William and Kate set a date for next week!

The couple will attend their first official public engagement since their arrival home from the Seychelles on June 9th. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be the guests to watch at the 10th Absolute Return for Kids gala dinner to benefit the foundation for princes William and Harry. The event will take place at Perks Field, practically beside Kensington Palace, William's childhood home with Princess Diana.

A recent statement said: 'The Princes' foundation and ARK share a common vision and commitment to transform the lives of disadvantaged children in the U.K. and around the world'. It has been reported that there is a very good chance William will announce a callaboration between his foundation and ARK. I'm looking forward to seeing William and Kate attend this event. It sets the right tone that their first official public engagement is in aid of a charity. The couple are eager to be seen as using their status for good not enjoying the perks of celebrity life, hence choosing to decline an invitation the the state banquet in honour of President Obama. It is also a chance for Kate to prove yet again she is a style icon. I expect she will wear a classic evening gown, possibly by Issa!

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Kate: Queen of Wimbledon

Former tennis star and British number one Tim Henman may be on the verge of convincing the Duchess of Cambridge to be the Royal Representative at Wimbledon this year. The tournament is the most famous event in tennis, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are among the contenders this year fighting to win the coveted cup.

Speculation has been rife since the announcement of the engagement that Kate was being lined up for the role. As a major tennis fan, Kate is simply the perfect choice. She has attended matches at Wimbledon and has been described as 'tennis mad'. The stunning 29 year old would be the perfect addition to one of the most famous sporting events held in Britain. It has been suggested that she may present the trophy instead of the Duke of Kent. Princess Diana once executed this role and thoroughly enjoyed it. Prince William is reluctant for his new bride to be in the glare of the spotlight. Tim Henman has been invited in to convince Kate it would be the right choice for her. Henman has close links with the Middleton family. Weeks before the Royal wedding William and Kate were seen playing tennis at Queen's club in West London. A friend said 'Kate adores everything about tennis and would love to have an official role at Wimbledon'. I am a huge tennis fan, with a particular interest in Wimbledon, The tournament being on June 20, I'm hoping to see Kate in the Royal box, Even though his tennis career is over we will be hoping Tim Henman can persuade the Duchess. 'Come on Tim'. :) 

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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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The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge grace the cover of Vanity Fair

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge grace the cover of Vanity Fair. The cover features a never before seen photograph of the newly engaged couple. William and Kate can hardly contain their excitement, both with beaming smiles. The photograph, taken by Mario Testino depicts a young couple very much in love. Shot in St James' Palace, Testino was not nervous about shooting Kate for the first time: 'I felt very confident she would be an easy sitter because of her natural grace'. It includes iconic photos of Princess Diana taken by Testino. In the July issue the article discusses who does the chores and why the couple had to have philadelphia cheese on their honeymoon. When the couple looked at their wedding footage they were beside themselves with giggles. The issue hits stands on June 3 and it certainly sounds like an interesting read. I think Testino captures William and Kate beautifully!

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Kate's £6.50 tiara

For Kate Middleton choosing 'something borrowed' for her wedding day was a simple choice: a tiara fit for a queen. The head of the Windsor family, Queen Elizabeth II, loaned Kate her Cartier 'halo' tiara. The tiara was made in 1936. It was originally purchased by the Duke of York for his Duchess, who would become King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen mother, a few weeks later. It is estimated to be worth millions. In 1946, she passed the crown to her daughter, the current Queen, for her 18th birthday. Kate opted to wear her hair mostly down on her wedding day with the tiara holding her veil in place. If Kate is lucky she may be calling the tiara her own someday soon. In 1981, Queen Elizabeth gave Princess Diana the beautiful Cambridge lovers knot tiara as a wedding present. Sadly after she and Prince Charles divorced she returned it.

The Cartier 'halo'' tiara, worn by the Queen Mother

Kate's hairdresser did not have the luxury of using the tiara when creating the Duchess of Cambridge's style for the big day. Instead he used a £6.50 plastic tiara from Claire's, a high street jewellery shop. Claire's tiara could not have been more different than the Cartier 'halo'. Made in china, It is less than an ounce heavy. However, it worked sufficiently and Kate's hair was styled into a demi chignon flawlessly.  

Richard Ward, whose salon was responsible for styling all the Middleton family admitted to using the cheap tiara as the team practiced tirelessly. 'Kate was amazing, keeping us calm if anything. And she cared how we were coping, constantly giving us confidence. It was fantastic.' They back-combed the top to create a foundation for the tiara to sit around, then added a tiny plait in the middle and sewed it on. Since the wedding Claire's tiara's have sold out in record time. 

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Kate's Wimbledon dress tops the poll

Firstly thank you all for voting on the poll. As Kate has been wearing quite a lot of white, I was interested to see which you all thought looked best. The winner was the Alice by Temperly Moriah dress she wore to Wimbledon. The pleated knee length dress looked beautiful on her. Worn with LK Bennett shoes and earrings made from Princess Diana's sapphire and diamond earrings, It was Kate's ultimate summer look so far.

Since Kate began the royal tour we have only seen her in white once. Yesterday she wore the Reiss Nanette dress for Canada day celebrations. The couple have just landed in Montreal and still have a busy day ahead. I look forward to seeing what she wears next.......

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'Princess Diana would have loved Kate as a daughter'

Kate Middleton wowed the nation last night in her classic, elegant Jenny Packham rose gown. William looked at Kate adoringly as she spoke with guests exuding a natural ease, reminiscent of Princess Diana. We have all wondered what Diana would have thought of Kate. There have been rumours she would have been jealous but according to someone who knew her very well she would have adored her.

Disgraced Duchess Sarah Ferguson was a close friend of Diana's. Speaking to Piers Morgan she said they 'would have been the best of friends sharing a love of fashion and shopping. Kate would have been the daughter she always longed for'. Sarah Ferguson was not invited to the wedding but described her delight at the day 'I felt pride, total pride didn't we all? It was an amazing day'. Without question Diana's presence was felt last night at the ARK gala held in the grounds of her former home Kensington Palace.

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Kate's Favourite Nail Polish Revealed, Kate's Keeper, Clutch ID + More

Good evening Kate fans,
There a number of stories in the press today I'd like to share with you. Beginning with a topic close to every girls heart......Nail polish :) Duchess Kate's favourite brand has been revealed as the Essie Allure Pale Pink Nail Polish. Kate chose the subtle shade for the royal wedding. It is available for $8 and described as

"A seductive sheer with a natural finish, perfect for a French manicure."

Other striking shades from the Essie collection include the fuchsia bachelorette bash, the rose eternal optimist and the mauve lady like.

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Stuart Weitzman revealed via Twitter that Kate's brown suede clutch is called the 'Muse'. (With thanks to What Kate Wore) The clutch must be from a previous collection. It is entirely possible they will reissue it.

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The press and the general public have become increasingly interested in the woman known as Kate's minder. Assistant private secretary Rebecca Deacon is reportedly one of the most important people in Kate's life right now. 29 year old Rebecca has become Kate's right hand woman after being personally selected to be part of her team. Rebecca has worked for William and Harry since 2007 when she played an important role in organising the Princess Diana concert. Rebecca lost her father at a young age and her mother has since been ordained as a vicar.

A source revealed

"William has never forgotten the way his mother was left to cope without any support from courtiers. He is determined that will never happen to Kate, even though it has brought him into conflict with officials from time to time. He wants Kate to feel totally secure so she can focus on the family. Nobody is suggesting Kate and Rebecca have girlie nights in, of course Pippa is still Kate's best friend but Kate has come to trust Rebecca's advice."

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Duchess Kate graces the cover of Hello! UK

and Hello! Canada this week.

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Source (Hello!, Twitter, What Kate Wore, The Mirror, Essie)

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Prince William will ensure Kate adjusts to Royal life on her terms

Prince William is fiercely protective of his new bride. Not only is he aware of the fact that Kate was not brought up as a Royal and needs time to adjust to her new role and the intense media spotlight she is under but he is naturally afraid of her becoming unhappy as his mother was. Princess Diana was hounded by the press and expected to perform royal duties most days. The 28 year old prince is ensuring their marriage will not be run on the Monarchy's terms.

The couple decided not to attend the state banquet in honour of President Obama in order to set a precedent of formal behavior they are not interested in upholding. A source said 'They did not attend in order not to put a Kate on strain and also to create a helpful precedent. If you don't turn up for the U.S. President's dinner, you don't need to turn up for anyone else's. After the brief Obama meeting they vanished from view once more'. William and Kate are a new generation of royals. Unlike his cousins Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie who are being pictured constantly attending functions despite the Queen's wish for them not to participate in full time royal duties, William prefers privacy and normality. I think the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will avoid entering the public arena fully for as long as possible.

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