Kate and the Queen arrived sharing a blanket.
An arrival video.
A very large crowd welcomed the royals.
Both Kate and the Queen have connections with King's College. Her Majesty is patron and previously visited King’s College London in November 2012 to open the Dickson Poon School of Law and in 2002 to open King’s new Maughan Library. In January 2018 Kate visited The Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute at King’s College London’s Denmark Hill Campus.
It's always a joy to see the Queen teaming up with the younger generation of royals.
Since Prince Philip announced his retirement, I've been hoping we would see the monarch accompanied by other members of the family more frequently. The outing is reminiscent of the early years of Kate's royal life, most notably her solo appearances with HM. In 2011, the pair viewed the Royal wedding exhibition at Buckingham Palace. When Her Majesty saw the headless mannequin used to exhibit the gown she said "Horrid". It was a diplomatic reply from the newly married Kate who added "It has a 3D effect".
In 2012, Kate joined the Queen for an 'away day' in Leicester.
And in 2014, Kate accompanied the Queen for a dramatic arts reception at Buckingham Palace.
The Queen looked regal in a rose cashmere Stewart Parvin coat and Rachel Trevor-Morgan hat.
As the fourth oldest university in England, King’s College London provides teaching and cutting-edge research in the heart of London. King’s has played a major role in many of the advances that shape modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA, and research that led to the development of radio, television, mobile phones and radar.
King’s College London has over 31,000 students from some 150 countries and acquired the Bush House buildings in 2015 to provide a home for many of their academic departments, as well as further learning and social spaces and enhanced student facilities. These new buildings include lecture theatres, teaching rooms, a 395-seat auditorium, and The Exchange, an open, collaborative space designed for events and exhibitions.
The Queen and The Duchess arrived at the central courtyard that connects the five Bush House Buildings, before touring the facilities and meeting a number of supporters of the development.
They visited one of two Roof Terraces which boast panoramic views of London and met those who worked on the conversion of Bush House. Kate turned to HM and said "It's a pretty impressive view".
The Queen and the Duchess visited King’s virtual trading floor, and met a number of students from the Entrepreneurship Institute, which exists to support entrepreneurial thinking, skills and experiences amongst King’s students, staff and alumni.
They met staff and representatives.
The Telegraph reports:
'Meeting entrepreneurs Aysha Ingar who has set up an app for Muslim women and Tobi Oredein who has set up a media platform for black women in the UK, the Duchess told them: “I come from an entrepreneurial background and my parents started their own business so I’m all for it! "Congratulations and keep going.”
The Duchess also met medical student Qasim Munye, 22, who has set up an app called Shortly for people who want to read short stories on the go, allowing people to choose a story that suits how much time they have to read. “Oh that would be fantastic for the kiddies when it’s bedtime," she said. “Particularly for tired parents who want the children to go to sleep.”
Kate joked with the architects "Do you still get on?".
Video: Duchess Kate also meets builders and architects on the rooftop of @KingsCollegeLon. “Do you all still get on?!” she laughed after the multi-million pound project. pic.twitter.com/lhVciffpTa— Emily Andrews (@byEmilyAndrews) March 19, 2019
The royals take their seats in the auditorium.
They signed the guestbook.
Kate and the Queen were presented with flowers by students Miss Lei Poon and Miss Asra Polat.
They signed the guestbook.
Kate and the Queen were presented with flowers by students Miss Lei Poon and Miss Asra Polat.
A great shot of Kate before they left.
In a statement Kensington Palace said: "The Duchess has a longstanding interest in both the arts and supporting vulnerable families, and this patronage will further highlight the beneficial impact that art and creativity has on emotional wellbeing. Larissa Joy, Chair of Trustees – Foundling Museum, said: ‘We are delighted and honoured that Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge has become Patron of the Foundling Museum. We could not imagine a more perfect Patron. We look forward to working with her as we fulfil our mission to inspire people to make positive impact on society through the arts."
The Foundling Museum tells the history of the Foundling Hospital, the UK’s first children’s charity and public art gallery. The museum works with contemporary artists, writers and musicians to develop learning programmes that are meaningful for young people, especially those who are looked after and care-experienced, to help them see the world differently and imagine new possibilities for themselves.
At the Museum, Kate visited ‘Bedrooms of London’, a photography exhibition that documents the living conditions of London’s most disadvantaged children. The Duchess was shown the photographs by graduates of the Foundling Museum’s ‘Tracing our Tales’ programme, which has been developed to equip care-experienced young adults from London boroughs with the skills to devise and deliver workshops at the Museum.
In 2017 The Duchess visited The Foundling Museum and met the first intake of ‘Tracing our Tales’ trainees.
Kate joined young people in a creative ‘Tracing our Tales’ training session where participants were learning how to deliver a creative workshop on block printing techniques.
Kate was in her element during the creative session.
Admiring the results.
Caro Howell, Director of the Foundling Museum, said: ‘The Foundling Museum is thrilled and honoured to receive The Duchess’s patronage. Her support is a huge boost to our work transforming the lives of vulnerable young people through the arts.’
More from People:
“What’s really impressive about the Duchess is that she has an incredible gift for not just listening but properly hearing,” Howell tells PEOPLE. “It is magical to witness young people who are very often are monosyllabic and, for good reason, are protective about their lives and their life stories – and open up to her.”
“Some of the young people that we are working with have had hugely traumatic lives and their lives are still challenging and we have an incredibly skilled team of artists, for whom art is their job,” the director adds. “When these young people come through the door we are prepared to work with wherever those young people are at that moment – which is often a very dark place. It takes a very special kind of person to come into a room and make those young people to feel listened to enough and have the trust that they will open up and talk.”
During a speech, Kate said: "I have always believed in the power of art, not only to unlock that creativity, but also to bring us joy, and to inspire, challenge and positively change our lives."
"I have always believed in the power of art, not only to unlock that creativity, but also to bring us joy, and to inspire, challenge and positively change our lives." — The Duchess of Cambridge @FoundlingMuseum pic.twitter.com/AJDP8FCYEg— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) March 19, 2019
The video below contains a portion of the speech.
Kate's full speech:
'I feel hugely proud today to be here today to become Patron of the Foundling Museum. Your work connects and celebrates two subjects that are deeply important to me: children, and art.
I am passionate about improving children’s life chances and giving them opportunities, so that they can look forward to the best possible futures, fulfil their whole potential, and have the freedom to explore their creativity.
I have always believed in the power of art, not only to unlock that creativity, but also to bring us joy, and to inspire, challenge and positively change our lives.
Your Museum here powerfully links these two forces for good. By weaving together the moving stories of looked after children, with art and artists of all genres, you create meaningful learning experiences which will have a lasting, and often transformational, impact on young lives.
I could not be more delighted to support such a special organisation. I look forward to working together and, as your Patron, hopefully doing all I can to help your important mission in the future.
Thank you.'
The Duchess selected a bespoke grey belted Catherine Walker dress for the day.
Michelle notes the piece bears similarities to Catherine Walker's Zeline and Blake styles.
The Duchess wore her Lock & Co Fairytale hat.
The £285 hat is a favourite of Kate's; she's worn it on multiple occasions including the day she visited Leicester with the Queen in 2012.
Kate carried her black suede Mulberry clutch.
The Duchess wore her Gianvito Rossi Piper black suede block heel pumps. They retail for $695 at My Theresa.
And accessorised with her Kiki McDonough morganite and diamond drop earrings.
It was wonderful to see Kate with the Queen today and the Foundling Museum is an excellent choice of patronage. Did you enjoy today's events?
