Prince George is the most interesting Cambridge. Will and Kate can take a seat; George is the STAR. All three Cambridges visited the Taronga Zoo (on Day 14 of their tour) where they opened the Prince George Bilby Exhibit. George got to meet a bilby that is named after him. Bilbies are a nocturnal, rabbit-like animal that is on the verge of extinction—there are only 10,000 left in the wild. Here is the Bilby Wikipedia page, and here is the Save the Bilby Fund website. George is a feisty little thing. He was squealing and squirming, and tossed on the ground a bilby toy that was given to him, and he tried to chew the “wild child on board” sticker that was given to Kate. He’s a handful (no wonder Will and Kate keep complaining about him). Kate and Will took turns holding George and at one point Will even gave him a kiss on the head. After the bilby exhibit, George went back to his nanny and Will and Kate got to pet and play with all the animals (they have such a hard job you guys). We got some more Grumpy Faces from George—not all are from the zoo, some are from arriving in Canberra later in the day. George is teething—which we’ve been told—but we got a good look at his teeth coming in. Below are two videos of George at the zoo. Enjoy the cuteness.
[George meeting the bilby]
[Plaque unveiling and throwing toy]
Before the zoo appearance, Will and Kate went to church for Easter service at St. Andrew’s Cathedral. They signed the First Fleet Bible—which is a royal tradition as numerous royals have signed it. The First Fleet Bible is a King James edition that was brought over by the Chaplain of the First Fleet, Reverend Richard Johnson, in 1788. It is the bible used in the first Christian service held in Australia. Will and Kate also signed the Book of Common Prayer.
Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge sign the First Fleet Bible is Sydney today from Rebecca English on Vimeo.
More of the First Fleet signing with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in Sydney today from Rebecca English on Vimeo.
For church, Kate wore an Alexander McQueen coat and dress in what’s being described as “dove grey”. It’s a sleek coat with a funnel neck and hidden buttons. It also features cropped sleeves, which are intended, but I think they look rather silly on a coat (a coat’s function is to cover, and cropped sleeves negate that function). The coat is similar to this coat, which originally sold for $2,844, but Kate’s is custom. Kate wore a darker grey hat by Jane Taylor. Kate carried a taupe McQueen clutch and wore LK Bennett nude suede shoes. Kate wore her Cartier watch, Mappin and Webb necklace, and earrings worn previously in SE Asia (no Id). Kate wore her hair in a half-up style, with a detailed styling in the back.
For the zoo appearance, Kate changed into a yellow, broderie anglaise dress that she previously wore in SE Asia. There is no Id on the dress. The dress features a short, flared sleeve and a boat neckline. For jewelry, Kate wore her Kiki McDonough citrine drop earrings, and necklace with three charms—acorn, oak leaf, and mushroom—from Asprey of London. She ditched the Cartier watch—OMG. The Stuart Weitzman strappy wedges made a return appearance.
After the appearances in Sydney, the Cambridges flew to Canberra and meet some dignitaries. Did anyone else not know that Canberra is the capital of Australia? I’ve always thought the capital of Australia was Sydney, but I was wrong. How could I have gone so long not knowing the capital of Australia? Who knew the Cambridge’s trip would actually turn out to be a service to me. For her arrival in Canberra, Kate wore a blue Stella McCartney dress she wore previously to the National Portrait Gallery before the Olympics in July 2012; she wore the dress again in August of that year, during the Games. She kept the same jewelry from the zoo visit.
While in Canberra, the Cambridges are staying at the Governor General’s House. Day 15 was a free day (the third of the trip). Will and Kate were spotted taking a walk around the Governor General’s House. They were holding hands and wore matching collared-shirts with sweaters, jeans and sneakers. Of course there was a camera crew that got them on video. The whole thing reminds me of a similar scenario in August of 2011 when Will and Kate were snapped walking around Holyrood Park in Edinburgh, again hand-in-hand and in matching outfits similar to Day 15’s. Oh, here’s a video of Kate trying to click her heels while on the walk—so random. After Will and Kate’s romantic PR stroll, Kate took George for a walk and played with him on the lawn. This link has nice footage of Kate and George starting at 0:22, ending 1:31. I kind of feel badly saying this, but I kind of think Kate playing with George is PR, too. Ugh, I want this stuff not to be for PR, but every time I see this stuff from them I immediately think PR stunt. Sigh. UPDATE: There is already starting to be grumblings of “invasion of privacy”, but I don’t see the problem here. Given how many people think Kate doesn’t have much of a connection to George, I don’t see how footage of her actually bonding with the kid is a problem, in fact the palace should be thankful (that is, if they didn’t set the whole thing up). /UPDATE
[Kate and Will’s stroll]
[Kate playing with George]
Links: Getty Images 1 and 2. Daily Mail 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (yes there were TEN articles that relate to the Cambridges on the DM today). Express. Mirror 1 and 2.
Photo Credits: Kate’s church outfit photo, Kate’s zoo outfit photo from RE twitter.
Below is a gallery with photos: Cambs talking about bible; Will signing Book of Common Prayer; Kate signing First Fleet Bible; Book of Common Prayer signatures; First Fleet Bible signatures of Wales, Yorks, and Cambridges (all from RE twitter). Click on the photo to see a full-size image.
I wonder why they put so much effort in the PR stunt of their love when we know they are not fooling us. Why do you think they want to preserve that image?
Because they don’t want a repeat of Charles and Diana re the very public decline of their marriage. The “War of the Waleses”, as people call it, was very damaging to the public standing of the monarchy, they took a huge PR hit from that. They’ve spent the last 15 years trying to rebuild their brand. They don’t want that to happen again.
I’m convinced Buckingham Palace reads your blog and katemiddletonduchessordiva.wordpress.com. Hi, Palace Peeps! Remember how I noted that the only genuine public display of affection I’ve ever seen from Prince William was kissing Lupo on the head? And now Prince William suddenly kisses Prince George on the head with photogs clicking. And Kate is smiling more normally and not like a radioactive Batman supervillain named Pageant Girl which I’ve been complaining about. There’s no ID on the zoo dress because the designer has requested not to be named. The shoes she wore that dress with are hideous. Buckingham Palace, if you’re reading this, please make her get rid of them. If there’s a Kate Effect with shoes that look like they smell of feet sweat, fake tanner, patchouli and wasted youth being worn by everyone this summer, I’m cranking up the critical tone of my blog to hyper-bitchy. I just can’t stand bad shoes.
Oh, I agree. We have seen too many “coincidences” for someone affiliated with the Palace not to be reading these blogs. This little lovey-dovey stroll and playtime with Georgie-porgie were obviously engineered. Not that I do not think that Kate genuinely plays like that with her son when it suits her. I do not think she neglects him by any standard. Will, I think only dotes when he gets some PR from it.
LOL, it does seem like that sometimes, doesn’t it, re the Palace reading us. Kind of funny. Once I wrote something about not seeing Lupo for a really long time and wondered if they ditched him for the baby, and within the week they took him for a walk, with convenient pap photos. I’m sure it was just a coincidence, but it was really funny.
I hate those wedges. They really are the Wedges of Doom part II. Horrible.
Re Kate’s manic faces, maybe she’s getting more comfortable? She’s comfortable enough to take a crack at Will in public and tell him to get in the backseat of the fighter jet.
Wow – I didn’t know Canberra was the capitol either! Cool – learn something new everyday. Anyway – credit where credit is due – I loved Kate’s Easter ensemble she wore to church – spot on! The fascinator was lovely as well. I just wish she would wear that hair up more – she looks lovely in a chignon. Aside from the hair, she looked smart & sophisticated. Did not care for the repeat of the yellow dress for the afternoon. It looked too similar to the all white dress she wore on Good Friday. Plus, that style and cut of dress is more for a teenage girl than a 32 year old duchess – wife and mother of future kings.
At least I’m not the only one who didn’t know Canberra was the capital of OZ. I thought I might get some really negative comments from admitting that.
I didn’t like the yellow dress either. I didn’t like it the first time she wore it either.
Yawn. Church, zoos, museums, visiting rocks and cliffs, tea parties…my what a grueling and hard-hitting diplomatic tour this is. Note to Kate: no one looks good in wedges. NO ONE.
Yeah, this tour is getting really repetitive. I kind of think there should be a 10 day maximum on royal tours, that way it prevents fatigue.
I totally agree about the wedges.
I wanted to comment on the “invasion of privacy” issue mentioned above. I tend to agree with the moderator that many of these so-called natural moments with PG are rather PR stunts. This is because when they are all together, PG just seems to stay long enough for the photo call, only to be whisked away by/to the nanny for the rest of the day. Whenever Kate is asked about bringing PG to a function, he is always sleeping. Fact: an 8 month old does not sleep as much as a newborn. If he is (and provided he is not sick – I certainly don’t wish that on anyone), it’s no wonder he is such a bundle of energy. He needs to be active in order to get tired so he can sleep through the night. I also think he should be around more children his own age for playdates.
Anyway, I digress. It is beyond insane that there is any expectation of privacy, especially with them being on tour. Now, of course, I agree pictures shouldn’t be taken while they are in their house/rooms or pictures of an intimate nature (like the France ones a couple years ago). However, these temper tantrums they often give at random for pics taken while they are out walking, shopping, etc under the guise of privacy is just ludicrous. First, everyone who goes out with their regular day is often filmed on CCTV about 20 times per day. Granted, those don’t get sold to appear in magazines, but the idea is the same. Further, they are not consistent with their complaints. Sometimes they welcome the pics, other times they don’t seem to care, and then there are times like today where they raise a ruckus. I think it depends on how vain they feel that particular day. For example, if Kate doesn’t have her hair done just so, I think that’s when she complains the most. William just follows her cue. Then they want to bring up the media problems Diana had. However, they keep forgetting (or maybe they are just promoting) the erroneous idea that the paparazzi killed Diana. The inquiry’s verdict was that the paps were acquitted from responsibility for the car crash. Yet, she was unlawfully killed – meaning someone other than the paparazzi were guilty. Willnot & Kannot continue to use Diana’s tragic car accident for their own benefit, without using the truth as we know it thus far. Personally, I think that is scandalous and utterly disrespectful. Yet, that is how they seem to operate – whatever benefits them at whoever’s expense – as long as they are not inconvenienced. Also, part of the entire reason of keeping the monarchy is that it is good for tourism. Well, how can this continue if reasonable, current pictures aren’t taken of them? They both do so few official engagements that they should be happy there is still so much interest in them that people want pics. I can’t say the same for Charles & Camilla – at least not to the same degree. If they keep it up, people will indeed lose interest to the point that W&K may never get the chance to ascend the throne – they will complain themselves into a republic!
Re Kate’s constant reference to George sleeping which is why they can’t bring him, it’s total BS. I think it’s something she says to make small talk, but he was never going to be at the appearances she said that at. I think the sleeping is just an easy excuse.
I am convinced the stroll and playing with George were pre-planned PR stunts, no matter what they say.
As far as claiming “invasion of privacy”, they were on government property in full view of anyone on the river or across the river or anywhere, the layout of that house’s gardens is quite open. And it’s not as if they were on private property like in France, they are staying at Government House while on an official tour. Anyone can be photographed while in public and there is no legal “invasion of privacy”. But Will thinks he can control the media, which will come back to bite him in the ass.
They only bring up Diana when it suits them. If it garners them sympathy or gets them out of something, they’ll bring her up, but they forget her as soon as it doesn’t help them. Also, if Diana had been wearing her seat belt, she would still be alive. The only one to survive the car crash was the one man wearing his seat belt. But as to who caused the car to crash, well from the official inquest I believe it was attributed to a car that was following that they have not ever identified, but it wasn’t the paps. The paps didn’t arrive on the scene until after the car crashed–if I’m remembering correctly. So Will and Harry’s hate for the media based on the fact that the paps killed their mother, is total BS. Well, they may think that it’s true, but they are the ones who are mistaken and need to learn the facts before throwing blame around.
Will and Kate will definitely complain themselves into a republic. The more they complain about every little thing, the more the public will get fed up with them. Also, the more the press will get fed up with them. Right now they’re riding a Prince George wave of press love, but that will end eventually. When they lose the press, they will be done.
Very good points! Two small things regarding Diana’s car crash: 1.) The bodyguard – Trevor Rees Jones was not wearing a seat belt. I know it was first reported that he did, but both the inquest, and those 2 pics released from the inquest (which I believe are the last 2 taken of all them alive) show he wasn’t 2.) from the impact of the crash, the speed, and the way the car swung around, I am not so sure Diana would have survived. There is something called a deceleration injury, often involving tearing of major vessels when there is a car accident in which someone is suddenly, violently pulled in another direction. (I am in medicine and have studied this, but also, my best friend died just like this in a similar accident, and he indeed was wearing his seat belt.) From the perspective of the French medical treatment of Diana- they were much too slow in getting her to the hospital and properly diagnosed and treated. So even if she was wearing a seat belt, I am not so sure she would have avoided the life-threatening deceleration injury of her pulmonary vein, but getting her to a hospital quickly for diagnosis and surgery would definitely raised her chances for survival. (There were so many irregularities regarding that crash which makes it less & less likely to have been a true “accident”. but both the French & British deny so much, and of course, the samples have all gone missing, so we may never know the entire truth.)
Oh, I thought he had been wearing a seat belt, my bad. Thank you for informing me.
There were so many things that went wrong regarding that crash and how it was handled, it’s ridiculous. We’ll never know what really happened.
No worries. Like a said, there was so much misinformation sent out (purposely?) that there are numerous versions of how the accident happened.
Eyeroll at the big to-do about their “PDA”. Most couples I’ve seen link fingers when holding hands but Will and Kate always have the platonic hand clasp.
I just wanted to comment on the video of Kate playing with Baby George. My husband plays with my daughter (a few months older than George) that way and she LOVES it! I couldn’t tell if he was giggling or having a good time, but I know my daughter absolutely loves being that high up (husband’s tall) and getting an aerial view. I don’t think she’d be comfortable if someone unfamiliar to her did it, so that to me looks genuine like she (Kate) does it a lot. It’s cute. 🙂
That “private walk” in the grounds was SO FAKE! You can not tell me that Kate and William didn’t know they were being observed! Want to know the giveaway? It was when Kate did that strange “kick her heels” dance! No one does that on a normal walk! If they are normal that is… And the hand holding looked too fake to be real!
YES! That heel click was so random. It didn’t even look like they were joking around about clicking their heels–which is something people do, but if that were the case then Will would have been watching her while she did it, and he wasn’t. It was so random.