William and Kate attend Olympic Gala + Weekly Round Up

Hello Duchess Kate readers,
I'd like to begin today's packed post with my apologies for any inconvenience you may have experienced trying to access the blog during the past week while the blog was offline. It's been a busy week for Kate and this evening was no exception. In their first joint role as Olympic Ambassadors William and Kate attended fundraising gala Our Greatest Team Rises at the Royal Albert Hall. 

SplashNews.com

It was a sunny evening in London and the couple were all smiles. Below we see William extending his arm for Kate. Always the gentleman :)

SplashNews.com

The joint British Olympic Association and British Paralympic Association event included performances from Gary Barlow and the menu was prepared by Michelin star chef Simon Hulstone. The Olympic flame was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece marking the final stages of the countdown before the games begin. The torch will arrive in the UK on May 18th, to see the route where the flame will be travelling please click here.

London 2012 Facebook

Airline partner of Team GB British Airways tweeted a photo from inside the Royal Albert Hall. It looks amazing.

British Airways Twitter

Over 3,000 guests attended in support of British athletes who have been officially selected for Team GB or in the final stages of qualifying. William, Kate and Harry are reportedly very eager to support and encourage the athletes and coaches. The black tie event provided the ideal opportunity for the royals to meet members of Team GB. Kate is passionate about sports and this is an ideal role for her. 

David Wilkinson kindly took twitter pics from inside the hall

Prince William's speech was an uplifting one. He spoke of how proud he, Kate and Harry are to be involved with Team GB. 'These games remind us of the power of the human spirit. You, our Olympians and Paralympians , will inspire people up and down this country, and far beyond its borders'.

Team GB Twitter

Kate looked radiant in a teal Jenny Packham 'Aspen' dress from the F/W 2012 Bridal Collection. (With thanks to the wonderful Anna) The  floor sweeping gown is simply gorgeous. Kate wore her hair in a chic updo allowing the detailing on the top of the dress to be seen. The dress was £2875.  Many of us have been hoping to see Kate wear a brighter colour and in my opinion the Packham dress is made for royalty. The follow information on the dress was released via the Jenny Packham Facebook Page

"The style combines an emerald lace bodice embellished with Swarovski crystals and a pleated skirt, ribbon waisted with a crystal and flower embellishment and matching bespoke clutch bag."

Jenny Packham

A look at the back of the dress. The sheer lace detailing is quite exquisite. We can also the braiding in Kate's hair. 

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The dress features a jewelled belt which emphasises the waist nicely. The bespoke clutch bag is a beautiful piece itself and shows the level of thought Jenny Packham gives to helping her customers achieve a red carpet worthy look.

Reuters

For the second time this week Kate chose her Jimmy Choo Vamp Sandals.

Jimmy Choo

Kate also wore dazzling chandelier earrings. They appear to be new, we certainly have not seen Kate wear them publicly before. To view more photos from the gala please visit Pop Sugar.

Reuters

The BBC has a lovely video from the evening.

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The couple attended a private engagement in London on Tuesday night. Prince William was invited as guest speaker at Claridge's hotel for a meeting of the Thirty Club. Founded in 1905, its members include some of the most powerful people in advertising. St James' Palace said Kate 'accompanied William for support'.

SplashNews.com

For those of you outside of the UK, Claridge's is a five star hotel in the heart of Mayfair. William and Kate are not the first royals to enjoy fine dining at the award winning hotel. Previous guests have varied from Kings of Greece, Norway and Yugoslavia to Hollywood royalty Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. A look at one of the event rooms 'The French Salon'. 

Claridge's

I'm delighted photos were taken at the event because Kate's dress was stunning. We are rarely lucky enough to see Kate in an evening dress and she certainly did not disappoint. Choosing the cream, long sleeved Roland Mouret Lombard from the Fall 2009 collection. Named after Hollywood bombshell Carole Lombard. (With many thanks to the super sleuths from What Kate Wore) It's the first time we've seen the Duchess wear a dress with a thigh high slit which I thought worked perfectly with the structured shoulders and high neckline.

SplashNews.com

The jade green version of the dress has been worn by several famous faces included France's former first lady Carla Bruni and actress Amber Valetta. Many felt Kate should have opted for the jade version but the off white colour worked with her colouring and the entire look was 'very Kate'. Personally it was one of my favourite looks. What did you think?

Style.com/Grazia

Mr Mouret was surprised to hear Kate wore his creation, speaking to Grazia he said

"I am absolutely delighted that the Duchess of Cambridge chose to wear my Lombard gown to the thirty club dinner. The Duchess has an elegance and timeless beauty that is a breath of fresh air, it is an honour to be part of her journey. "

Kate wore her Jimmy Choos Vamp platform sandals. The 4.5 inch shoes are available for €550.

Jimmy Choo

Kate accessorised with her 'Eva' earrings from Beaut Jewellery. I love the dazzling yet classic look of the chandelier earrings.

Beaut

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Kate was photographed on a camping trip with a group of boy scouts in Anglesey last week. The 30 year old privately volunteers with the Scouts in her spare time. While it is not one of her official patronages it is something she is clearly passionate about. Kate brought her beloved cocker spaniel Lupo on the trip and carried a box of pringles for the kids. I love seeing candids of the Duchess and it's always interesting to see how down to earth she is. There are thirty one lovely photos from the trip at Pop Sugar.

Pop Sugar

Kate wore her hair scraped back into a bun. She dressed casually in a navy sweater, gilet and scarf. Fashionista Ashley Margot tweeted Paige Denim who confirmed Kate was wearing their Skyline Angle Peg jeans. The mid rise jeans are available for $189.

Kate completed her casual look with her Le Chameau boots

Le Chameau

and a pair of striped welly socks. They may not be the most fashionable item around but they're very comfortable and certainly practical for a camping trip. They are available in numerous colours at Hunter for £17.

Hunter

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Next Friday William and Kate will attend a lunch at Windsor. Royals from around the world will be in attendance to celebrate the Queen's jubilee. It has also been announced Kate will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace later this month. Looking forward to both engagements. The Duchess graces the cover of Royalty magazine this month (With thanks to @Royal Beans via Twitter)

Royalty

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Finally I thought I would wrap up this post with something a little off topic. I was surprised to see Prince Charles presenting a special weather forecast yesterday. The Prince of Wales visited BBC Scotland to celebrate 60 years of television. I must say he did a rather good job, What did you think? Perhaps we'll see William and Kate doing the same someday :) To watch the video please Click here.

Washington Post/BBC