William and Kate attend second Royal wedding of the year

PA

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have arrived at Canongate Kirk, Edinburgh for the wedding of The Queen's granddaughter Zara Philips and England rugby player Mike Tindall. The second British royal wedding of the year is a much more low key event than William and Kate's. It will not be televised and press is being kept to a minimum. These measures did not deter all fans with thirty people camping out overnight to get a glimpse of the bride. The reception will be held at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the monarch's official Scottish home. Philips is 13th in line to the throne but does not use a title as her parents wished for her to have as normal a life as possible. Zara looked stunning in her gown and long veil.
Duchess Kate was reportedly eager not to steal the limelight from Zara, recycling her Diane Von Furstenburg last night. (She still outshone everyone else) Today she opted to recycle again, wearing the cream jacquard coat she wore to Laura Parker Bowles wedding in 2006 and a cream lace dress she wore to a book launch with Pippa, teamed with a stunning cream floral hat and her LK Bennett sledge 2 pumps. I think this outfit looks wonderful on Kate. She recycles her outfits but always adds something new to keep it fresh. Again choosing a neutral colour, Kate knows what suits her and in my opinion looks classic and elegant. For more photos of Zara Philips and guests at the wedding please check out the Royal Family page

Reuters

Kate first wore the coat in 2006

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Kate Loves: Concerts

Hello Duchess Kate readers,
I hope you're all having a fabulous weekend. The Jubilee concert is fast approaching and reportedly no one is more excited about it than Duchess Kate. Her favourite singers Gary Barlow and Robbie Williams from popular UK band Take That will be performing. Of course, we are all eager to see what Kate chooses to wear. Kate has attended memorable concerts over the years and her sartorial choices have been lovely. Continuing on with our Kate Loves series, Let's look back on those concerts :)


2007 was a tumultuous year for William and Kate. The couple decided to take a break,  Kate would later admit she wasn't happy about the decision. In July 2007 Kate showed her support for William by attending the Diana Concert at Wembley stadium.

Kate sat two rows from William, she kept a low profile as this was a day to celebrate Diana's life. When Take That performed she was seen singing along to their song Back For Good.

AP

The concert was hosted by William and Harry on what would have been Princess Diana's 46th birthday. It was broadcast in 140 countries with an estimated audience of 500 million. At the end of the performances a video montage of Diana as a child was presented accompanied by Queen's These are the Day of out Lives.

Reuters

Kate looked lovely in a white lace Issa dress, white trench coat and knee high boots. Loved this look. 

Daily Mail

The couple rekindled their romance after the concert :)

In June 2008 Kate joined thousands of people at Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday concert in Hyde Park. The then 26 year old attended the gig without Prince William who was away pursuing his military career. 

Contact Music

Kate watched acts including the late Amy Winehouse, Queen and Razorlight at the party which was introduced by actor Will Smith. The Men in Black star told the crowd 'If the world could only have one father, the man that we would choose to be our father would be Nelson Mandela'. A look at Hyde Park, one of London's eight Royal Parks.

BBC

Kate looked lovely in a long printed top teamed with a black belt, dark blue jeans and brown knee high boots. 

Contact Music

After the Canada Day celebrations William and Kate had a chance to relax at Parliament Hill, where they attended a concert celebrating Canadian music. Kate looked elegant in a purple Issa dress and the maple leaf brooch, loaned to her by the Queen. We also saw Kate wear her hair in a chic updo.

The couple enjoyed a firework display after the concert. There was very much a 'date night' feel to the event. William and Kate exchanged glances and whispers throughout the event. 

Last December William and Kate joined Charles and Camilla to attend a Gary Barlow concert at the Royal Albert Hall. The concert was in aid of the Prince's Foundation. Mr Barlow began by saying 'I hope you enjoy tonight, I hope it's not too loud'. William replied 'The louder the better' :) Kate wore a tulip Zara dress.

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William and Kate Attend the Wedding of Princess Diana's Niece

William, Kate and Harry attended the wedding of Princess Diana's niece, Emily McCorquodale and James Hutt today. The bride is the daughter of Diana's elder sister Lady Sarah McCorquodale. Lady Sarah is reportedly the member of the Spencer family to whom the Princes are closest. 

The wedding took place at Church of St. Andrew and St.Mary, in the Lincolnshire Hamlet of Stoke Rochford where the bride grew up on a 1,000 acre farm.

A look at the church.

Parishes Lincolnshire

The couple spent quite a while outside meeting and greeting with guests and relatives. It was a lovely opportunity for the Princes to spend time with their mother's family and for Kate to get to know them.

 We regularly see William with his hand on Kate's back, It's a very supportive and romantic gesture.

Kate chose to recycle a number of her most beautiful pieces today beginning with the Katherine Hooker Buxton Coat she wore to the Order of the Garter ceremony last year. I think the Buxton is one of the most classic piece Kate has worn and I was hoping she would recycle it. The made to order skirted coat is available for £795.

Kate teamed her coat with the hand-painted chinoiseire silk 'De Gournay' Jenny Packham dress she wore to a polo match in Santa Barbara last July. The dress is from the Spring/Summer 2011 collection.

Kate recycled the £99 Whiteley hat she wore to the Epsom Derby last year. Kate wore her hair half up in a plait around the crown of her head. A stunning look for Kate who favours wearing long hair down whilst wearing a hat.

Kate carried her Hobbs Invitation Greta Patent Clutch. The Italian made, patent bag is available in numerous colours for £110.

Hobbs

The Duchess accessorised with a pair of Diamond and Pearl Earrings by Heavenly Earrings. (I must say a huge thank you the wonderful Anna from My Small Obsessions who put a huge amount of work into identifying them) Interestingly the earrings are actually fakes and cost £48. They are currently sold out but if you wish to purchase them there is a waiting list. 

Kate chose her £185 LK Bennett Sledge shoes to complete the look. I read a couple of articles in the press this week criticising the Duchess for wearing the Sledge pumps so often. They are clearly comfortable and the colour will work with almost anything. We all have a favourite pair of shoes in our wardrobe!

LK Bennett

I thought the entire look worked excellently. Kate wore elegant, timeless pieces but chose to recycle. Perhaps in order not to overshadow the bride? What did you think of Kate's look today? 

We'll finish tonight's post with a photo of the bride and groom. Emily attended the royal wedding last year and obviously took inspiration from Kate's gown. Emily looks beautiful, lovely to see such classic wedding gowns popular again.

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Mario Testino finally talks about shooting William and Kate

Royal photographer Mario Testino was honoured last night in New York at a gala celebrating his incredible thirty year career. Testino, 56, was Princess Diana's favourite photographer. He is deeply trusted by the Royal family. William and Kate insisted no one else should shoot their official wedding photographs. Academy Award winning actress Kate Winslet gave a speech praising Testino beginning with a joke: 'The two other Kates, Kate Moss and Kate Middleton were unavailable so you'll have to make do with me'. She continued to say he has the ability to 'dispose of a woman's insecurities'.

The world famous photographer spoke about shooting royals in depth: 'For me photographing the Royals is my way of giving back to the country: documenting this tradition and the history. For a Peruvian - apart from Paddington Bear, there are very few of us that can be a part of it. I feel very attached to England'. When asked about shooting the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge he said: 'They are a young couple in love. The Duchess looked fabulous and even helped to do her own make up'. However the atmosphere on the shoot was anything but calm: 'Everything is compacted into such a short time because we have to produce these pictures. It's more like me screaming and trying to get everything to go'. Whatever his method is, the official engagement photographs are beautiful. Testino has shot some of the most famous figures in the world. Which lucky star is his favourite? He answers this one with ease: 'I've been asked this many times. It would have to be Princess Diana. It took my career to another level.'

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