The Duchess of Cambridge had a surprise event today! It was a good one too – the Queen has “handed down” her patronage to The Royal Photographic Society to Kate. To mark the passing of the proverbial torch, Kate made a visit to Action for Children today in London for an event sponsored by the Royal Photographic Society. It was a photography workshop. From the press release/announcement:
The Duchess has a longstanding interest in photography, and this patronage will further highlight the beneficial impact that art and creativity can have on emotional wellbeing, particularly for children and young people.
The Royal Photographic Society is one of the world’s oldest photographic societies. It was founded in 1853 with the objective of promoting the art and science of photography, and in the same year received Royal patronage from Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The Society has over 11,000 members and runs an extensive programme of more than 500 events throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. Her Royal Highness was made an Honorary Member of the Royal Photographic Society in January 2017.
For a while, I’ve thought that one of the few ways to get Kate to do more work is to have the Queen personally hand off patronages to Kate directly. I wonder if that’s what happened here.
As for her look… from the waist up, I think she looks very pretty and summery. It would have been nice to see a light AND bright color, but this greyish pattern is still summery, especially with those flutter-sleeves. I don’t really care for the skirt of the dress, but that’s Kate’s style. She loves a dust-ruffle-looking skirt. Also: the wedges have come out of the closet, it’s officially summer. I don’t have an ID on the dress yet, but when I see one, I’ll add it. Also: NO BUTTONS! But I spy a wiglet.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
This dress was intended to fuel bump rumours.
Swap the wedges for cowboy boots and she would have fit right in at the Kloss/Kushner wedding.
If the dress were a soft pink, I’d say that was me in the pictures circa 1981 at age 14.
She is really leaning into the 80’s revival.
This dress is better than some of her other dust ruffle dresses *cough* Erdem *cough*.
It seems like a good choice. We all know Kate loves her photography. Whether or not people think she is a good photographer doesn’t really matter. At least she’s passionate about it.
Unlike doing any work
So “passionate” she did nothing with it for 15 years, other than a handful of snaps of the kids.
and ma & pa’s party catalog!
remember? remember when she pretended to work?!!
With all photos credited to someone else.
This is so hilarious, because you literally have no idea what she’s taken photos of. You’ve only seen what she publishes online. Maybe it’s a hobby she has in private? Maybe she takes pics of gardens? Or maybe she only has taken pics of the kids. There are many things I’m passionate about that I haven’t done in years because kids. Ceramics, painting, visiting museums. Doesn’t mean I don’t love and support and have passion for these things.
People can be awfully critical. Yikes.
We got all kinds of stories during the decade of dating about what she would do, how she was going to do a photography exhibit, how she was going to intern. None of it happened. Because she’s all talk, no action. And in all those years, she was never papped hanging out at museums.
We’ve seen a sampling of her photos. Amateur snaps of the kids and blurry photos of flowers and monkeys in trees taken on a tour. Nothing to write home about, certainly not anything that would get her hired as a professional.
@nota, are people only allowed to have hobbies and interests if they’re good enough to be a professional at those things? Like, I get that Kate is likely talk and not action in a great many things, but I don’t doubt that she does have an interest in photography beyond what we, the public, can see.
A
Can people have a hobbies they’re not great in? Of course. Silly question.
When they are hyped to have a massive passion and talent? The drive to pursue travel in this interest and grow it to a profession? This was all Kate approved hype. If not Kate herself leading the charge.
Where this becomes less general and more specific is she marketed herself as a skilled photographer. She allowed this. And her photos were of an unskilled eye. Later her only photos are of her children and there’s nothing special from a purely compositional sense. Just gorgeous kids and expensive equipment as exclusives to any image release of them.
And even since… we hear more about how Kate loves her adult coloring books than photography unless it’s a tidbit to promote something like this.
Ah well. If she was never papped hanging out at museums,it means that she never visited one.. not even when she was studying in Florence (and despite her art history degree).
Kate is a fine photographer. She’s as good as any mom-tographer out there with a top of the line camera. Her pictures are decent. She’s not amazing, she’s not especially skilled, etc. And that’s okay. Lots of people aren’t even decent photographers.
But KP should tone it down with the whole “Kate and her passion for photography!!!!!” thing.
Pretty dress. I like the muted colors.
I like the shoes! Nice and summery.
The dress is cut oddly, it makes her look surprisingly wide-waisted, which is a feat considering how teeny her waist actually is
I like the dress but hate the wedges
Yeah the dress isn’t offensive, maybe a little dull but the wedges don’t belong, to clunky for a flowey summery dress.
I am feeling the security person’s outfit, especially the loafers.
I love that outfit
Haha-so I’m not the only one!!
I love that whole look!
She really needs to work on her posture.
Her posture in that first picture…OMG.
hahaha, I was waiting for your comment on her posture, Minx. 😉 I have a terrible posture, too. I guess that`s why I can relate to Kate. It`s really really hard to improve your posture if you at one point got used to slouching. :/
But she’s “royalty” (ugh) and should try to carry herself better. She’s so young, it’s only going to get worse.
@minx – I love your consistency re her posture. I cant always see it, but in these pics I can see what you are talking about.
Look at Jecca Craig’s and Rose Hanbury’s posture and both are slouchers. Kate is imitating them and I think we know why.
I wish she would ditch her big hair. So passe.
If she doesn’t discipline her posture now, just wait till she hits her 60’s. She’s going to look like a question mark.
Letizia is an example of someone looks great not just because she’s attractive and dresses well, but she holds herself beautifully. Like a “royal.”
Yet another new little-house-on-the-prairie dress. Unimpressed.
Why not rewear the dress from last year’s Chelsea Flower Show? Green tea dress, white pattern, only worn once. Clothes should not be used like disposable tissues, especially not when one pretends to care about the future of the planet and one’s darling children not being able to see all the things becoming extinct.
Looks like something you’d pull off the rack at K-mart. Atrocious and I’m sure expensive.
Someone needs to burn the wedges. Imagine if they were an actual color? Would be much less bland in the outfit. I can’t even with the wiglet. My god, these people.
Could someone please explain the wiglet to me? Where is it, how can you tell, etc.? I know nothing… *jon snow*
And yeah, I wore a dress with the same skirt in 1989 at my brother’s wedding. It should have been burned then.
Since LAK and Bluhare have since retired… I’ll explain the wiglet. It’s a blended hair attachment to the back of the head. Adds volume. Kate wore them constantly early in her marriage. As she fidgeted with it the blending separated and you could see where it attaches.
She naturally has average to thin hair from her uni photos. At the engagement period she got a blowout. Then weaves complete with the hair tap for that itch. And wiglets. This isn’t an attack. Just observations. Your hair doesn’t explode overnight. Or spend 6 hours in salons in a day with your stylist that is an expert in weaves for a trim and highlights.
Is she still up on the fillers/Botox? Doesn’t look like it in these pics. I know she probably did it a month or so ago, but not sure.
I think she’ll push for a fourth baby. Bad optics and a bad choice and I’m sure William will NOT want to, but I still think she will try.
I doubt there’s any sort of “wiglet” going on, as you’d be able to tell from volume at the back. There isn’t enough for anything to be added in – unless the implication is there is extra hair added at the sides? Erm, no.
Also it is disgustingly muggy in London today and that dress looks nice and flowy. I’m jealous of the dress for that reason.
Yeah, while she might be using some extensions for volume, I don’t see a wiglet here, just a blow out fighting humidity.
I read your comment as a “blow out fighting humanity” and now can’t stop laughing.
On my short walk back from the gym I ended up with two dead bugs stuck to my forehead. It is grossssssly humid, my hair is plastered to my head.
Bump at the back clearly a wiglet.
Or her hair has just been teased. The way hair often is when you get a blow out.
I don’t see it. Look at the last photo there, with her hands out in front. It’s straight down at the back plus there isn’t a lot of hair going straight down her back. Heaven knows what’s considered a “wiglet” here, but if it’s meant to be the clip or tape on pieces of hair extension, there certainly isn’t one down at the back of her head where those usually go.
Like others I just think this is an odd thing that Celebitchy fixates on, I guess when there isn’t buttons to mention?
Go look at her hair from the dating years. No amount of product and teasing doubles the thickness of the hair.
It’s definitely a wiglet. You can tell bc it doesn’t look like that all the time, even when freshly blown out.
In my head her wiglet is like Cousin Itt from the Addams family, except in the same colour as Kate’s hair. I think it hasn’t been out for a while because it’s taken the staff a long time to catch it after it escaped from its box in the dressing room.
I agree her hair is all hers and it looks good. Why take that, of all things, away from her?
The dress is a pretty summer frock. She looks lovely.
Her previous hair dresser was known for doing wiglets. After the scandal around her wiglets, he was fired.
nota – was this James Pryce? Her hair never looked better than when he was doing it. But I thought she cut ties with him in 2013 – the article with the “childhood scar” was late 2011…
It looks like the wiglet clips on towards the back and crown of her head. The extra hair then falls down the back and a little on each side round the back. Sometimes the wiglet sticks out / up near the crown and frequently the hair is a slightly different color and also has a different sheen as it catches the light. I haven’t seen any pictures without wiglets for years now.
The pics today are not good. She must have annoyed the press somehow, because they’re certainly not airbrushed.
My first thought on seeing these is that Kate looks a bit “raggedy”, and that’s not normally a word that comes to my mind when seeing her.
The dress would be so much better without the dust ruffle. And I love her shoes. I will not apologize for liking wedges. lol
@Tiffany – I also like the security person’s shoes.
I have a pair of espadrilles from this company (I’m guessing a lower wedge, though!) and they are mega comfortable. I just don’t love the color of this pair.
I love the shoes too!
I know I love the shoes!!! I don’t like the dress at all. I know those muted colors are in, but to me it just looks dirty. Sorry, but wouldn’t it be fun to be in charge of a charity for your hobby. This patronage sounds great for her.
Eep. I don’t like this outfit. Head to toe a miss for me.
I agree…It’s just so boring, no personality.
same here. And her posture is awful, as usual.
Whenever I click a link (here, twitter, wherever) to see what Kate is wearing for any given event I kind of hold my breath, because most of the time its “fine,” sometimes its OMG AWFUL, and sometimes it is OMG AMAZING.
This one is fine. I actually like the idea of the dress, even with the dust ruffle bottom (I’m not a fan, but it seems very “in” right now, at least its very Anthropologie-esque), and I don’t mind the color. Its muted but that’s fine with me. I just don’t think it fits her well, weirdly enough. I don’t think it is flattering to her figure. Maybe its the combo of the sleeves plus belt plus dust ruffle? IDK. It’s an example where I like the look she was going for, and I like this actual dress overall, I just don’t think its great on her, which I say is weird because it seems like it would be a great dress on her.
As I always, I hate her wedges but whatever, kate’s gonna kate in her wedges.
These wedges are particularly horrific though. A mess in style and colour. There are nice wedges out there but she never seems to buy them.
Wiglet!! I love that word. I giggle every time I read it. Wiglet-Watch is back on.
I dont see a wiglet the back just looks too flat for that, there is some volume on the sides that might be from a curling iron, but possible just some clip on extensions to thicken it up.
I’m not a huge fan of the dress, I think I would like it better if it were longer, like more of a maxi-dress situation but i wont apologize for liking wedges lol I’m wearing a black pair at work today.
I dont think her posture is that bad, she does what a lot of taller slender people do when faced with shorter people which is stoop slightly down. My partner does that and I constantly tell him to stop lol own the height.
The shape of dust ruffle at the bottom of dress reminds me of the “creations” my mom used to crochet for the furniture….I like the dress but I could do without the ruffle tho
My god, her posture makes my neck hurt.
I didn’t realize how bad her posture was, but boy does she have horrible posture! She’s practically slouching while standing!😬
No practically about it. That’s exactly what she is doing. This is horrible for your spine and, like someone said above, will only worsen with age.
Yep. Between her posture and that homely outfit, she’s what my g-grand would have called a Sad Sack.
Wedges and wiglets oh my! Dress is fine for hot Summer day.
The problem I have with those wedges is that I think they would look great with capris, and the like. But I don’t like the closed toe with the filmy dress. They are not delicate enough to match the dress. Like both, but not together.
Someone the other day posted that Melania also wears a wig but pulls her real hair out the front. Makes sense to me.
I really wish she would stop taking official photos of her kids. Of course, her kids and she can take pictures of them whenever she wants. I just think a real photographer could get such amazing official pictures of the kids.
She looks lovely from the waist up, but OMG the wedges. They look like hooves. O_o I will never ever understand women who like this look!?
I think this outfit is horrid. My husband has car washing towels that look better.
The dress is a horrible colour, it looks like a sink full of murky dish water with unidentified things floating just below the surface.
On the other hand I wish I could wear wedges like that without my feel looking huge.
I have big feet anyway, I would never wear wedges lol.
that may be part of my hatred of them. I feel like they look clunky and awful on my feet lol.
The color is awful. Her posture is awful. The dress could be salvaged if it were a more pleasing color: heck, she could have reworn that navy Erdem she wore to the opening of her garden.
Oh my lord, I hate that outfit. HATE. But Kate’s gonna do Kate, and that’s what I’ve come to expect.
@vanessa, THIS!!!! I agree. And l too hold my breath when seeing pics. Not out of excitement but out of how bad it may be. 😮
It really should be the new tag line of this site, or at least for every story about Kate.
Celebitchy – Escapism can be smart, and just know that Kate’s gonna Kate.
So, it should be noted that the majority of her patronages have been handed down from the Queen. The Queen has also handed down some of her patronages to others in the Royal Family.
This isn’t a ‘new’ thing worthy of any real speculation. I think the photography thing is a good choice for Kate.
I don’t mind the outfit. I’d wear it…maybe not to an official event, however.
Her expressions are usually exaggerated, I assume for the cameras, but they seem especially so today.
At least she’s out working, although that’s such a low bar it feels patronising to say.
She needs to attend deportment school. Any insiders here? Please let her know.
Ok confession: I love wedges and in fact am wearing one now. However….I don’t like the one Kate is wearing today for this event. I would rather she wore the ones that buckled, as the fly away laces cheapen the look for work.
Happy she is getting more work.
So not a professional look. Why on earth does she continue with these frilly, fluffy dresses and wedges? She looks like she’s going to a ho-down. For the love of God(dess) woman, wear a sleek pant-suit or something and ditch the clod-hoppers.
Exactly.
Agreed.
totally agree.
This dress is all kinds of awful and I hate those shoes with it, too.
A pantsuit? She was taking photos outside with kids.
Queen Letizia wears trousers and trouser suits all the time, gasp, even around kids. So do Maxima, Charlene, Mathilde, Mary, Marie, Maria Teresa.
I disagree. I think it’s appropriate for the setting.
I think Kate is a handsome woman. That being said, I’ve never seen anyone whose under-eye bags change so much! One minute they’re barely there and the next outing she’s got luggage under the eyes, What is happening? Undereye filler would last longer, so that’s not it. I use a caffeine serum under my eyes to ‘de-puff’ but it doesn’t cause this big a change. Is it just lack of photoshopping in some pics?
Well, at least the queen is getting her out of the house. About time…Lol!
I don’t mind Kate’s granola side-she looks nice. And I like her wedges, they look much better with this dress than her jeggings.
I thought this said at first “grandma” side. And I thought, yes, that’s appropriate.
It’s very nice, conservative yet summery look. I love it’s not a short dress. As for hair – I have no idea but one thing for sure – she always had great hair. Some extensions or wiglet – maybe but we have plenty of evidence especially during her “curly hair” teenage years that it was thick and full of volume. Let’s give her that – nice hair.
Maybe Prince Charles redirected Kate’s clothing and jewelry allowance to Meghan. Otherwise, WTF
Whoever did this picture of Kate was being mean. FQC looks likes she stumbled out of the club.
Definitely pregnant. Roots and greys showing very noticeably, no botox on forehead or eyes
I’m calling it now.
Her posture and mannerisms scream social awkwardness. I cannot fathom why someone with that level of social anxiety chose public life. Kate is IMO one of the most confusing Royals. I think there is so much we don’t know about her.
The dress is Ridley London and I think it’s from the Prairie collection…
Her posture is often due to the fact that the person to whom she is speaking is shorter. She slumps down to make eye contact. Perhaps she has a touch of scoliosis? I know carrying my son around aggravated mine.
Eek I have those wedges. Got them for a steal when LK Bennett was closing down in the US. I haven’t worn them yet but I don’t like how they look on her. I’m having buyer’s remorse now.
The dress is not bad, the sleeves are pretty and feminine. But yuck on shoes!! This dress needs either something more delicate or something more tailored since the dress is so floaty. These shoes are way to casual and clunky for the dress. What happened to the stylist on loan from British Vogue?