Kate in Navy Velvet McQueen & Sparkling Jewels for Diplomatic Reception

It was a night of regal sparkle at Buckingham Palace for the annual Diplomatic Reception.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined the Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall for the annual white-tie event at Buckingham Palace. Hosted by Her Majesty, the reception is one of the most glittering events on the royal calendar with tiaras, jewels and royal orders on display.

William and Kate were photographed leaving Kensington Palace shortly after 8 pm. Unlike previous years, there was a screen on the window, which meant the quality of images was greatly impaired. Luckily we didn't have to wait long for photos from inside.

Carole Middleton was spotted arriving to look after the children shortly before they left.

For years we only saw arrival photos of the Duchess offering a brief glimpse of the tiara and colour of the gown. Last year heralded a major change in tradition with a pool photographer invited to cover the event and a number of high-resolution images made available afterwards. Unlike previous generations, there are only a handful of occasions on the calendar where we see the royals in full regalia. For William and Kate, it is State banquets and the Diplomatic Reception, so it's wonderful to get a proper look inside the reception now. The decision to share coverage was very much seen as another sign of Her Majesty passing over responsibilities to Prince Charles.

There are over 170 foreign missions accredited to the court of St James's in London (St James's Palace is still the senior palace and official residence of the sovereign). Each year Her Majesty throws a reception in their honour and members of the Royal family in attendance make a point of meeting with each one.

Guests were welcomed to the palace ballroom. At 36.6m long, 18m wide and 13.5m high, the ballroom is the largest multi-purpose room in Buckingham Palace. It was opened in 1856 with a ball to celebrate the end of the Crimean War. It is used by the Queen for State banquets. Below, William appeared to be having a very interesting conversation with a guest.

Kate was accompanied by private secretary Catherine Quinn.

Her Majesty was regal in a gown by Angela Kelly and the Vladimir tiara with emerald and diamond drop earrings. According to royal jewellery experts the Queen's spectacular emerald necklace is new.

The Duchess of Cornwall wore an elegant cream embroidered Bruce Oldfield gown and the shimmering Boucheron Tiara.

The Duchess of Cambridge looked every inch a future queen in dazzling jewels and an Alexander McQueen navy velvet gown.

The piece features a v neck, structured shoulders and a fitted floor-length silhouette.

Kate's gown appears to be a custom version of the £6,000 Bejeweled Long Sleeve Illusion Gown. Made in Italy, it is described as "a stunning stretch jersey gown with sheer lace panels at the waist and back finished with an opulent jeweled back panel". Kate's piece is navy velvet and doesn't have the sheer panels or back.

It is not the only royal navy velvet gown making headlines today. This morning it was revealed the iconic off-the-shoulder midnight Victor Edelstein evening dress Princess Diana wore when she danced with John Travolta at White House has been purchased by Historic Royal Palaces for £264,000 and will feature in royal exhibitions. It will join a treasure trove of over 10,000 items of historic dress from the 16th century to the present day. Read more about it on the HRP website.

Once again this year Kate selected the Lover's Knot tiara. I know many of you were hoping to see a different one, though I would be surprised if we see Kate's rotation altered from the Lover's Knot and the Lotus Flower tiara until she's Princess of Wales. I've long adored this one, as it was Diana's defining tiara and steeped in royal history. I expect we'll see it throughout Kate's life.

The tiara features elements of the Gothic Revival style. The circle of the Lovers Knot is made up of a lower semi-circular band, set with a row of brilliant cut diamonds. Where two adjacent arches meet, a pillar-like structure is formed that rises up and ends in a round diamond, forming a diamond spike. There are nineteen diamond spikes of this nature and the size gradually decreases from the centre towards both ends.

Readers will recognise Kate's Nizam of Hyderabad necklace which the Duchess was previously loaned for the 2014 Portrait Gala at the National Portrait Gallery.

The dazzling necklace was given to Her Majesty as a wedding gift in 1947 by the Nizam of Hyderabad, then king of a state in India. The Nizam was the owner of one of the most celebrated and largest private jewellery collections in the world. Below we see the Queen (then Princess Elizabeth) wearing it for a portrait by Dorothy Wilding in 1952.

More from Artemisia's Royal Jewels:

'The necklace was purchased from Cartier. Actually, in a way it was acquired by Elizabeth herself; the Nizam wasn't in London at the time and left Cartier instructions that the Princess would personally choose her present. It consists of a long chain of 38 diamonds with a diamond-encrusted strap. The centre of the necklace is pave-set with detachable double-drop pendant 13 emerald-cut diamonds and a pear-shaped drop.'

And dazzling diamond earrings, almost certainly from the royal collection. Emma suggests they are from the Diamond Chandelier Drop Demi-Parure. In recent times, they have been worn by the Countess of Wessex.

Kate also wore a statement ring for the evening.

Kate wore her Royal Family Order, and the riband of a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order. It comprises of a blue sash with red and white trim, a cross and star. The Queen bestowed it on Kate to mark her and William's 8th wedding anniversary. It's an enormous honour and awarded in recognition of services to the sovereign.

What do you think of the looks and jewels on display for the night?

A reminder: A Very Berry Christmas airs on BBC One at 8.30 pm Monday night. We'll also see the Queen's pre-Christmas luncheon at some point next week, likely Tuesday or Wednesday.

Patron Kate Enjoys Festive Fun With Family Action

It was an afternoon of festive fun as the Duchess of Cambridge joined a group of children supported by Family Action at Peterley Manor Farm in the village of Great Missenden in the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire. 

The Duchess arriving.

The engagement coincided with news the Queen has passed her patronage of Family Action to her granddaughter-in-law after 66 years in the role. The organisation is steeped in family history. Before the Queen became patron, her grandmother Queen Mary officially supported the organisation. It's terrific to see another royal carrying on the tradition. Perhaps someday, long in the future, we'll see one of Kate and William's children working with them.

Family Action, which celebrated 150 years in 2019, supports vulnerable children and families through some 150 local and national services, as well as supporting professionals and organisations through training and consultancy. They currently work directly with over 45,000 families. Kate first visited the charity in 2017 and again in January to launch their new national support line. At the time, I noted it would make a great future patronage. I imagine the handover has been in the planning for some time.

In a statement, Kensington Palace said: "The Duchess of Cambridge has spent much of the last eight years meeting charities and organisations who work every day to make our families and communities stronger. There is a powerful correlation between a parent or carer’s wellbeing and their child’s development, which is why organisations such as Family Action that provide support are instrumental to a child’s future. This new patronage aligns with Her Royal Highness’ longstanding work on the early years, and the importance of supporting children and families during this seminal period of their lives."

Chair of trustees at Family Action Mary Fallon said:

'On behalf of the Board of Trustees and everyone at Family Action, I am delighted to announce that Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge will become Royal Patron of Family Action in our 150th Anniversary year. The Duchess will assume the Royal Patronage of the charity from Her Majesty The Queen who has held the role for 66 years, having assumed the role in turn from Queen Mary in 1953.

We would like to extend our most sincere thanks to Her Majesty for her steadfast and dedicated support for the work of the Charity over so many years. Family Action was founded in 1869 to help disadvantaged families in difficulty to move forward by giving them practical help and support.

Today, Family Action continues to tackle difficult issues facing families – including financial hardship, mental health and emotional wellbeing, social isolation, parenting challenges, domestic abuse, and substance misuse. These issues can have a huge impact on the stability of family life as well as on the health and wellbeing of all family members.

We are honoured that The Duchess has chosen to support Family Action’s work by becoming our Royal Patron. Her keen interest particularly in the Early Years fits well with Family Action’s provision of high quality perinatal mental health services, pre-schools and Children’s Centres across the country. Family Action looks forward to working with The Duchess in the years to come.'

There is an excellent timeline of events charting the history of the organisation here. There's also a YouTube video available here, with experts and speakers chronicling the issues which brought about the organisation and its role today.

During the visit Kate helped the children pick out Christmas trees for their schools.

Joined by an eager group of little helpers, it was time to get to work.

Kate asked them to choose their favourites. This one got a thumbs up from Kate.

Kate was very much in the spirit of it and started carrying the trees out. Simon Perry said Peterley Manor Farm owner Roger Brill joked "I will have to give her job at the weekend".

Hello Magazine shared more from the engagement:

'It was while she was in an Elf Workshop with several children, that little Freddie leant in to get his photo taken by a photographer, who had just joined them. Kate couldn't help but giggle as she chatted away to the children, asking them what they wanted for Christmas. When one little'un responded that he wanted a dinosaur, she sweetly asked: "Which one, a diplodocus or a T-rex?"

Kate then spoke with another three children about Christmas, asking: "How tall is your Christmas tree?" Hilariously, one child threw his hands above his head to demonstrate just how tall his tree was. Moving outside, the children pretended to feed wooden reindeers and Kate helped them put ribbons on the Christmas trees that they liked most.'

The group spent time in the "Elves Enchanted Forest" making decorations and hot chocolates.

Time for Reindeer Food making.

Roya Nikkhah reports Kate told the children George "loves thistles", adding they have a Nordmann Fir non-drop Christmas tree at Anmer Hall. She also said Louis "wants to go everywhere" with her. Roya said the Duchess spoke to parents separately about pressures at this time of year "Maybe instead of posting on social media about who has the bigger presents, tell people about the real meaning of Christmas instead."

Kate also revealed that Prince George “loves thistles”, Prince Louis “wants to come everywhere with me,” and the Cambridges have a Nordmann Fir non-drop Christmas tree at home, so no pesky pine needles at Anmer Hall pic.twitter.com/Ugyr2AVmgj

— Roya Nikkhah (@RoyaNikkhah) December 4, 2019

People reports:

'David Holmes, the chief executive of Family Action and a member of the Early Years steering group set up by Kate to advise on way forwards in the sector, told PEOPLE that Kate was “lovely” during Wednesday’s outing.

“I have worked with her on the early years for some time,” he says. “But she is fantastic with children and is also really interested in the issues — she’s really interested in families and parenting, and it really shines through everything she does.”

Holmes noted that Kate has brought her own experience as a mother of three to her work. “Everyone who’s a parent has their own experience, but equally it’s about understanding that other peoples’ experience is different and that parenting experience changes daily,” he notes. “And it’s that understanding about what it takes to be a parent.”

After finishing their letters to Father Christmas, Kate helped post them to the North Pole :)

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Time to scout out the perfect trees for @family_action pre-schools, before heading back inside for hot chocolate! 🎄 pic.twitter.com/xz1kOGOqwU

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) December 4, 2019

The Duchess was festive in a casual red and green outfit for the visit.

Kate brought back her Perfect Moment Mini Duvet Quilted Ski Jacket. The $450 jacket is cut from mid-weight durable Airtastic EX shell, it's padded with insulating down, has a protective high neck and is finished with soft ribbed cuffs to lock in warmth. It features distinctive navy elbow patches.

Kate first wore the jacket for a Heads Together run in 2017.

It appears Kate's emerald green ribbed crew neck jumper is by Really Wild Clothing (with thanks to Pop Golightly).

Kate accessorised with a pair of hoop earrings.

And wore her Berghaus Supalite Gortex boots with forest green boot socks.

The Duchess also wore a pair of skinny jeans. It looked like a fabulous visit for all involved and a splendid new addition to Kate's patronages.

Kate was not the only Middleton lady focused on Christmas trees today. Party Pieces shared a photo of Carole dressing the office tree with the caption "Working next door to a Christmas Tree farm means we had the pick of the best Xmas trees!"

We'll see Kate next Wednesday night for the (tiara filled) Diplomatic Reception.

The Duchess in Green for NATO Reception

The Duchess of Cambridge joined the Queen and a host of royals at Buckingham Palace this evening for a reception marking 70 years of the NATO alliance.

Today the UK welcomed North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) heads of state and government, their spouses and other representatives to London for a two-day leaders' meeting. The intergovernmental military alliance was established at the signing of the treaty in 1949. Now 29 countries are involved; it exists to protect the people and territory of its members through collective defence. Allies work together every day to preserve peace for one billion people.

The UK is one of NATO’s twelve founding members and London was home to its first headquarters at Belgravia Square; it's fitting to mark the 70th anniversary in the capital. Lord Ismay made his maiden speech as the first secretary general in the building in 1952.

Other royals in attendance included the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Princess Royal and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.

The Queen and Prince Charles welcoming guests.

Kate spent time with an array of guests.

The Duchess chatting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The Cambridges spent time with PM Trudeau and his wife Sophie during their 2016 tour of Canada with George and Charlotte.

I remember George appeared quite tired upon arrival and rebuffed the PM when he offered a handshake :)

Prince Anne with Belgium's Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes.

The reception was held in the Green Drawing Room.

Of course Prince William wasn't with his wife tonight as he's currently undertaking a short official visit in Kuwait and Oman. William's time in Kuwait saw him explore the country's efforts to tackle climate change issues and address environmental challenges through beach cleans, recycling and education. He also attended an event focused on highlighting Kuwait's culture and attended a meeting with His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

A sea of flags outside Buckingham Palace including the blue NATO flags.

The Palace shared archive footage of Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh visiting the Commander of NATO's Allied Command Operations, General Norstad, in 1957.

Another shot of Kate from Kensington Palace.

An official portrait of Her Majesty and Prince Charles with the NATO Secretary General and heads of state.

UPDATE: Rebecca English reports Kate's green dress was by McQueen, not Emilia Wickstead as previously thought. Music Royal shared a better look via a screenshot from the Mail Online.

The Duchess accessorised with the Queen's diamond drop earrings she's worn on multiple occasions over the years.

I'll update should additional photos emerge. Often times with Palace receptions, just one photographer is present to cover the event and we see only a handful of photos. Kate's next scheduled engagement is on Wednesday for the white-tie Diplomatic Reception.

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.