The Cambridges Join the Queen Of Baking for a Very Berry Christmas

As I begin writing this post, we are less than an hour away from 1 December (officially Christmas time in my book). I adore everything about the festive season and have already kicked off preparations in my own home. In addition to all the festivities, I always enjoy seeing at least a couple of seasonal television specials. This year will be extra special in that department for royal watchers as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have joined forces with the Queen of Baking Mary Berry as they serve a feast to thank those spending the day helping others. There had been rumours about this for a couple of months, and tonight Kensington Palace revealed it will air on BBC One, Monday 16 December at 8 pm.

The photo below will be especially interesting to fans of The Great British Bake Off. For those unfamiliar with the show, Mary Berry was a judge on the show until it moved from the BBC to Channel 4 a couple of years ago. They're pictured with Nadiya Hussain who was crowned the winner of the 2015 series. Nadiya recently opened up about severe trauma in her life and the role childhood sexual abuse played in her adult life and her battle with anxiety and PTSD. The photo below, which appeared to be shot just before food was served, was taken by Matt Porteous who took private photos after Prince Louis' christening and last year's Cambridge Christmas card.

Filming for the special actually began at RHS Wisley in September when Kate was joined by Mary to officially open 'Back To Nature'. With piping bags in hand to decorate cakes, the pair discussed Kate's work supporting children's earliest years. Hello! reports it's Kate's "most substantial television appearance to date", with a source adding: "You get a really good sense of who she is - maybe more so than before."

You might recall the Court Circular recorded an engagement with Action on Addiction for the Duchess on 13 November. It turns out the visit to alcohol-free bar the Brink in Liverpool saw the Duchess and Mary meet people supported by the charity at the UK's first dry bar. Kate opened the Brink back in 2012, and we can expect to see footage from the visit during the show. There's been a marked increase in private engagements for Kate of late; I think filming for this show has been partly the reason. I believe the reception with nurses at the Rosewood Hotel we chatted about last week was the setting for the Christmas party with Mary, whilst the Duchess' two days with Kingston Hospital Maternity Unit may possibly be connected to her project which we'll hear more about early next year.

We'll also see William and Mary visit the Passage Charity and meet some of the 130,000 people helped by the charity’s resource centre, homelessness prevention projects and two innovative accommodation services. William first visited the Passage with Diana as a child and became patron earlier this year.

More from Hello!:

'A source told HELLO!: "The Duke and Duchess were joined by Mary on several different engagements over the past couple of months and showed her some of the charities and patronages close to their hearts to explain a bit about why they do what they do. They wanted to show her why they care so much about these organisations and Mary comes up with ideas for recipes for the event."

In a conversation between Mary and William, filmed during a secret visit to the homeless charity the Passage last month, the future king paid tribute to his parents and grandparents for their charity work over the years. Asked where his own motivation to help came from, the Duke said: "Growing up both of my parents were hugely charitable. My father set up the Prince's Trust. He's involved in so many different organisations. My mother has done her work with homelessness and as you said AIDs and other charities and I think I've grown up in a household which has been very much a case of 'well, we're very lucky - you must give back.'

"And you know, my grandmother becoming Queen at a very young age, in the days when it was a man's world, it was very difficult for her to … make a difference. And she's done it. In her own very unique, distinct way, and you know, my grandmother and my grandfather together are the epitome of public service. And I personally get a lot out of helping people. I find that you hear and you understand and you learn so much more by giving a bit of your time, a bit of your day, to just be around."

Mary Berry said:

"I am honoured that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have invited me to join them on four of their royal charity engagements this Christmas. It will be truly special to see the causes so close to their hearts, as well as to hear all about the amazing support these charities provide. The finale is a big Christmas party and I will be cooking up a feast for them to enjoy. A-one hour Christmas special not to be missed." 

The Duchess looked Berry Festive in a bespoke Alessandra Rich red dress based on the designer's Silk-Jacquard Midi Dress (with thanks to Danielle Stacey). From the Autumn/Winter 2019 Collection, and inspired by elegant styles from the 1940s, the dress is adorned with white polka dots and petals. It retails for £1,455 at Net-A-Porter. Kate's version has a pussy bow at the front.

I'm very much looking forward to watching it. For those outside the UK, I'm sure it will become available on YouTube within a day of airing.

If you're just joining us, our post on Black Friday/Cyber Monday is here. The team from Black.co.uk are offering readers 30% off their collections.

We'll see the Duchess on Tuesday for the NATO reception at Buckingham Palace.

The Duchess In Green Beulah For Tusk Reception & Misses Awards "Due To Children"

Good evening, dear readers! As you may have heard the Duchess of Cambridge did not join her husband at the annual Tusk Awards tonight "due to the children". Kensington Palace did not clarify the reason, expand on whether or not one or more of the children are under the weather or if it's related to another matter entirely. The rumour mill has gone into overdrive about an imminent pregnancy announcement for Kate. Whilst this is certainly possible, I do not believe it's the reason for her absence as earlier today she joined a private tea and reception for finalists.

KP shared several photos from the event.

Prince William became patron of conservation charity Tusk Trust in December 2005 and has been supporting their work through a series of public engagements and behind the scenes work since. Most recently, he visited Tusk projects in Namibia and Tanzania in 2018. Below, the Duke and Duchess meeting guests.

Tonight's awards were held at the Empire Cinema in Leicester Square before a reception at Kate's patronage, the National Portrait Gallery.

The Tusk Conservation Awards aim to highlight the outstanding achievements of individuals working within the field of conservation. From practical field work to successful environmental education, these awards recognise the achievements of individuals who are ensuring the future of Africa and bringing the challenges faced by the continent to a global audience. Kensington Palace said: "For almost 30 years, Tusk has pioneered successful conservation action in Africa by protecting wildlife, empowering communities and advancing the frontline in the fight against the illegal wildlife trade."

William presented three awards including the award for 'Conservation in Africa' to turtle biologist Tomas Diagne who has devoted most of his life to eliminating threats to turtles and tortoises across West Africa.

During a speech, William said "Earlier today, Catherine and I spent some time with the nominees and finalists. Their bravery, single-minded determination, and commitment to African conservation is deeply deeply humbling."

He continued "My generation and those following are acutely aware that we cannot simply carry on as we are. We have to move faster and more effectively to find ways to balance our demands on this planet with the nature we share it with."

Kate selected her Beulah London Yahvi midi dress earlier today. The £550 piece was described as "This tailored crepe below-the-knee dress has a slim fitting sleeve adorned with covered buttons, with a fluted frill cuff detail. Fitted at the waist with a full midi length skirt, this dark green dress has covered button detailing to the side with a split opening that falls just above the knee." Kate debuted it in January for a Family Action engagement.

It looks like Kate teamed the dress with her olive green Gianvito Rossi 85 pumps.

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Additionally, the Court Circular recorded three private engagements yesterday, including an early years Royal Foundation meeting, a reception with representatives from the nursing profession and the Nursing Now campaign of which Kate is patron. A couple of guests shared a little more information on social media including news guests enjoyed drinks, canapes and Christmas activities before William and Kate arrived.

It was held at the Rosewood Hotel in London.

The Duke and Duchess also met with the King and Queen of Bhutan. Readers will recall William and Kate were warmly hosted by King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema during their official visit to Bhutan in 2016.

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As we're catching up on news generally, fans of the Queen of Baking Mary Berry will be pleased to know Kate is said to be teaming up with her for a Christmas special. The Mirror revealed the Duchess is expecting to join Berry and a selection of VIPs to create a festive feast for charity workers on duty over Christmas. Kate has met Mary on a number of occasions over the years, most recently at RHS Wisley. HRH once revealed she is "a big fan of her cookbooks and cakes". We should hear more on this in the coming weeks.

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Rebecca English reports Kate's private secretary Catherine Quinn will be moving on from her role after Christmas. 

'Royal right-hand woman Catherine Quinn has worked as Kate’s private secretary since October 2017, a role that is similar to a chief of staff. She is responsible for everything from organising Kate’s diary and meetings to accompanying her on engagements.

But she has also been instrumental in helping the future queen develop her ‘early years’ project, working with organisations to better support children in order to avoid issues such as addiction, social exclusion and crime in later life.

The high-flying Oxford-educated mother-of-one’s appointment was seen as sign of the duchess’s determination to ‘beef up’ her office and public profile as a working royal and future Princess of Wales.

Miss Quinn had been working a chief operating officer at the University of Oxford's Saïd Business School, and previously worked as head of grant-giving at global charitable healthcare foundation the Wellcome Trust.'

It will be interesting to see who is chosen to succeed Ms Quinn, who brought a wealth of experience to the table. Kate's assistant private secretary Natalie Barrows, who is very visible by Kate's side at quite a lot of events, could take the role. We could also see someone entirely new in the coming months.

Hope you all have a great weekend! I expect we'll hear further engagement announcements any day now.