Kate's Nautical Chic For The King's Cup Regatta Launch & "Excited" To Meet Baby Sussex

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Cutty Sark this afternoon for the launch of The King's Cup, an inaugural regatta that will take place on 9 August. The annual sailing event will see William and Kate go head to head as skippers in support of eight of their patronages.

There's been several articles suggesting William and Harry will begin to reduce their polo commitments this summer. In addition to being favourite days out for royal watchers, the polo games have raised significant sums over the years. I imagine the creation of The King's Cup will serve similarly as an important fundraising tool. William's chosen charities which will benefit are Child Bereavement UK, Centrepoint, the London Air Ambulance Charity 30th Anniversary Campaign, and Tusk. Kate will support Action on Addiction, Place2Be, the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, and The Royal Foundation in connection with her work on Early Years.

Kensington Palace said: "The Duke and Duchess are strong advocates for sport, and have undertaken work both in the UK and overseas to highlight the positive impact that sport can have on the individual and within local communities. The Duchess in particular champions how the benefits of sport, nature and the outdoors can impact childhood development, and lead to improved physical and mental wellbeing for all. Their Royal Highnesses hope that The King’s Cup will become an annual event, bringing greater awareness to the wider benefits of sport, whist also raising support and funds for the causes that the Duke and Duchess support."

The winning team will be awarded The King’s Cup, first presented by King George V at Cowes’ Royal Yacht Squadron in 1920.

Kate was given a beautiful bunch of flowers.

Following William and Kate's arrival, talk very quickly turned to the arrival of Baby Sussex. William said: "Obviously thrilled, absolutely thrilled, and looking forward to seeing them in the next few days when things have quietened down. I'm very pleased and glad to welcome my own brother into the sleep deprivation society that is parenting." There's a very sweet moment when Kate turns to William and says "I'm not an uncle".

Kate added: "It's such a special time, obviously with Louis and Charlotte just having their birthdays, it's such a great time of year to have a baby. Spring is in the air. As William said, we look forward to meeting him and finding out what his name is going to be. It's really exciting for both of them and wishing them all the best. This next few weeks is always a bit daunting, the first time round, so we wish them all the best"

To launch the regatta, the couple joined children from their chosen charities as they participated in a simulated sailing race.

An overview.

They were joined by Sam and Ethan from Kate's patronage Place2Be.

William enjoying the event.

There's terrific footage from the simulation in the video below.

The Duchess with representatives and children from Place2Be.

William and Kate were shown the cup the winning team will receive in August.

The Palace continued: "The King’s Cup, which is being sponsored by Land Rover, will take place ahead of Lendy Cowes Week. Members of the public can watch the race from the SailGP Race Village along Cowes foreshore, which is free to access and will include an 800-seater grandstand. Footage from the race will play on screens across the town and there will be a number of family-friendly activities and exhibits to promote sailing around the event, including initiatives and programmes for children and young people."

Cutty Sark is a British clipper ship which was built on the River Clyde in 1869. It was considered a leading example of maritime technology. It was named after Cutty-sark, the nickname of the witch Nannie Dee in Robert Burns's 1791 poem Tam o' Shanter. The historic ship is the world's last surviving tea clipper (a 19th century merchant vessel known for its speed). 

More from Royal Museums Greenwich:

'Cutty Sark’s first voyage began on 16 February 1870. The ship was bound for Shanghai, with 1,305,812 lbs of tea on board. That’s the equivalent of about 47 double decker buses! After successfully making it to China, the ship’s first voyage ended with a return to London on 13 October 1870. Cutty Sark completed eight trips to China for tea, but never got to be the fastest ship on the tea trade. 

With the arrival of steam ships and the opening of the Suez Canal, Cutty Sark had to find other goods to transport. Cutty Sark collected her last Chinese tea cargo in 1877. From this point on, Cutty Sark crew was thrown into turmoil.

A new captain, James Wallace, took over command of the ship. His first mate Sidney Smith was a bully which led to unhappiness amongst the crew. The ship took different cargoes around the world, from coal to Australian mail. Sidney Smith killed seaman John Francis and was confined but the captain helped him escape. The crew went on strike in anger, and a lack of winds found the crew becalmed in the Java Sea for three days.

Before long, Captain Wallace realised his career was finished. He jumped overboard, and his body was lost. Despite this period of turmoil, it resulted in a new captain and first mate, who would bring the ship into its most successful period of working life.'

Cutty Sark was preserved as a museum ship, and has since become a popular tourist attraction, and part of the National Historic Fleet. CNN reports: "The Cutty Sark was devastated by fire in May 2007 but a £50 million ($81 million) restoration project has seen the historic vessel returned to its previous majestic glory. The 143-year-old vessel is the world's last surviving tea clipper - a type of nineteenth century merchant sailing ship renowned for its speed - and was once considered the epitome of commercial maritime technology." The Queen and Prince Philip attended the reopening in 2012.

Before departing, the Duke and Duchess greeted well-wishers outside.

Click here to visit The King's Cup website.

Kate perfected nautical chic today. The ensemble was incredibly appropriate for the event and effortlessly stylish. It's fun to see Kate incorporating trousers into her wardrobe for official events. Today's look hit all the right notes.

It is thought Kate's fitted breton top may be by Swedish brand Arket.

 Laura swiftly identified Kate's navy trousers as the £150 LK Bennett Parker style. Described as: "Inspired by vintage design, the Parker high-waisted trousers are a modern take on 70s tailoring. Detailed with four buttons across the high waist". They are available in very limited sizing at John Lewis and Next.

The Duchess injected a pop of colour with her red Emmy London clutch.

Middleton Maven suggests Kate wore the Emmy London Josie Block Heel Pointed Shoe in custom navy.

 They feature padded insoles and a 7.5 cm block heel.

And accessorised with Diana's sapphire and diamond earrings.

We'll see the Duke and Duchess for engagements in Anglesey tomorrow!

Princess Charlotte's Birthday Portraits!

To mark Princess Charlotte's birthday tomorrow, the Palace shared three new photographs, taken at Anmer Hall and Kensington Palace over Easter break by Kate. Similar to Louis' birthday portraits, they were taken out in the garden. Charlotte has grown into quite the little lady already and very much resembles the Windsor side of the family, especially her great-grandmother the Queen. I remember when the Queen at 90 documentary aired in 2016, Kate said Her Majesty was "thrilled" Charlotte was a girl. Of course, Charlotte's middle name is very fittingly Elizabeth after the monarch, and Diana after her grandmother. The photo below is my favourite, capturing a smiling, quietly thoughtful little girl.

Pretty as a picture in a blue print dress and trainers.

In Northern Ireland, Kate revealed she calls her daughter Lottie as a nickname. Charlotte is expected to join George at Thomas's Battersea in September. She'll finish up at Willcocks Nursery this summer. We've also learned the princess "absolutely loves" dance and ballet and is said to be taking classes. Before Christmas, Kate and Charlotte attended a rehearsal of The Nutcracker at the Royal Opera House.

Charlotte looked adorable in the Trotters Betsy Dress. The £70 liberty print dress features puff sleeves and a smart cotton poplin Peter Pan collar with blue stitch detailing.

And the £26 Trotters Hampton Canvas Plum Shoes (a special word of thanks to Susan from What Kate's Kids Wore).

Readers will recognise Charlotte's tartan dress from the Burnham Horse Trials last month. The Amaia Kids £50 Molly Skirt is described as: "Stylish and vintage inspired classic lovely 100% poeplin cotton tartan skirt with ruffled straps. Very fashionable shape in a navy, blue, green, white and red tartan which makes it really easy to style and always elegant to wear."

Three was quite the year for Charlotte, filled with plenty of adventures...of the wedding variety.

Last May, she was a bridesmaid at Harry and Meghan's Windsor wedding. Charlotte looked adorable in her Givenchy dress and floral crown.

Fun on the Buckingham Palace balcony for Trooping the Colour.

The following day, Charlotte made her polo debut. The Princess joined Kate and George for the first time to cheer William on as he participated in the Maserati Royal Charity Polo Trophy at the Beaufort Polo Club in Tetbury.

The Cambridge children had a ball running and playing with Charlotte's playful personality on display.

The Cambridges made their first official appearance as a family of five for Louis' christening in July.

Tea afterwards was a decidedly family affair. The little lady turned to the media as they left the chapel and informed them: "You're not coming!" :)

Charlotte was on bridesmaid duty again in September for her godmother Sophie Carter and Robert Snuggs' wedding.

By the time Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's day came round in October, Charlotte had bridal party duties down to a fine art, including the all-important royal wave.

It was a family affair for Prince Charles' 70th birthday portraits.

Charlotte looked very grown up with her hair tied back for the Cambridges' Christmas card.

And a little wave arriving at the Queen's pre-Christmas luncheon.

From one Charlotte to another, Happy Birthday little Princess!

If you're just joining us, click here to read today's earlier post covering Kate's visit to officially open the Anna Freud Centre's new Centre of Excellence.

I do expect Kate will attend the Royal Victorian Order service at Windsor on Friday, however I don't know if the service is private. I'll leave a note in the comments of this post when I do find out definitively.

"It's Something I Really Do Care About": Kate Opens Anna Freud's New Centre of Excellence

In her role as patron of Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, the Duchess of Cambridge officially opened the new Centre of Excellence at Rodney Street, London.

The appearance follows a week of celebrations for the Cambridges. On Monday, William and Kate celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary. To mark the occasion, Her Majesty appointed Kate Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order for services to the Sovereign. It's Princess Charlotte's fourth birthday tomorrow, just nine days after Louis turned one.

Ahead of the visit, Kensington Palace said: "This visit marks the Duchess's continued desire to shine a spotlight on child mental health issues and the importance of early intervention, and working with the whole family, can make to those in vulnerable situations. Her Royal Highness is keen to draw attention to the ways in which this charity is making progress in their work to lead a step change in children's and young people's mental health care." They added: "The Duchess of Cambridge first visited Anna Freud Centre in 2015, before becoming patron in February 2016. Since then, Her Royal Highness has visited the Family School and the centre's Early Years Parenting Unit (EYPU) and has met many professionals and experts from the centre through her Early Years work with the Royal Foundation and the ‘Mentally Healthy Schools’ initiative, of which the centre is a key partner."

The Anna Freud Centre currently support over a million children across the UK as they strive to reduce the burden of mental health challenges children face. With over sixty years experience of caring for young minds, their vision is a world in which children and their families receive the support they need to achieve their goals and lead a happy, healthy life.

The Duchess met supporters.

More from the Mail Online:

'Kate spent more than 30 minutes chatting to donors, supporters, architects and staff from the charity. Speaking about the new building the duchess told one group: 'It must be so wonderful for you to see it.'

The Duchess enjoyed a laugh with Amy Herring.

Amy is one of Anna Freud's young champions who shares the experiences of young people with experts.

The Duchess posed for photos with presenter Kate Silverton and Amy who said: "To me, this new Centre represents an opportunity to further demonstrate our compassion and create change for young people with mental health problems and empower them to lead the change."

The new building, the Kantor Center of Excellence, represents the next chapter for the charity. It is the culmination of years of fundraising, meticulous planning and a vision to offer a creative, collaborative and inclusive space for young people and their families, experts and students. By combining all of the elements required to improve both understanding and practice in children’s mental health, in one coherent space, the centre can continue to pursue its ambition of transforming mental health provision.

At the heart of the Centre is Pears School, a school for children unable to meet the demands of mainstream education. A school for children who have been excluded. Pears School will support 5-14 year olds in a setting where loved ones can accompany them to classes. Tailored programmes will offer a combination of education with a focus on mental health.

People reports:

'The Anna Freud center, and its head Peter Fonagy, are at the forefront of Kate’s push to create a new framework for families and young people in the early years of their lives. She is looking at education, mental health services and support for families facing crises such as alcoholism and addiction.

Fonagy told PEOPLE earlier this year, “She’s extraordinarily serious about finding good solutions to the challenges of families with young children. She’s very keen on children and keen that they should be happy,” adds Fonagy, who has also worked alongside Kate with her mental health advocacy through the Heads Together initiative. “Part of her interest in prevention is to make sure that she does things right in her own parenting.”

The Duchess met with children and their families participating in a music class.

The group were very excited to meet Kate :)

During a speech to mark the opening, Kate told guests: "We are all here today because we care so much about transforming the mental health of children, young people and their families. I have learned so much about early childhood development and the importance of support for parents through your work here at the Anna Freud Centre. This is something I really do care about. The ambition for the new Kantor Centre of Excellence is hugely inspiring; bringing together research, education, practice and policy all in one place will take the Anna Freud Centre mission to the next level. It is testament to what can be achieved when people work together to realise a shared vision".

View the speech in the video below.

Kate unveiled a plaque to mark the opening.

The Duchess debuted a bespoke forest green Emilia Wickstead dress featuring a square neckline.

Apart from the neckline, the dress bears notable similarities to Kate's gorgeous lavender Wickstead dress. It proved so popular, it was crowned the most popular look of the Poland/Germany visit during a post-tour poll on the blog. The designer decided to release the piece and appropriately named it the 'Kate'. The Duchess wore it again last autumn for the Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit.

Kate carried her £495 Mulberry Amberley clutch. Kate's colourway is sold out.

And her Gianvito Rossi 85 praline suede pumps. 

Kate accessorised with her Kiki McDonough Green Amethyst Diamond earrings.

And Candy Mini Green Amethyst and Diamond pendant.

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In other news, the Duchess had two private engagements yesterday. Kate returned to Sayers Croft Forest School for a visit. The Duchess first visited the school in October, the event marked the official end of her maternity leave. It's possible the engagement was linked to Kate's 'Back to Nature' garden which we'll see at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show later this month. Yesterday evening, Kate hosted a reception at Kensington Palace for her early years steering group.

An update on Kate's project from the Mail's education editor Eleanor Harding:

'Last year, the Duchess announced a new project to help mend ‘broken Britain’ through supporting families in difficulty.

She has made early-years intervention one of the cornerstones of her public work after seeing how so many problems faced by adults she had met – mental health issues, addiction and social exclusion – stem from their childhood.

The Duchess has set up a task force of experts to investigate the issue, with a view to announcing a series of findings and recommendations later this year.'

We should see photos to mark Charlotte's birthday tonight.