This morning Kate joined husband William to welcome the President of Singapore and his wife Mary to the UK. This is the Duchess’ first public appearance since announcing her second pregnancy six weeks ago.
President and Mrs Tan arrived in the UK in the early hours of this morning. They were met at Heathrow Airport by The Viscount Hood, Lord-in-Waiting and Mr Bill Henderson, Special Representative of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs:
Via President Tan’s official Facebook page
William and Kate met President Tony Tan and his wife later at the Royal Garden Hotel in London. The royal couple formally represented The Queen in welcoming the visiting VIPs to Britain.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with President and Mrs. Tan
From The Mirror:
During her meeting with the Singaporean president and his wife, Kate made the president laugh by telling him, “It’s a bit colder than our last meeting”, and he replied: “The weather is lovely.”
She was referring to the last time they met, in Singapore in 2012.
Those who’ve followed this blog over the past couple of years will remember the couple’s visit to Singapore in 2012, during the Diamond Jubilee Tour of South East Asia.
William and Kate at a state dinner in Singapore, 2012
President Tan is making history with his four day tour of Britain – he is the first Singaporean leader to visit the country on an official state visit.
Next, William and Kate accompanied the President and his wife by car to Horse Guard’s parade, where the Singaporean leader received a full ceremonial welcome.
Horse Guards Parade
During the welcome, President Tan inspected a guard of honour, composed of of 96 servicemen and officers from the 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
The Duke of Edinburgh and President Tan
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh also attended the welcome ceremony, and both formally greeted the foreign leader and his wife.
The Queen greeting President Tan
After the formal welcome, Kate and William joined in a carriage procession along The Mall. The Duke and Duchess rode in the Scottish State Coach, while President Tan and Mrs. Tan joined The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh in the Diamond Jubilee Coach.
William and Kate in the procession
After, William, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh joined President Tan and his wife for a luncheon at Buckingham Palace. It was pre-announced that Kate would not be joining the VIPs for lunch – we can only speculate that this is due to her condition.
Kate’s Outfit:
Here’s a full length shot of Kate from the front:
Kate in London today. Kate wore Alexander McQueen
And now, a full length view of the back:
The back of Kate’s coat dress
Some pieces of Kate’s outfit will feel familiar today, while others are new.
Kate’s coat-dress is new, she is wearing the Box Pleat A-Line Coat from Alexander McQueen‘s pre-spring/summer 2015 collection. The A-line coat is printed with a “Prince of Wales check”; it features a one-button fastening on the front, deep front pockets and a rear box pleat.
Susan from WhatKateWore.com notes the pieces features many of the elements we saw in McQueen’s Spring/Summer 2015 collection. Here’s a photo I used from her website –
Kate’s grey plaid coat dress certainly has some elements similar to McQueen’s SS15 collection
Kate’s hat is by Jane Taylor and the style is the “Lupin”. It is part of the millinery’s Autumn Winter 2014 collection. It is made from grey velour felt. Kate previously wore the hat during her visit to Australia earlier this year, as you may recall.
An anonymous tipster found Kate’s black velvet clutch bag, that piece is by Jenny Packham. The style name is “Roxy.” Details from Jenny Packham’s website:
[The Roxy clutch bag is] a pleated, material design featuring a baguette cut, golden shadow Swarovski crystal clasp, the bag has a detachable long snake chain. Available with silver or gold hardware”.
The accessories Kate wore for her engagement in London today.
Finally, Kate accessorised her outfit with her Mappin & Webb Empress Mini White Gold and Diamond pendant. The company describes the piece as follows:
“A sparkling and versatile diamond pendant from the Mappin & Webb Empress collection set with 0.40 carats of round brilliant-cut diamonds in 18 carat white gold on a 46cm (18 inch) chain adjustable to 40.5cm (16 inches). The motif measures 15mm (0.59 inches) in diameter.”
You’ll probably recognise Kate’s earrings instantly, as the Duchess has worn them on many occasions. They are the Pearl Drop Earrings by Annoushka.
Finally, Kate wore a paired of black heeled pumps, which many believe are by Prada, specifically the “Suede Round-Toe” style.
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