William and Kate joined the Queen, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex at the Olympic Stadium tonight for the Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony.
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| London 2012 |
Prince Edward is patron of the British Paralympic Association and was seated next to the Queen.
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| London 2012 |
Film Director Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot) headed the team behind the ceremony. Called 'Englightenment', the programme celebrated the inclusivity of the Paralympics. Over 3,000 volunteers, rehabilitating soldiers and children took part. Over 2.5 million tickets were sold for the event.
William and Kate attended a reception ahead of the ceremony.
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Kate met with volunteers and staff who have worked tirelessly over the past number of weeks.
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A panoramic view of the ceremony before it got under way.
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| London 2012 Facebook |
'Aerobility', a British charity that trains disable people to become pilots, flew over the Olympic Stadium.
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| London 2012 |
William and Kate were seated next to Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha.
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There was an introduction by Stephen Hawking, a British theoretical physicist and author. He was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease at the age of 21. Stephen's determination and courage has inspired people all around the world.
During the introduction Stephen said
'Look up at the stars, and not down on your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder what makes the universe exist. Be curious'.
Performers fly in with umbrellas.
A sea of umbrellas creates an image of the Union Flag.
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In tribute to Sir Isaac Newton and his theories of gravity, a large mechanical apple was brought into the stadium.
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| London 2012 |
Around 18,000 LED lights were used in the performers' hat brims.
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| London 2012 |
Wheelchair tennis player Peter Norfolk carried the British flag during the ceremony.
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| London 2012 |
Kate chose to recycle for the event choosing the pale gold coat by Day by Birger/ Mikkelsen,
she wore to Zara Philips and Mike Tindall's wedding last year, Mel Nicholson's 2010 wedding and to the 2006 wedding of Laura Parker Bowles. Again Kate obviously wanted the attention firmly on the athletes and not her sartorial choices hence recycling a piece that has been seen three times before.
A closer look at the coat.
Kate wore her favourite LK Bennett Sledge Pumps.
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| LK Bennett |
Kate carried her Wilbur and Gussie gold envelope clutch.
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| Wilbur and Gussie |
It was a wonderful ceremony and I'm delighted to see the Paralympic Games getting the attention it receives. What did you all think of the ceremony? See you all tomorrow :)
The Duchess of Cambridge joined Prince Harry at the Olympic Closing Ceremony tonight.
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Kate chatted with Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha before the show got underway.
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Harry's tie and Kate's dress coordinated perfectly :)
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The Queen was not in attendance tonight, as Buckingham Palace said there was no official role for a Head of State in the ceremony. Her Majesty is expected to watch it at Balmoral, where she and Prince Philip are spending their summer break. The Palace released a message from the Sovereign
'As the 2012 London Olympic Games come to a close, I offer my congratulations to the athletes of Great Britain and the Commonwealth, whose efforts across the range of Olympic disciplines have truly captured the public's imagination and earned their admiration. I congratulate, too, the organisers of the games, as well as the thousands of volunteers who have epitomized the Olympic spirit through the warm welcome they have shown to the sporting teams and spectators from around the world.
As a nation we now look forward to the Paralympic Games and wish all athletes every success'.
Prince Harry represented his grandmother at the ceremony.
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| MarkStewart Twitter |
Harry and Kate singing.
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| Reuters |
A look at the stadium before the ceremony began.
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| Simon Perry Twitter |
80,000 people in the Olympic Stadium counted down to the beginning of the opening ceremony, to the chimes of a replica Big Ben.
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| BBC |
The ceremony celebrated the amazing sports feats of the athletes who have taken part in the Games with the ultimate aftershow party. 3,500 adult volunteers and 380 schoolchildren from the six east London Host Boroughs showcased the creative talent of the UK in a fun, colourful and festive atmosphere.
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| Olympics Twitter |
Actor Timothy Spall read lines from Shakespeare in character as Winston Churchill.
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Following an introduction to daily life in London, the athletes entered and volunteers were thanked. 'A Symphony of British Music' took place next, celebrating over fifty years of British music. One Direction received a wonderful reception at the Stadium when they performed thier hit 'What Makes You Beautiful'.
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| 1D Superhumans |
An aerial view of the red, white and blue Olympic Stadium field of play.
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| London 2012 Twitter |
Supermodels Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell turned the Stadium into a catwalk to showcase McQueen pieces.
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British favourites 'The Spice Girls' reunited tonight for a special performance. Victoria Beckham said she was 'so excited' about the performance.
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Duchess Kate recycled the Whistles Bella Dress she wore to the Diamond Jubilee Concert in June. Kate teamed it with a black belt tonight. An elegant understated choice.
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| Grazia UK |
The $260 last season piece is described as
'Crafted in a silk rich fabric with a petal print design. Featuring a round neckline with a bound edge, cropped sleeves, gathering to the waist and an exposed gold tone zip fastening to the reverse'.
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| Whistles |
Kate accessorized with her Kiki McDonough blue topaz earrings, black pumps and her bespoke Anya Hindmarch Maud Clutch. The clutch is available in a number of colours for £450.
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| Anya Hindmarch |
At the end of the ceremony, there was a handover to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Games and the Olympic Flame was extinguished, signalling the end of the Olympic Games.
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| BBC |
Kate and Harry chatted throughout the event and appeared to have a wonderful time. They were spotted singing alone to a couple of songs too :)
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I'd like to thank you all for reading the blog and commenting throughout the Olympics. London 2012 was simply amazing and it was wonderful to see Kate supporting Team GB at so many events. I expect Kate will attend a number of events during the Paralympics (August 29 - September 9) Until then, there are no engagements scheduled for the Duchess, who will most likely spend some time in Anglesey next. In the meantime we'll continue on with 'Kate Loves' and I hope to work on the 'Repli-Kate' section too, along with the latest news and hopefully a surprise appearance or two.
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I'll leave you with a look at Team GB's version of Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now' celebrating the success of London 2012 :)
