The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, were in Wales yesterday, November 8. They visited the Valero Pembroke Oil Refinery and attended the Wales v. Australia rugby match. Kate wore a new coat and dress and showed off her barely existent baby protuberance.
William and Kate visited the Refinery to mark it’s 50th anniversary year. The refinery was opened in 1964 by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. The Refinery was acquired by Valero in 2011 and is one of the largest, most complex refineries in Western Europe, producing 270,000 barrels per day and employing about 1,000 employees and contractors. Go here for more info.
[Clarence House Twitter]
Will and Kate arrived and met with leading members of the community before doing a walkabout and meeting well wishers who came out to see the Cambridges.
William and Kate toured the main control room of the Refinery where they were invited to create a gasoline blend by using a computer to press a button (or something). Kate said to William, “Shall I do one and you can do the other one?” And William quipped, “Apparently they don’t even let the boss do this.” Kate pressed the button before William which I feel is a sign she’s more confident (hopefully); even though she asked him before doing anything, she at least asked to go first, you know.
While at the refinery, Will and Kate met representatives from local charities. One rep Kate met was from Pembrokeshire Hospice at Home, Cate Thornton said of Kate, “She was really well-informed. She had been briefed well – and obviously listened. She didn’t say anything general.” LOL! I feel like that was said directly to us. I mean, we’re always saying that Kate only ever says general things in her speeches and when she talks to people, like she doesn’t care enough to read the briefing packet that Rebecca Deacon probably puts together ahead of each visit, so this rep said this purposefully as an FU to us.
[Camilla Tominey Twitter]
Will and Kate met firefighters from the Valero Fire and Rescue Station during their visit.
[Clarence House Instagram]
Will and Kate were presented with a replica oil truck with a licence plate reading, 4GEORGE. William smiled and said, “I’m going to keep it in my office.” George has received so many gifts from people. I wonder if he actually plays with any of them or if they’re just placed into storage or something.
[Clarence House Instagram]
Will and Kate unveiled a plaque marking the 50th anniversary, and unveiled a painting by a local painter. There was also a performance by the Young Actors Studio to end the visit.
[Camilla Tominey Twitter]
[Camilla Tominey Twitter]
After their visit to the Refinery, Will and Kate traveled to Cardiff where, as Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union, William (accompanied by Kate) attended the Wales v. Australia rugby match at Millennium Stadium. There was a Remembrance ceremony before the match and during half-time they met injured servicemen.
After the match, Kate left the stadium while William, as Patron of the Welsh Rugby Charitable Trust, attended a reception for former players and their families. While there, William received a calender featuring female players in nude poses from former player Fran Bateman. William “studied the front cover with a dutifully pensive expression” before opening it and laughing, holding it up to show another guest. Then he said, “Very good shots… I can recommend this!” Fran said of William later, “He thought it was outrageously funny. He was having a really good laugh.” Does anyone but me think this is a bit inappropriate? Like, if a man were to give Kate a calendar of nude male athletes, people would probably freak out about “her blushes” and whatnot. But I guess since William is a man he doesn’t have blushes or something. Whatever.
Before I get to fashion, I want to mention the New York trip. The Mail is now confirming the trip, saying Will, Kate, and George will be travelling to New York City next month to meet with conservationists and officials from international wildlife charities, including World Wildlife Fund. Sources said Kate has been cleared to travel after having to cancel Malta and is “really excited” for travelling to New York since she’s never been. Seeing as the trip is for William’s United for Wildlife campaign, I’m not sure why Kate even needs to go, but I guess it’s like her visit to LA, she’s never been and just wants to go so she’s asked people to make up an excuse for her to go. Anyway, fashion!
It seems like Kate spent her time shopping as well as vomiting during her hyperemesis gravidarum sick days, because she’s debuted new clothing for every appearance she’s had since returning to her duties. Kate debuted a new coat in Wales, a Matthew Williamson “Wool Double Breasted Coat” in Pacific Opal blue (£1,195.00) – it’s pretty much the same color as her blue Jenny Packham “mullet” dress. She also debuted a new dress, a Hobbs “Animal Shirt Dress” in brown ($355.00).
And yes, Kate’s coat blew up a bit when she was walking, which is how we got a glimpse of her dress.
I actually really love this coat and dress. I love the color of the coat and think the dress is really cute – even if it is a bit short on Kate. I would probably buy this dress if it weren’t so expensive. I’m going to say this is a fashion win for Kate (even though I don’t like the shoes and wish she’d just worn a nice pump).
[matthewwilliamson.com; hobbs.com]
Her accessories were her usual stuff: Kiki McDonough green amethyst cushion drop earrings, Aquatalia Rhumba boots, Stuart Weitzman Muse clutch, Cornelia James gloves. She’s also wearing what looks like navy tights.
Of course Kate wore her hair down and since it was windy, her hair blew everywhere. You know what would fix the image below? A hair tie.
I’m sort of obsessed with Kate’s clutches, or more accurately, what she keeps in her clutches. She usually has one and she never looks at them, so what does she keep in there? Well… KATE CHECKED HER PURSE! OMG what was she looking for!?
[Zed Jameson/FameFlynet.uk.com]
Kate totally pressed her hands to her crotch to highlight her “bump”. And the fact that her jacket isn’t tight to her back makes her look way more “bumpy” than she really is.
Shoutout to Rebecca Deacon!
Links: People article. Daily Mail article on visit. Daily Mail article about William’s calendar and NY visit.
I really liked her outfit. She looked professional. The only thing that I would change about the coat are the top buttons. They seem to be in an awkward spot.
I also agree about the hair. I know she likes her hair down, but it looks awful when it’s so windblown. There are so many hairstyles that she could try that would keep her hair out of her face and not such a mess.
Yeah, I’m not a huge fan of the top buttons either, but other than that I like the coat.
As a person that can’t where double breasted coats. I appreciate her wearing them as I think they look quite nice on her. The top buttons on this coat seem to be repositioned. Whoever altered this coat did a really bad job. Not only are those top buttons uneven they are in an unfortunate position on her bosom.
I noticed on another site that people were saying that the top buttons were uneven. I wonder who does her tailoring. Uneven buttons are not the only tailoring problems that she has had. Maybe it’s time to find a new tailor!
It does appear the top buttons are uneven on Kate, but even in the website photo the buttons are uneven, so maybe it’s a feature of the coat. If so, that’s pretty poorly designed.
That so funny you mentioned the clutch!! I though the same thing when she opened it. I always figured she just carried it as more of a safety net without ever using it. So, it was nice actually seeing her open it today. I have always wondered what she carries in it to:). I wish we could tell from the photo what it was, lol.
I know! I thought she just carried it to have something to do with her hands, and that the clutches were empty. I so want to know what she keeps in there.
Oh I meant to add, I think they are black tights, not navy. Just odd lightening making them look that way. But I’m pretty sure they are black
I almost wrote that they could be black and the navy effect could just be a trick of the light, but then I didn’t. They’re probably black. But if they are navy I actually think that would be cool. But they’re probably black.
I really wish she could figure out two things: what to do with her hair on windy days and figure out some place else to put her hands. She’s worse than guys you see constantly checking themselves down there.
I agree on both points. I feel like she’s intentionally calling attention to her crotch when she places her hands there because they aren’t just resting, she’s pushing them against her body.
Kate looked beautiful. Love, love, love the dress! I agree with you on PW, how inappropriate the gift and the response! As for Kate asking/telling PW that she should go first, she probably knew that he had no idea what to do and needed her to demonstrate first so he could do the exact same! I think she is smarter than him and plays it down. Glad that Kate had a good appearance with no hiccups.
I agree on William’s response to the calendar. I mean, being offended would have made him seem rude to the woman who gave it to him, but he could have just said “thank you” and handed it to his assistant.
I love the coat colour but not a fan of the double breasted, manlike style. Not crazy about the dress but we can’t see anything anyways.
I was over at what Kate wore and they didn’t have the pix of the windblown hair. Wow, that site has Kate fanatics. Most of them were actually loving that black, skeleton like dress.
So will the Duchess be um..shopping in New York??? :)))
Whenever I try and post anything on What Kate Wore it gets moderated out. Like, saying anything negative in a post makes it so it doesn’t even get published. Now even when I say something nice my posts get moderated out.
Really? Is “Kate” the website owner? I was over there since I wanted to see some of the clothes close up and had quite a time reading the black dress comments. “Kate” actually justified the dress being appropriate since Queen E wore off shoulder, revealing dresses…when she was young too. And Kate’s pink open sandals were also appropriate since the Queen in her young days wore open-toed shoes too.
Yes.
I think that excuse is grasping at straws. The Queen was always tasteful and elegant in her dressing, Kate’s black dress was just tacky.
K.M.R. have you ever thought of doing a posting on Prince Guilleme of Luxembourg & this wile Barroness Stephanie of Belguim! Princess Stephanie & waity both have had similar problems!
Similar problems how? Fashion-wise? I know next to nothing about Stephanie, but I could look into her.
She probably wore the boots to keep from getting too cold. I would be wearing boots all the time in that climate. 🙂 She could keep a clip in her purse to pull back her hair while outside or in windy conditions and then let her hair back down again when inside. I guess that would be too much work or maybe inappropriate for a royal?
Yeah the boots were probably about keeping warm. She’s worn those boots before when doing appearances in the cold. I’d just prefer a pump.
Why she looks with more bump now than the first pregnancy maybe she fears that people thinks that is fake again???
What do you guys think are old news but make sense?
http://thelasttraditions.blogspot.com.br/2010/11/is-prince-william-marrying-wrong-woman.html?m=1
Camilla seems to also be in love with Prince Charles. It doesn’t seem like Jecca Craig ever really loved Prince William. I could be wrong because I don’t know any of them. However Kate is probably the closest William’s gotten to the “love” of his life – a relationship where both people want to be together. Who knows what they really think about each other but they seem to get along pretty well.
From what I understand, it’s common for women to show earlier and more during a second pregnancy.
Margaretty7 I am not sure the comparison can be made. PW could marry just about anyone that he wanted to within a certain reason. PC had to marry a virgin, never married damsel in distress, etc…..Camilla wasn’t a suitable choice at the time.
It’s funny what you said about Kate’s clutches, I started a post in the summer that I never finished called “What’s In Kate’s Clutch?” Some day I shall finish it. Once the contents of her purse were papped back in her club days, revealing her secret smoking habits.
I thought for sure you’d pick up something… unusual about the Matthew Williamson coat. I was so sure you would have mentioned it, I wasn’t even going to do a new post.
Nipple buttons?
Yup! I’m so happy the world has you.
I think pregnancy alters Kate’s brain, her entire look in Wales was off. A brown dress with black tights/boots under a light blue coat with green earrings? Perhaps she thought that with the heaviness of the coat the wind wouldn’t blow it up and expose the brown dress.
And let’s not forget that her previous outfits since returning to work from the HG were questionable as well, I’ll leave the President of Singapore State Visit coatdress out of the argument, that outfit was okay. I’m talking about the light blue Jenny Packham and black Temperley London dresses. What we will see at the Royal Variety Perf? I’m scared…
Kate’s been wearing brown and black together for years. I’m sure for the Royal Variety Show, she will wear a very tasteful set of pasties.
I don’t mind the black on brown thing, but that’s just me.
I’m just hoping we don’t see that black lace Temperley dress Kate has worn 3 times already for the Royal Variety show.
Black and brown together is no problem if she were wearing a brown designed coat, but a light blue coat?! Wow!
The light blue and chocolate brown combo is so Jonathan Adler interior design, he’s been doing it for years. Kate was spotted selecting some Jonathan Adler items for Anmer Hall several months ago, I wonder if her color palette inspiration came from one of his catalogues.
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Awkward girl with messy hair wearing a badly fitted expensive coat. She has so many opportunities to get some polish and poise but misses every time. Her “stylist” has been named (and shamed?) here in NZ as Kate’s P A Tash. Time to employ a professional?
Yeah, having her PA “style” her is stupid. Kate seriously needs a professional. Also, why shell out money on expensive clothes that don’t fit properly or do her justice?
I’ve seen photos of Tash and sorry to say it but… Tash needs a stylist herself? As for the coat and the nipple buttons. A good tailor will always check the position of the top set of buttons before letting the coat or jacket leave. Kate needs a good tailor or dressmaker as well as a stylist. The nipple buttons could have been removed and it would not spoil the look of the coat. The sleeves on the coat look like they have been shortened so the rest of the coat should have been checked at the same time. Mind you, whoever did the job of shortening the sleeves didn’t do a very good job as it is obvious. Kate’s had other problems with buttons on coats, eg the coat she worn to the races when pregnant with George. It amazes me that she just does not seem to learn????
I feel like the overall theme with Kate is “She just will not learn”. We say it over and over about so many things, yet she’s still making so many mistakes.
Kate does have a problem with her buttons. With that pink coat it seemed like she moved the buttons herself they were that poorly done.
And lets not forget Kate turning up at the Goring Hotel on the night before her wedding. She was wearing a little jacket with the hem half falling down. This was an indication of things to come? You would have thought Ma Middleton would have noticed and told Kate to put on something a little less scruffy?
Don’t think this coat dies much for Kate’s complexion, this colour is more suited to either really dark haired women or someone with a peaches and cream complexion, Kate is in the middle, if you loll closely you can see it washes her out, and the black contrast collar on her neck is to dramatic against her skin and cost colour, the cut is fine us suppose, but she is purposely showing her bump off…
I think Kate looks the best in jewel tones.
KMR Princess Stephanie’s mother past away suddenly before the wedding! She is the youngest in a large family. Stephanie has no people skills, is lazy does not want work! She has no interests & is a spoilt snob! P.S. fashions are mediocre( no flashing thank God!) Stephanie kakes no interest in anything but scarves! Her husband Prince Guilleme is very happy & relaxed when the wife is not around! Gullieme is very tense, nervous & turns red when the wife is present! Does this remind you of another royal couple? Stephanie should know better because she is an aristocrat! They have been married two years no children. They are both in their 30s. Gullieme’s mother is Maria Teresa is very much loved and respected! Stephanie is the opposite of her commoner born mother in law! I am only saying what i have read!
Thanks for informing me, Halia, I’ll definitely look into Stephanie.
Do you have any links for blogs or English language magazines for Stephanie?
I don’t mind the light blue on Kate. The coat doesn’t look like it fits great, but she’s preggers so I give a pass on that. I just don’t understand why she refuses to wear her hair up or back when she know she will be outside on a formal engagement.
Dollars to dougnuts says ol’ Willy-boy keeps the nudie calendar in his office and not the “4GEORGE” license plate. LOL! Totally inappropriate gift btw. But at least he seemed to take it in stride.
Lol, for reals, that truck is getting tossed, but the nude calendar will have a place of honor.
Thank you K.M.R! Sorry India Andrews i do not know!
Willy was hot when he was 17, 18. He’s really aging and not well. Kate would have looked a lot better with her hair up and with a bright scarf