, the Duke and Duchess visited Bumburet, a village damaged by severe floods in 2015. The couple met with survivors of the mass flooding, which was caused by glacial melting.
Locals told William and Kate how boulders tumbled down with the floodwater, destroying the buildings and farmland in the rural village. As a result, many had to sell their livestock, meaning they could no longer support their families.
The Cambridges also met with volunteers from the local emergency response team, including a lady with a sister named Diana. She was named after William’s mother who visited the country shortly before the sister was born. Diana now has a one-year-old son called… yes, you guessed it, William!
For the final part of the day, William and Kate visited a settlement of the Kalash people.
They were welcomed with a very colourful reception!
The couple spent time with locals, learning about the community’s unique heritage and rich traditions.
And it was another opportunity to sport local headgear:
The tour of Pakistan comes at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Duke and Duchess will be in the country until Friday (the 18th). Catch up with all my tour coverage so far by clicking here.
And that concludes the day’s engagements. Details for tomorrow’s itinerary are sparse (for security reasons) but we do know the couple will visit the historical Badshahi mosque in Lahore.
Kate’s outfit:
Identifying Kate’s outfit proved to be a challenge for fans.
One of Kate’s scarves (she wore two), black suede belt, button-down shirt and brown midi skirt remain unidentified at the time of writing. (I will update this article should this change.)
Over on Twitter, Bojana noticed that Kate’s brown shirt looks pretty identical to this dress by Mint Velvet. The piece features the same breast pockets, the same button-down front and identical white detailing on the buttons themselves.
It’d be a strange choice, to wear a dress under a skirt? Perhaps she already owned the piece and had it tailored into a shirt? Or maybe Mint Velvet sold a near-identical blouse in a past collection? It’s a mystery.
The dress is woven from a silk-like cupro fabric. It retails for £69, in the sale down from £99.
If you’ve followed Kate’s style for a while, you’ll recognise her boots and waistcoat. She’s worn them before on numerous occasions. They’re both from Really Wild Clothing.
Below: Kate wearing the suede boots to a Cub Scout event in 2016, left. Kate in the leather waistcoat during a trek in Bhutan during the same year, right).
The waistcoat is cut from nubuck leather made in London. Really Wild still sell the piece for £371.25 (currently 25% off).
The company’s Spanish boots in chocolate brown suede are lined with a vibrant orange leather and feature a robust leather sole. They cost £315 and can still be purchased from the Really Wild website.
Really Wild is a British company that sells luxury classic clothes for women. The company specialises in chic, well-tailored classic garments with a modern twist. Below, Kate in a sweater from the company during a visit to Haida Gwaii in Canada.
Kate wore a new pair of earrings in Chitral. A lovely lady on Twitter managed to identify them pretty quickly. They’re the Gold Zenu Chandelier Hoops by Missoma.
The 18ct gold plated earrings feature a bobbled fan charm suspended from hooks. The earrings cost £115 (around $150 USD) and can still be purchased from the company’s website at the time of writing. They also sell a matching necklace.
Missoma is a London-based jewellery brand owned by sisters Marisa and Sophie and their mother Michelle. The first two letters of each lady’s name spells MISSOMA: MIchelle, SOphie and MArisa.
Kate started the day wearing a camel-coloured pashmina with fringing over her right shoulder (below, left). At some point during the visit, she swapped to this beautiful beige scarf that features embroidery and lace (below, right). The second scarf was a gift from the Scout leader of the local area. We don’t have an ID on the first scarf, unfortunately.
Final word & your verdict:
I have to be honest, I was disappointed by Kate’s choice of outfit today. I love it when she takes part in outdoor engagements and wears casual clothing (see below). But the various tones of brown and black just didn’t work for me today. I wasn’t keen on the waistcoat with the skirt either.
Update: disappointed is a strong word. I’m coming round to the look now.
Did you love the skirt, shirt + waistcoat combo? Let me know in the comments section below.
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Comments
9 responses to “Pakistan Day 3: conservation, colour & culture in stunning mountain region”
I think the color palette of Kate’s clothing ( and Prince William’s) was meant to blend in with the natural surroundings. I think it was very clever of them to wear neutral colors so that the villagers stood out in their brightly colored hats and clothing. It kept the focus on the people, and was highly effective. It was the contrast that worked so beautifully.
I hadn’t considered that at all, what a brilliant point. You’re right.
I really liked what Kate wore today. She wasn’t competing with her surroundings. I wonder if she used the dress in place of a shirt/slip since it is made of a silk-like material, It seemed like she balanced her activities with a slightly dressed-down look but also wanted to honor the village she was visiting.
Great point, I hadn’t considered the fact that the brown-on-brown let the mountains and the colourful locals remain in focus.
The Duchess looked fantastic in her dress attire, she let the backdrop do the talking. Her outfit was perfect for the days events, I thought she looked wonderful. Such beauty surrounding her, the glacier stunning and breathtaking. .
I notice a Kate is using a camera and was wondering if you could find out what type/model it is?
In 2017 she used a Canon EOS 7D Mark II to take these pictures of Charlotte:
https://katemiddletonstyle.org/princess-charlotte-2nd-birthday/
I have no idea if it’s the same one – but if I get a second to check I will.
I thought the Duchess looked fantastic, I loved the brown shades, and if she was wearing a dress underneath the skirt she had on, it worked very well, I can’t tell it’s a dress. So if it is, I think she made clever use of it. It looks beautiful as a blouse !
Everything about her is class