Who could have ever predicted that the Duchess of Cambridge’s keenness was directly related to having female “competition”? Oh, right! Surprising no one, Kate was keen to step out for the second day in a row… following the announcement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement. Kate stepped out at Robin Hood Primary School in southwest London this morning. She was celebrating the Royal Horticultural Society’s Campaign for School Gardening, so we got Keen Kate in jeggings, boots and a cut casual jacket.
Details about her outfit: the Penelope Chilvers boots are at least a decade old, and she’s worn them for low-key royal appearances before. The sweater is by Temperley London, and the jacket is Barbour, and apparently costs $268, but has already sold out. You can read more about the event here.
I like that she happily posed with a coffee mug too – she rarely gets photographed drinking or eating anything, and in these pics, she looks more like a mom who got up early with her kids and was in desperate need of some caffeine. Considering her pregnancy, I’m pretty sure that she’s probably just drinking some tea though – I don’t even know if she likes coffee? Probably not.
Also: let’s revive Wiglet Watch, shall we? Kate got up bright and early to attach that “fall” half-wiglet to the back of her head. No one blended it properly either.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Too much talk about Meghan, eh?
She had to use cute cards to say a few lines about her own childhood to kids.
Trying to step it up due to the competition. So transparent.
Whatever it takes to get her off her butt and doing work!
Maybe when Meghan gets pregnant Kate will get a new wiglet! One can dream!
I laugh when I see her “appearances” , “engagements” , etc. called “work”.
Christmas / new year holiday: she always works harder before a holiday.
And competition, too.
Ouch. Duchess Kate doesn’t stand a chance around here!
I love that turtleneck. I completely understand the decade-old boots thing. Once I find a pair I love I won’t part with them until they’re completely falling apart.
Yeah i wear my boots till they “die” too. A comfortable shoe is worth every penny.
I have some boots from a decade ago I bought when in Austria, and I think I will wear them until I die. LOL They will probably last that long, because I only get to wear them on brief periods of cold down here and on ski trips.
I have boots that are 15 or so years old. Had them re-soled last year. I love them, they are weathered, they fit me like a glove, and I will never part from them.
Me too. I’ve got a 15+ year old pair I won’t give up until they fall apart.
I love boots. And I like Katie’s boots here.
*falls into fainting fit over having said something nice*
I like her turtleneck too. I’d honestly wear that whole outfit. And I will wear my boots until they die as well.
This is her style. Jeans, sweater and boots or wedges. She cannot carry sexy little dresses or glam ones cos it’s not her thing and her stylists should realize there are other options. Like Letizia, Spanish queen, she wears casual elegance and she always looks polished.
And I think this was on Kate’s schedule. Why can’t people imagine she will feel relieved to have another woman in the spotlight? Someone to talk to, someone to chat during the official ceremonies…
@Milla – that’s kind of what I”m hoping for too. Meghan seems like a warm person and I really hope they can be good friends to one another. Kate always seems so awkward and uncomfortable that I’m hoping (optimism!) that having someone warm to talk to might help her in the long run. Not worried about Meghan at all – she seems very suited to this role in a way that Kate just naturally isn’t.
That style is british country sloaney. It is what “one wears when in the country”.
I appreciate a woman who takes her boots seriously. I take better care of my boots than my house. On another note, there is a school named after Robin Hood? Cool!!! Here in the US we name them after not very interesting presidents (I’m looking at you James K. Polk).
Ha! We have a Polk elementary in my town too.
All I’ve got is that she and I are at almost exactly the same stage in our pregnancies (my second) and if I looked that trim and together I’d be pretty happy. She looks good and I tend to think she does better at more casual events, maybe?
I wish she wouldn’t show her ar** so much. Get a larger coat or jacket or something that covers your b***!!! We’ve seen it already!! So little decorum for someone who’s supposed to be the future Queen Consort.
She is wearing skinny jeans or jeggings, you can even see the pockets, why should she cover up more?
I agree on the derrière part but otherwise she looks great. She is working at least.
I think she looks pretty great for being pregnant. I even like her hair, although I still wish she would go a bit shorter.
You can’t see her ass unless you have x-ray vision.
Yeah, jeggings seem a bit casual for official visits, even one to a school.
Disagree. She’s in pants, it’s good. If you could see thong, then she’d be over the top. And all this comparing that she’s stepped up because of MM. These outings are booked a long time ago. Not like she just dropped in to get camera time. i’m hoping these two can be friends, I’m hoping it’s not a competition between them. Why should it be? I don’t think Kate wants the spotlight badly enough to compete really. And – she is married to the future king, so …
This is utterly ridiculous. She is completely covered up and completely appropriate for the event. Is she only allowed baggy clothes now? Honestly this kind of critique is taking it way too far. She’s bending over to speak to a chick of. She is wearing pants that cover her bum. She is fine. It is you that has the issue.
Personally I think Kate could and should work a lot harder – although I think she takes her cues from William in this. I also understand wanting to be around when your kids are little. Hopefully they pick up the pace though as the 90+ year old grandparents should not be out-working the mid-30s people in their prime. I don’t always like her style or styling – I think it could be so much better. But the way she is constantly picked apart and ripped apart is really disheartening. No wonder she’s nervous, no wonder she’s so thin, no wonder she doesn’t seem really confident. I cannot imagine what it would do to me to be torn apart like this so consistently on every tiny detail of my demeanour and appearance. It’s just not okay. We don’t do women a favour when we do this.
Who says she is nervous? She doesn’t look nervous when she’s panting over Ben Ainslie. Also, this is the woman who sais she doesn’t care what people think. She has brought a lot of the snark directed at her on herself.
“I cannot imagine what it would do to me to be torn apart like this so consistently on every tiny detail of my demeanour and appearance”
I can only speak for myself, but when they first got engaged, I didn’t know anything about her and was neutral. But then the stories of her (and William’s!) laziness came out, she could barely string two coherent sentences together, they skipped out on the para-olympics to go on vacation (with William lying about having to perform some military duties), etc. The ONLY thing Kate has EVER done to impress people is spend tons of money on her hair, clothes, teeth whitening, botox, etc. If that’s all SHE offers to the public, then that’s all the public has to discuss about her.
Is it about competing with Meghan, or is it just about cramming the little work she does into the occasions when people are really paying attention, so that to the wider public it seems like she’s actually an active royal?
The younger royals do that a lot. When there’s a spotlight on the royal family for whatever reason, suddenly they manage to get off their butts and work a few days in a row. Once the spotlights gone, they crawl back under their rocks.
Yeah I don’t think it’s Meghan. I think it’s mo re about scrambling to get her numbers up.
these appearances were already known before the engagement announcement. She cancelled some stuff earlier in the pregnancy and their office promised that she would make up for it and rescheduled those commitments.
Also W & K always have a slightly heavier schedule towards the end of the year (lol).
that first paragraph seems a bit out of place considering the that the writers side-eye stereotypes on many other occasions
she looks good here, and she has been working steadily lately – no complaints from me.
This is all a farce. Some see through it, others don’t. Do you really believe she wants to be gardening with the kids? Royal DUTY calls quite persistently.
She used CUE CARDS to say just a few lines about her Own personal childhood experience in the outdoors. She is so stiff.
IMO Kates only goal for years was chasing PW and all other aspects of her personality was sacrifced for her one desire getting the title …and PW…
I dont think she ever gave a toss about communicating with people outside of who she had to flatter or befriend to help her in her quest for PW.
You can drink a cup of coffee when you’re pregnant
True, I couldn’t get through the second half of my pregnancy without a little caffeine halfway through the work day.
I couldn’t even stand the smell of coffee when I was pregnant, and I’m a coffee drinker. But I had HG, so…
Yes, but this is probably a mug of tea (maybe a little less caffeine) :).
Yeah. I’d get so tired mid-day at work during my second pregnancy, I definitely had coffee sometimes. He’s fine.
I am seriously loving her entire outfit. Love the turtleneck, love the jacket, love the boots. I wish my 5’1″ self could rock tall boots like that! 🙁
Hey L84Tea–I’m 5’0″ and wear tall boots like that and look fine..try modifying other parts of your outfit to “balance the proportions”. I’m sure that with a little experimenting you could rock boots like that with no problem at all! 🙂
I’m not going to lie, I was shocked by the two day appearance. Good for her. I hope she carves out a space for herself and blossoms. She will be Queen Concort (?). Regardless of whether it’s true or not, people will make comparisons to her and Meghan. It’s unfair. It’s sexist and petty. But it is what it is; Kate did it to herself by being work-shy. Hopefully, once the baby is born, she’ll come into her own because it’s only going to get more difficult for her.
That being said, I think she looks good. I like her casual looks best. I love the boots and how unafraid she is to wear her decade old favorite boots. But her Hair. I’m really tired of her hair. I would love to see a straight, blunt cut on her to make her face look a little more youthful and fresh.
I’ve always loved her casual style. I know many people here get tired of her jeggings and boots, but I see that as her signature style. I particularly loved everything she used to wear when she was still dating Will.
I did too. She looks fantastic in the photos as that’s when I think she looks her best also, her casual style. I also loved her style back when young and dating William. She’s carrying her pregnancy well. That’s for sure. I wonder if she’s going to have a little girl or boy.
Sooooo, the Duchess is out “working” and I agree that the competition must be quite a fright for Kate. But I have heard some of MM’s speeches and see her in action – Kate will have to put chutney making on the back burner because MM is articulate, has a great work ethic and so far seems very at ease in the public eye. And while she is an actress and should be, Kate knew what she was up for when she agreed to marry PW.
Step up your game Kate, you will be outshined If you don’t.
Dude, they’re on the same team. They can only benefit from having a good relationship with each other.
I don’t mind that she keeps the same boots, but can’t she have them cleaned?
Yes, yes, yes!
If I may, I would like to put forward al alternative explanation for this outing (aside from the Meghan vs. Catherine narrative).
Not only is it highly probable that Catherine is cramming as “many” (two ^^) public appearances now in order to inflate her year’s numbers and make up for her pregnancy leave but it is also likely that Kensington is going to organise a small batch of outings for the Cambridges in order to divert from the least flattering stories coming out about Meghan right now…
The Daily Mail is what it is, namely a piece of revolting garbage, but unfortunately it occupies a central position in deciding what the British national discourse is in many areas, including the royal family. And, as of this morning, the Mail is already busy testing the waters on several narratives in regards to Meghan : a) she used to “shill” for products on instagram (ie. she is unprincipled and easily bought); b) she failed a pop quizz on British culture (ie. she is a foreigner who does not know her new people); c) she wrote an anti-Brexit post (ie. she is political and an opponent of the will of the people); and d) some members of her extended family are threatening to “gatecrash” the wedding if they are not invited (ie. her family is trashy and undignified)…
Now, allow me to say I do not agree with any of those stories or themes; I am merely enumerating them to demonstrate that the Mail is already sharpening its knives and putting out different versions of Meghan (pretty much all negative, so far) to see which ones resonate the best with their readership. And, wherever the Mail goes, the rest of the British press ultimately follows. So it would not be that surprising for Kensington to try to deflect as much of that negativity as possible for the time being with some inconsequential puff pieces about the Cambridges (at least, until the wedding actually takes place). It is even somewhat efficient for now : the Mirror and the Sun ran with Catherine’s visit at the school and a relatively nice side piece about Meghan’s dog. Nothing on any of the other stuff.
However, given what appears to be the Mail’s current direction, Meghan and Harry’s honeymoon period in relation to the press may be, sadly enough, even shorter than I had previously anticipated.
That’s a good take on it. I hope it is and not Kate feeling insecure.
How bout she has been packing in the engagements before Mommy leave?
Yes, she’ll definitely need 12 months off. And for now, it’s nose to the grindstone to earn time for weeks of xmas shopping.
Good. I want her to step it up. She looks good here and I agree, oddly, that the picture of her drinking coffee/ tea is the most charming picture of her I’ve seen in a while. She drinks things! Like a real person!
Very Robin Hood. I think the boots are OK for her weekends but she could take it to a whole different level for her public appearances. There are so many fantastic boots out there to choose from, so much wonderful smart casual gear. And she wears decade old clumpy brown things and skin tight jeggings and an almost too-short jacket. So boring.
Pregnancy agrees with her so much. She looks good with a little added weight.
I also think she looks better with added weight. She looked fantastic when younger and dating William, tall and healthy looking, great mane of hair.
Saw a brief clip of her speech (casual speech) to the children…and it was…pretty good? I mean, for Kate anyway 😉
I think she looks pretty great here. Also, she and William always have a bunch of engagements towards to the end of the year – gotta boost those totals. I seriously doubt this is some competition thing – I don’t think Kate has the drive to compete with “work” (maybe with hair or clothes or something, but not with work haha)
I looked up Williams numbers and was surprised. I knew he worked more in 2017 but as the focus ist mostly on Kate i didn’t realize how he started working steadily.
He is slowly going full time taking over big jobs from grandpa, grandma and dad.
2018 he will finally become a full time royal. Same with Kate and maybe Harry and Meghan i guess. With Philip going is was long overdue.
Her posh accent cracks me up though-she sounds like she has marbles in her mouth. But yes-actually a perfectly nice little speech. And I think she looks great!
Her posh accennt is ridiculous. Carole and Pippa dont speak like that, none of the Middleton family does.
Even Lady Diana ,Princess Diana who was one of the highest born Aristocrats , grew up in the most Aristocratic world , could be quite clearly understood and spoke clearly.
Kates plum, marbles in mouth sound is ridiculous and sounds so fake.
Having gone through some serious family trauma and losses that have had repercussions in my family for decades (on more recent events) and longer (historical trauma that plagues many Native people) my first feeling on seeing the photos, and the idea of Meghan spurring Kate’s work, I thought maybe there’s just some healing and joy beginning for these two men. Maybe happiness is inspiring a general uptick in work/causes? What they went through at such a young age reverberates for years and years and years; the impact is felt in subtle, sudden, and at times, big ways, of course. I’m not an apologist and the structure of monarchy as a whole is none of my business, although I enjoy it from my American vantage point. It was just an instinct I had and have seen, finally, in my immediate family as we heal and building blocks of joy begin after a long, long time of blindly finding ways to heal. We’re still a long way off, though. But, that doesn’t mean I don’t celebrate the love we’re not too shell-shocked to see and feel.
BROWN leather boots with black??? No, no it does not look right. But I do really like them separately.
Love her outfit. It’s exactly what I tend to wear. She looks good.
Okay – but are you a duchess?
Or it could be coincidental to second trimester pregnancy where you feel more like a human and less like an alien vessel….coupled with the “retirement” of Prince Philip and reduction of the older royals’ work load. All a coincidence?
I think not. Harry’s engagement, 3rd baby for Kate, retirement of the older royals…this all was very carefully planned.
I think she looks good here and appropriate for the occasion.
She typically steps up her appearances this time of year, especially if she’s making up for being absent in September and October, so I’m not surprised.
I still can’t figure out why she wanted this job so much, since she clearly has no interest in doing it.
Exactly!
My “hypothesis”:
Carole Middleton is highly narcissistic, and, beginning in the ’80s, essentially wanted to “be” Diana. The incomplete/false image and narrative of Princess Diana is a status-seeking, narcissistic, “stuck-in-the-wannabe-princess-stage” woman’s dream: popularity, glamor, attention, adoration, and social status. Narcissists insist on being “better” than everyone (they’re brutally competitive), and being (the eventual) queen means being at the top of the social heap–above even the aristocracy. I also think that, given Carole’s background, that it was a fantasy of hers to not simply become part of the upper classes/aristocracy (to whom she seems to have felt highly inferior), but to “show them all up” by being at the top, outranking them and having power over them.
Carole couldn’t fulfill this fantasy, but (as happens with narcissistic mothers) she enmeshed herself with her eldest daughter, Kate, who essentially became a “mini-Carole”, taking on the fantasy as her own. But that’s exactly what it is: a fantasy; fantasies aren’t reality.
I don’t think Carole (and subsequently Kate) truly understood the day-to-day, year-after-year work life of a senior royal; she saw the exotic overseas tours with cheering, adoring crowds and glamorous outfits and fine dining, the tiaras and jewels and gowns at state banquets in palaces, and rock stars, movie stars, world leaders–everyone, really–bowing and curtseying and adoring, and being a “savior”–bringing joy and comfort to the ill and injured, just by showing up and talking to them. I think Kate honestly believed that she would marry William and instantly “become” Diana and live this kind of a life. Her “job” would be just to show up and be beautiful and glamorous while those present adored and applauded her, her mere presence being the gift. She’d be over-the-top wealthy, her homes and clothing being the envy of all of those super-wealthy people in school who made fun of her and Carole. She’d outrank every aristocrat in the country, and they as well as every celebrity, business owner, smart person, athlete, etc would have to bow and curtsey to her.
Unfortunately, Kate has discovered that it was, indeed, a fantasy–and now she’s stuck. Day-to-day royal life is boring for someone not interested in people or service. It’s repetitive. There are rules. This isn’t the ’80s; people just aren’t “into” the royal family like they were when Diana came around. Becoming royalty and being associated with Diana doesn’t mean instant adoration. And surprise–the job isn’t just to be beautiful and glamorous: there’s work to do. Reading, speaking, speechwriting, meetings, how-do-you-do receptions, etc.
That’s my essay on why I think Kate Middleton took the job. Too much? Perhaps…but there it is.
++1000
I dont think she ever gave a toss about communicating or interacting with people outside of who she had to flatter or befriend to help her in her quest for PW.
Kate looks best in casual clothes. I think she looks great here. And the Bugingham Palace, so cute!
Yeah, she looks good in casual clothes. Her boots are old, but I’ve always liked those ones.
How can you tell she has a wiglet on? I can never tell with anyone unless the extensions are under a straight cut. I need some tips for spotting them!
second photo: about 2 inches into the part the color changes slightly from warm to cool. All the hair of that first 2 inches of hair goes into 1 curl behind her ear. That’s her own hair and is slightly more yellow than the wiglet, which is everything behind that first large curl. Also her own hair is styled smooth, while all those flyaways are the wiglet.
So, I have no idea whether she wears fake hair (because I’m not one who can see it either). But I just have to say – my color looks the same as hers, so I just don’t see that as proof. And my natural hair always has fly aways. I always though it was the extensions that stay smooth?
Anyway, even if she does wear extensions or a wiglet to make it look thicker, why is it such an issue? I have several friends who wear extensions and they are not in the public eye. I just thought this was something pretty much every famous woman does.
Different colour shades are normal. Hair underneath is always darker because of lack of sun and/or because of highlights on the top like here with Kate. She has blond highlights.
It’s why homemade dye jobs look so fake. You dye the whole “head” in one single colour and that looks unnatural like a helmet or clued on wig. Our haircolour consists of different shades.
Further to what Sisi said, you can see where the wiglet isn’t blended. It’s a very clear line from the top of her head to the ends of her hair at the point that @Sisi describes.
Wiglet Watch! For those who claim they can’t see it, there it is in all its glory!
It could be that bump is a teased/ back combed area for height with a smooth layer lightly brushed over. It’s a common technique for giving volume in profile- it has been done to my hair for up-dos.
And if it is a wiglet, who cares? Lots of women use hair with postpartum hormone changes. A friend of mine lost quite a bit of hers in her late thirties after her last baby.
She’s the only celeb I know who has sent out a news release to hide the fact that she does wear extensions. It’s only a big deal because she made it one. And if you think that’s just teased at the crown, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.
I laughed when I read that press release. People online were making much more serious accusations against Kate and yet, the only press release the palace issued was about her hair. Call her a lazy social climber but don’t say she has pieces in hair. Don’t touch the hair. LMAO. WTF Kensington Palace.
I LOVE a Barbour jacket so am very jealous of that. I think she looks good here, she always looks better in casual wear, and I say this as a non-fan.
I have almost the same one from J Crew-love it.
As usual I love her more casual style. I would happily wear this entire outfit.
I’ve got the exact same Barbour! It’s a few years old. She definitely has a long body because on me the jacket covers my bum 😂
Regardless of why she’s out and about, it’s nice she’s doing it.
Sorry not sorry, that is not how a woman in the 5th-6th month of her third pregnancy carries. She needs to size up to the bigger pillow already.
+1000
She is a tall woman who is what 21-22 weeks pregnant? Some people barely show by that point. I showed early with my 3rd but my the midway point, it was a lot less noticeable and I was actually smaller than I was with my previous pregnancies and I wasn’t nearly as thin as Kate was too start. Every woman carries differently. Every body is different. Every pregnancy is different.
She looks pretty great here. I love those boots and her obvious affection for her old favourites ..
If we are doing wiglet watch do we have to do it for Megan also? Just comparing her hair at her first appearance with Harry at the tennis to her engagement photo call….
Yes, Meghan for sure had extensions. I’ll only side eye if the Palace announces it’s her real hair like they had to do for Kate.
She rocks in this outfit & outing.
This is her jam; Hanging with the kids in the outdoors. If she stuck to areas where she is clearly very at home, she would be a great (confident) Duchess. Sticking her in front of a crowd of experts in areas she’s not an expert and expecting a groundbreaking speech is not realistic and thus comes the nervous speech maker.
I really like ‘Mum-Kate’ and I’m not a big fan of her as far as Royals go, but this… this makes me happy & I see her differently.
How is that NONE of those kids are looking at her? She couldn’t even draw the interest of a single child?
I lived in Kensington, right by the Palace, in the fall of 2013. A lot of my classmates at Kings College saw Kate frequenting the Starbucks on Gloucester Road, she’s def a coffee drinker. I also saw Harry buy underwear and socks at TK Maxx.
She certainly has a long stride… not unlike a military parade. Well, parade one must: her royal keenness has herself confessed to being highly competitive. One wouldn’t want to be out-sparkled….
She actually has the worst sense of style!!!! Her hair (are you at prom?) He eyebrows (girl what?!) Her jeggings (really, jeggings? It’s 2017 not 2006!!!) And riding boots?!?! WHY DOESNT DUCHESS KATE HAVE A STYLIST?!
This is a good look for her – its when she try to glam it up with high end designer that falls flat.
Plus she does have a stylist – her former PA Natasha Archer who is NOT a professional stylist. If she got herself a pro she would look soo much better.