Showing posts with label St James. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St James. Show all posts

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Kate is a vision in white at Wimbledon

Duchess Kate has been a fan of Wimbledon for years. Recently a letter was released that she wrote to Wimbledon chiefs thanking them for making her visits so enjoyable. Over the past few weeks speculation has been rife that Kate would become patron of Wimbledon. However with the Royal tour to Canada only days away it certainly seemed unlikely. Today, Kate and William arrived at Wimbledon at 12.30 and received a huge applause from the crowd as they entered centre court to see British number one Andy Murray play against Richard Gasquet. It is a beautiful day for it too. 30 degrees c. St James's palace said 'Kate is a keen tennis fan'. The couple may have wanted to relax before jetting off on their tour. It is the first time the couple have sat in the Royal box at Wimbledon.  They will be joined by one of the most successful tennis players of our time, Billie Jean King. Kate looks beautiful in an Alice Temperly white dress while William opted for a navy suit. It is striking how happy and in love the Royal couple look!



Reuters



Saturday, February 18, 2012

The Duchess of Cambridge's patronages to include helping children, the Arts and becoming a scout volunteer!

It has been officially announced that the Duchess of Cambridge has become patron of four charities. Kate's choices include the arts, utilising her Art History degree and helping children. The lucky four are Oxford based charity The Art RoomThe National Portrait GalleryAction on Addiction and  East Anglia's Children's Hospices. Kate will undetake her first official visits shortly with the first one expected to be within the next eight weeks. St James' Palace said


"The Duchess of Cambridge considers it an honour to be associated with her patronages and is very much looking forward to getting stuck in. Of her four patronages two were selected from letter sent to St James' and the other two through research. Action on Addiction was chosen because as she visited young people's charities almost everyone working in the field pointed to addiction as a major problem and she wanted to help highlight that. More organisations will follow but she wanted to pick a few she can get involved with on a regular basis'.


While in Anglesey Kate will also volunteer privately as a scout with UK Scouting. The palace were eager to stress that William and Kate want to give something back to Anglesey. The Queen is a patron of the scouts and will be pleased to see Kate getting involved.




As an ex brownie, Kate is already well prepared.




Despite her high profile name Kate had to undergo a criminal records check. It is expected Kate will help to supervise games and go on weekend camps. She will also wear the standard uniform, a polo shirt and scarf.


The scout shirt, I can see Kate making this a fashion must have :) (With thanks to WKW FB)



Let's find out a little more about Kate's choices as we will be seeing her working with them in the future. The Art Room is an Oxford based charity aimed at helping 5-16 year olds experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties. They currently have five school and offer art therapy as a means of helping to increase children's self esteem and sense of independence. 




Kate made a private visit to The Art Room in November dressed casually. Kate obviously took this decision very seriously and it was months in the planning.




Kate also spent time researching her next choice, The National Portrait Gallery. Kate was spotted spending an afternoon taking a tour of the gallery last September. The gallery is a splendid choice for Kate, as an Art History student Kate can appreciate the fact it has the most extensive collection of portraits in the world. Founded in 1856 the aim of the gallery is to 


'promote through the medium of portraits the appreciation and understanding of the men and women who have made and are making British history and culture, and to promote the appreciation and understanding of portraiture in all media'.


Portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots


Kate is eager to use her role for good and her next choice reveals how in touch the Duchess is with social problems. Action on Addiction aims to help people with addiction problems through prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, support for families, education and workforce development. Sadly one in three people suffer from addiction, often in silence. With a high profile figure like Kate supporting this cause hopefully more people will open up and the charity will get the vital support it needs.


Kate's final choice is one that touched my heart. The East Anglia's Children's Hospices known as EACH, supports families and cares for children with life threatening or serious conditions across Norfolk, Essex, Cambridgeshire and Suffolk. EACH needs to raise around £4.8 million in public donations to continue providing the service needed. These essential service which include therapies and home care are simply vital. When Kate visited the hospice a thirteen year old girl grabbed her by the hand and took her to the play room, Kate took off her shoes to play on the mats.



The hospice is always planning exciting new projects and ways to improve the service offered to children. They are currently fundraising for a new play area. 



Wednesday, February 8, 2012

William and Kate end Seychelles honeymoon

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have returned from their ten day honeymoon in the Seychelles. It has not been officially confirmed that the couple spent their time at the North Island resort, one of 115 breathtaking islands available in the Seychelles.

St James's palace said, 'They thoroughly enjoyed their time together.' They expressed sincere gratitude to the Seychelles government for helping to make 'the honeymoon such a memorable and special ten days'. The Seychelles coastguard helped to ensure the couple enjoyed as much privacy as possible during their stay. William and Kate invited them ashore to personally thank them for their efforts on the last day of their visit. British high commissioner Patrick Pillay said, 'In a world of so much turmoil they bring a welcome and much needed breath of fresh air with their warmth and humility.' I think this quote sums up our feelings towards the couple. Whether you're a royalist or a republican, regardless of where in the world you're from, we have all been touched by the fairytale romance of William and Kate. I don't think anyone who watched the wedding wasn't moved, not by the beautifully decorated Westminster Abbey or the stunning outfits on display, but by the heart of the story: a young couple in love. This is why William and Kate are so popular and loved by the public. All eyes will be on their trip to Canada and the U.S. next!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Kate and William's unusual wedding gift!

What do you give the couple the couple that have everything? William and kate requested donations to their favourite charities in lieu of wedding gifts. The gift fund supported twenty six charities, incorporating the armed forces, the elderly and art. These were chosen specifically by the couple in the months building up to the wedding. St James's palace said in a statement 'Having been touched by the goodwill shown to them since the announcement of their engagement , Prince William and Catherine Middleton have asked that anyone who might wish to give them a wedding gift consider giving instead to a charitable fund' This website was set up for well wishers wishing to donate, The chosen charities are not well known and in need of any support possible however Chester Zoo decided to give the couple a rather unusual gift! A penguin chick from an endangered species. The penguin named 'Acorn' will not be living in Anglesey with the newlyweds instead it will remain in Chester Zoo with fifty penguins of the Humboldt species from which it belongs.  A spokesman for the zoo said 'We are honored to have William and Kate as adoptive parents, hopefully the happy couple will come and see Acorn playing in his pool very soon' Acorn was chosen as a gift by members of the public who voted through a social networking site. We shall keep an eye on Chester zoo for a sighing of the newlyweds! :)