William, Kate and Harry Launch Sports Programme in South London

William, Kate and Harry visited St Beacons College in Rotherhithe, South London this morning to to launch the Coach Core programme and encourage young people to become sports coaches.

Clarence House Twitter

The Royal trio joined one hundred young people taking part in a sports festival and met trainee coaches

Georgina Brewer Twitter

The Royals were all smiles upon arrival and looking very stylish, I might add :)

Rebecca English Twitter

 All three royals have a keen interest in sport. Kate excelled at hockey, netball and tennis during her time in Marlborough College so this was an ideal engagement for the young royals.

Rebecca English Twitter

Coach Core is a new sports coaching initiative which aims to train 16-19 year olds to become qualified sports coaches and mentors for their schools and communities. The programme is a partnership between The Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry and charity Greenhouse.

The Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry

The Greenhouse charity puts inspirational coaches into schools and community clubs to work with 8-18 year olds. Football, basketball, table tennis, volleyball, judo, swimming, dance and drama are just some of the programmes offered by the coaches who target young people most in need of support in the hopes of achieving improved engagement within the community, improved health and wellbeing and improved effort with education. If you wish to get involved or donate please click here.

Greenhouse volleyball and England star Jordan Dalrymple carrying the Olympic torch in Wandsworth.

Greenhouse Charity Facebook

Each of the royals participated in a different sport.

Paul Harrison Twitter

The Duchess slipped off her wedges to referee a judo match.

Georgina Brewer Twitter

Kate played table tennis with the students. Beacon's College is home to six of the top players in the UK but the Duchess held her own missing only a few points.

Greenhouse Twitter

The Duchess then joined the Princes outside to watch the football. One of the boys asked the Princes 'Are you two brothers?' to which Harry jokingly replied 'We're not sure'.

Rebecca English Twitter

The couple share a romantic moment.

AP

Prince William gave a very entertaining speech.

'Watching me on the football field is never a pretty sight  - the expression giraffe on ice springs to mind. However it is marginally less embarrassing than seeing my brother cheat his way to becoming the fastest man on the planet'.

Speaking about Kate's sporting talents :)

'Catherine on the other hand, with a tennis racquet or a hockey stick is something to behold and be aware of'.

It was an incredibly fun event and one the royals appeared to enjoy immensely.

Clarence House Twitter

Now onto Kate's style. Upon arrival the colour of her dress was the topic of much debate among the press :)

Georgina Brewer Twitter

Kate wore the Hobbs Check Wessex Dress (With thanks to Irene) At first glance I thought it was a designer piece, possibly Burberry. It's a very pretty summer dress and quite reminiscent of Kate's pre engagement style. It was originally £119 then reduced to £35 on sale but is unfortunately now sold out. It is described as

'Our bestselling Wessex dress returns for Spring/Summer 2012 in a new grey and white checked print. It features a flattering 50's inspired silhouette with a full skirt and nipped in waist'.

Hobbs

A look at the back of the dress.

Rebecca English Twitter

Kate teamed her dress with the white Hobbs Neston belt (With many thanks to the wonderful Michelle) which emphasised her waist and showed off the full skirt. The €11 basic leather belt is sold out.

Hobbs/Polyvore

Kate wore the Pied a Terre Imperia Wedges in taupe (With thanks to Fiona and Ashley) The Duchess has a pair of the Imperia's in black and wore them during the Canada tour. The simple slingback espadrille wedges have a round toe and are available in several colours for £80.

Pied a Terre

Kate accessorized with her double pearl earrings. 

You can watch a video of William's speech here and a general video covering the visit at ITN Source.

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In other (very exciting) news.

Mark Stewart Twitter

The couple's schedule is below.

• Tuesday 11th September - Singapore
• Thursday 13th September - Malaysia/Borneo
• Sunday 16th September - Solomon Islands
• Tuesday 18th-19th September - Tuvalu

The couple will be representing the Queen in celebration of her Diamond Jubilee and they will be the first members of the Royal family to visit the Pacific Island of Tuvalu, an area of just ten square miles since the Queen and Prince Philip sailed there in 1982. 

From the Telegraph's story

'St James's Palace announced that the couple will arrive in Singapore on September 11, moving on to Kuala Lumpur and the Malaysian province of Sabah, Borneo and flying to Tuvalu via the Solomon Islands, finishing the tour on the Polynesian Island on September 19'.

More details and the itinerary are expected to be released in a month or so but we do know the couple plan to visit a rainforest 

'During their stay in Borneo they will visit a rainforest where they could come face to face with orangutans, and where they are likely to learn about efforts to preserve the world's oldest rainforest, which dates back 130 million years'. 

As always, a huge thank you to royal correspondents, Rebecca English, Richard Palmer, Georgina Brewer and Paul Harrison for sharing photos and information from the event with us. William, Kate and Harry will welcome the Olympic torch to Buckingham Palace at approximately 18.35 today. I'll see you all then :)

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South East Asia Tour Itinerary, Possible Tiara, Kate's Second Speech + Kate Attends Swimming

Clarence House released details on William and Kate's South-East Asia tour this afternoon and I think you'll agree, it looks like it's going to be a fantastic tour. The nine day trip begins on September 11 in Singapore where William and Kate will visit the Botanic Gardens where they will an orchid named after each of them and visit an orchid named after Diana shortly before her death. Sadly Diana (who died fifteen years ago tomorrow) never got to see the flower and no doubt it will be a special moment for the couple. 

Singapore Botanic Gardens

A look at Diana's orchid.

My Gola

The couple will visit a Rolls Royce Factory and attend a state dinner at the President's residence. The Palace is not ruling out the possibility of Kate wearing a tiara, a first for the Duchess. A private hairdresser will travel with Kate to ensure her glossy locks are in perfect condition for the tour. James Pryce accompanied Kate during the Canada tour but will not be doing the same this time as the two parted ways a number of months ago.

Georgina Brewer Twitter

The couple's next stop is Malaysia where they will stay in Kuala Lumpur. A very exciting visit for Kate as she will make her first speech abroad at Hospis Malaysia. The location was reportedly chosen for Kate as she made her first public speech at  the East Anglia's Children's Hospice, and she is keen to forge links between the two organisations. William and Kate will also attend a Diamond Jubilee tea party thrown by the British High Commissioner and a glamorous dinner hosted by the country's King in his Istana Negara palace. 

The Istana Negara Palace.

Istana Negara

The couple will then fly to Sabah, the Malaysian part of Borneo and explore the jungle at Danum Valley. The area holds unique status in the sense that before it became a conservation area there were no human settlements in the area. The conservation area is a 438 square kilometres tract of relatively undisturbed lowland dipterocarp forest.

Visit Asia

On September 16 the couple will travel to the Solomon Islands. Despite their small population of just over half a million the couple have been told to expect a very warm, colourful welcome. William and Kate will attend another state dinner with a difference - an outdoor island feast. The couple will take a boat trip to Marau and then sail by traditional war canoe to Tavinipupu Private Island resort. With crystal clear waters, delicious food, ice cold beer and relaxing massages the island is described as 'paradise'. It is expectedly William and kate will stay in a £300 a night hand thatched bungalow. The Palace said they also hope to do a little snorkelling in the Azure waters.

Theodora

The final destination on the couple's itinerary is Tuvalua, when the Queen and Prince Philip last visited in 1982 they were carried ashore from Britannia in a canoe on the shoulders of locals. William and Kate will arrive by plane but their private secretary Jamie Lowther Pinkerton said 
'We really have no idea what to expect'. 

PA

Kate has reportedly chosen thirty outfits for the tour and will borrow pieces of jewellery from the Queen. I expect we will see Kate in an array of stunning outfits, paying homage to local designers from South-East Asia with a mix of British designers and quite possibly pieces we've seen before. It sounds like it's going to be a wonderful tour. Less than two weeks away. Are you looking forward to it? :)

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Kate watched the swimming at the Aquatics Centre tonight. It was a solo for the Duchess.

London 2012

Kate wore her Team GB jacket, skinny jeans and Stuart Weitzman Corkswoon Wedges. Kate wore her in a ponytail, a lovely look for her.

Stuart Weitzman

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Kate's Exhibitions Plans, William in the Falklands, Kate's Plans With The Queen, A Peek At Jenny Packham's High Street Collection and More

Hello Kate fans,
Only two days until Kate visits the Lucian Freud Exhibition. Are you all excited to see her? Any style predictions? It's been almost a month since her last royal engagement. I'll post as soon as the first photos emerge and will update as news comes in. While we're waiting for that, there are numerous interesting stories about Kate making the headlines today.


Duchess Kate is one of the most photographed women in the world but is keen to show off her talents from the opposite side of the lens. Photography has been a passion of Kate's for many years. In 2007 Kate curated an exhibition of celebrity portraits by the photographer Alistair Morrison. Morrison described Kate's work as 'very, very good'. A Royal source said

"Photography is a great passion for the Duchess and she continues to pursue it avidly. It is a real release for her and she takes her work very seriously. She has considered staging an exhibition of her works at some point in the future. She would like to continue to develop her work privately before being subjected to that kind of public scrutiny but an exhibition in the next few years is an idea she would be keen on".

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Kate is undeniably one of the most beautiful women of our generation. We spend millions annually trying to emulate her style, hair, make up (even umbrellas...) One lucky girl from Calgary is becoming famous as a 'Kate Middleton look a like'. 26 year old Holly Ferrier was first spotted during the royal tour last summer. Having just competed in an international lookalike contest in Paris and coming second, Holly described the surreal experience as 'a whirlwind, I would love to do it again'. What do you think? See much resemblance to Kate? :)

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We were all very excited to hear about Jenny Packham's collection for Debenhams. A photo has been released of a stunning gown which will feature in the No 1 Jenny Packham collection. Prices will range from £85 to £160 and will launch in April. Very Kate isn't it?

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The Queen's jubilee celebrations and engagements officially begins today. The questions for fans of Kate has been, When will the tour take place? William and Kate will jet off to Malaysia, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands and Singapore in September. I had hoped it would be sooner but nonetheless something to look forward to for the autumn.

Meanwhile The Queen has reportedly been inviting Kate to Buckingham Palace for regular chats to boots her confidence. The Queen is very found of Kate and has taken a keen interest in her development. Although nothing has been confirmed yet, It is being widely reported Kate will accompany Her Majesty on two diamond jubilee engagements next month. 

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We all did a double take when we first saw Kate's wedding dress and it seems the Dean of Westminster was no exception. Speaking about the historic day The Very Rev Dr John Hall said:

"She was so strikingly beautiful and the shape of the dress was so charming. I was quite breath taken and just smiled. It was just one of those 'pinch me' moments, a great privilege."

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On Valentine's Day Kate will pay a special visit to alcohol free bar The Brink. Staff were so delighted about the upcoming visit they created a special alcohol free smoothie called 'The Duchess' in Kate's honour. Made up of banana, honey, almonds and cream it sounds delicious.

Kate's patronage Action on Addiction expressed their excitement about the visit via Twitter.

A number of you have emailed me about a couple of stories which appear to untrue/fabricated/exaggerated. After much research I have found

• Various magazine articles claiming William and Kate have had their first big fight etc is most likely rubbish.
• The numerous articles claiming William's deployment will 'make or break them' are totally unfounded. After ten years it's going to take more than six weeks apart to cause problems.
• Pregnancy rumours and predictions they won't have a child this year impossible to predict, Only William and Kate know that information :)

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Sources (The Telegraph, Ok, People, Daily Mail, Zimbio, What Kate Wore, British Monarchy Flickr, MarkFoster CNN Flickr)

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