Duke & Duchess Attend ICAP Charity Day

Today, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were at the 23rd ICAP annual Charity Day in London. The event takes place every year and is a fundraising event where ICAP donate a day's revenue and commissions to charity.

photo via The Daily Mail

William and Catherine were in attendance this year as their charities would be benefitting. SkillForce, Prince William's charity, and SportsAid and Place2Be, Catherine's charities, would be receiving some of the revenue.

photo via The Daily Mail

The Duchess got really involved on the phones..

photo via The Daily Mail

..and even started doing two phone calls at one time!

photo via The Daily Mail

The staff also dress up for the day. The Duchess met Nigel Halligan, who was dressed as a woman for the day!

photo via The Daily Mail

The couple also has a go at bashing a piñata at a Mexican Day of the Dead themed desk.

photo via The Daily Mail

The Duchess also had a go at a game of ping-pong whilst touring the building.

photo via The Daily Mail

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were also joined by Samantha Cameron..

photo via The Daily Mail

..and Carey Mulligan.

photo via The Daily Mail

The Duchess re-wore her teal LK Bennett suit that she first wore in 2012, during a Jubilee visit to Leicester.

photo via The Daily Mail

The LK Bennett Davina Dress..

..and LK Bennett Jude Jacket sold out almost as soon as the Duchess stepped out in them. This time she decided to wear the matching belt rather than her own.

She teamed the outfit with her Stuart Weitzman Power Pumps and Mulberry Bayswater Clutch.

photo via The Daily Mail

The Duchess teamed the teal suit with her Mappin & Webb jewellery..

photo via The Daily Mail

She chose her Mappin & Webb Empress White Gold & Diamond Pendant and Mappin & Webb Empress White Gold & Diamond Drop Earrings.

The Duchess debuted a shorter hairstyle today as well. What do you think?

photo via The Daily Mail

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Look smart in a teal suit like the Duchess. Although LK Bennett's is all sold out now, it sold out almost immediately when she first wore it!, there is a lovely alternative. The Ted Baker Stacia Chintz Curved Suit Jacket and matching Ted Baker Staciad Chintz Curved Suit Dress. It is a lovely smart look and the dark green is a very seasonal colour.

Duchess Dazzles at Diplomatic Reception..

Tonight the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended the white-tie Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace.

photo via The Daily Mail

The Diplomatic Recpetion is one of the most lavish events hosted by The Queen throughout the year and is always hosted in the Buckingham Palace ballroom. I got the opportunity to visit the ballroom in September and can honestly say it is an amazing room. I can only imagine how breathtaking it must be when filled with guests in white-tie!

The only downside to the Diplomatic Reception is that no photos are released from inside, so we only have the arrival photographs to look at! However, even from those we can see that the Duchess looked lovely tonight. I especially like the up-do she now has when wearing a tiara.

photo via The Daily Mail

It is the second time the Duke and Duchess have attended the reception, the last time was in 2013. For tonight's event, the Duchess chose a similar outfit.

She re-wore the bespoke Alexander McQueen dress. We got a better view of the bodice tonight but I do hope that one day we will get a full-length view of the dress - I have a feeling it is going to be beautiful!

photo via The Daily Mail

The Duchess chose a new tiara for tonight's occasion. It is the third tiara we have seen the Duchess in.  The first was the Cartier Halo Tiara she wore in 2011 on her wedding day. The second was the Papyrus Tiara she wore for the Diplomatic Reception in 2013. The third was a repeat of the Papyrus Tiara earlier this year. It is lovely to see that the Duchess is starting to attend more events that require a tiara, as it is a real treat for us when she does!

This time she chose the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara.

The tiara is most famous for being worn by Princess Diana. It is not a surprise that the Duchess has chosen this tiara, as it was thought that she would wear it eventually, given it's name and the couple being titled Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and because of how often Princess Diana wear the tiara.

photo via The Daily Mail

One of my favourite outfit's of Princess Diana that included the Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara was when she wore a matching pearl embellished dress..

photo via The Daily Mail

The Queen also wore the tiara on a few occasions, most notably in an oil painting by Leonard Boden, which was presented to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1957. She also wore the matching pearl drop earrings.

However, the original tiara belonged to Princess Augusta of Hesse-Cassel. It was a gift from her parents, Prince Frederick of Hesse and Princess Caroline of Nassau, when she married the Duke of Cambridge - hence the tiara's name.

When their eldest daughter married, the Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Augusta, gave the tiara to her as a gift.

The Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara that we see today is actually a replica of this original, as the original was lost many years ago and thought to have been sold at auction. In 1913, Queen Mary commissioned the Crown Jewelers, Garrard & Co., to construct a tiara based on the design of the  Cambridge Lovers Knot Tiara. It was Queen Mary who passed it down to Queen Elizabeth II who then loaned it to Princess Diana and now to the Duchess of Cambridge. I do love how the British Royal Family pass on jewels - it is a lovely tradition that not all royal families have.

The Duchess also borrowed Queen Elizabeth's earrings. She quite often borrows these evenings for such occasions and has worn them on a number of black-tie and white-tie receptions since their wedding.

Copy Kate
If you ever have the opportunity to wear a gown and want to emulate the Duchess's look from tonight then why not opt for the Gina Bacconi Long Chiffon Dress with Lace Bodice in Silver. It is currently on sale for £210. It is a beautiful dress but with a much more modest price tag!

New Photographs of Princess Charlotte..

Today we were treated to a lovely surprise - new photographs of Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.

Kensington Palace released the photographs this morning - the first ones features a more serious Princess Charlotte..

photo via Kensington Palace Twitter Feed

The second shows the Princess giggling with glee at her stuffed toy..

photo via Kensington Palace Twitter Feed

Princess Charlotte's toy is the - the Jellycat Fuddlewuddle Puppy, which is available for £17.

The photographs were taken by the Duchess of Cambridge at Anmer Hall in Norfolk.

They were released to celebrate the Princess being 6 months old and also as a thank you from the Duke and Duchess for the privacy the British press and paparazzi have given the royal children.

We have not seen much of Princess Charlotte since she was born. The first photographs we ever saw were of her leaving the Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital.

photo via the Daily Mail

The second were of Charlotte and George at Anmer Hall, when Charlotte was around 2 weeks old.

photo via Kensington Palace Twitter Feed

The last were of Princess Charlotte after her christening.

photo via Kensington Palace Twitter Feed

It is thought that they may release photos of Prince George and Princess Charlotte at Christmas, but we will have to wait and see!

Duke and Duchess Spend the Day in Wales

Today the Duke and Duchess wrapped up a busy week with a visit to North Wales.

photo via The Daily Mail

Their first engagement was a visit to the Mind Organisation in Caernafron.

photo via The Daily Mail

They viewed a photography project run by the local charity. The project is designed to "give young people a voice to talk about their experiences of living with mental health problems".

photo via The Daily Mail

Next, the Duke and Duchess visited GISDA. GISDA gives opportunities to improve the lives of young vulnerable people.

photo via The Daily Mail

After visiting GISDA centre, Kate was presented with flowers from Theo Hayward.

photo via The Daily Mail

Next, and possibly the most fun engagement of the day, was a visit to the Outdoor Education Centre in Snowdonia.

photo via The Daily Mail

Here, the Duke and Duchess had a go at abseiling.

photo via The Daily Mail

The Duchess admitted that this was her first time abseiling and seemed to enjoy it a lot, despite looking a little nervous beforehand!

photo via The Daily Mail

At the Outdoor Education Centre they also met student from Holyhead High School.

photo via The Daily Mail

Their last engagement of the day was a visit to the Vale of Clwyd Mind Men's Shed Project in Denbigh. They met men from the project and visited the Peace Garden.

photo via The Daily Mail

For today's busy schedule the Duchess chose a practical outfit. She re-wore her Reiss Angel Fit & Flare Coat. The Duchess teamed the coat with a black roll-neck jumper and black skinny jeans.

The Duchess first wore this coat on Christmas morning in 2011 and then for a visit to St George's Park in 2012.

She also wore her Aquatalia Hi and Dry Boots.

Although, for the visit to the Outdoor Education Centre, she changed into her Brasher Walking Boots.

She also wore her Kiki McDonough Citrine Pear Drop Earrings.

It was a classic Kate Middleton look and I thought it was perfect for today's mix of engagements and weather!