I’ve started my last two or three posts with, “Sigh”, and well… Sigh. Because instead of wearing a bright color to a children’s center and black to a memorial site, Duchess Kate chose to wear black to a children’s center and bright pink to the September 11 Memorial. I feel like this is my fault; I asked for color and I got it (finally), but how odd that she decided on color for this event and not the others. Anyway, Kate Middleton and Prince William visited the September 11 Memorial where Kate laid flowers with a handwritten note from the couple. They then toured the museum. They didn’t get there until after 10 AM, which didn’t give them much time to tour Ground Zero and visit The Door before the afternoon GREAT receptions.
I know many of us had predicted the requisite “Kate is moved at Ground Zero” headlines… well, guess what, you guys, Kate was totally moved at Ground Zero. Allison Blais, the museum’s chief of staff, said: “[Kate] talked about how in awe she was of the enormity of the space. It was something she did not anticipate. She also talked about how moving the memorial was, and being able to touch the names of the victims outside on the pools.” While touring the In Memoriam room (pictured above and below), where photographs of nearly all of the victims line the walls, Joe Daniels, the museums’s chief executive and president, said of the couple: “Just looking at the faces – of the old, the young, every race, every color – [William and Kate] were struck by the breadth and the scale of the loss we suffered that day.”
I remember September 11, 2001 very well; I know exactly where I was when I heard the news. I was in 7th grade, it was break time and the class was outside. One of our teachers came out crying, saying the World Trade Center had been attacked, so the entire class went inside and watched the news footage on TV. We were watching live when the second plane crashed into the second tower; and when the two towers fell. I can still picture in my head the little black dots falling out of the towers before they fell, not realizing at the time that they were people jumping from the buildings. I get emotional just typing that out. I will never forget that day.
I know I was a bit joke-y about Kate being moved by the museum, but I hope to god they were truly moved. I know I would be.
The note reads: “In sorrowful memory of those who died on 11th September, and in admiration of the courage shown to rebuild.”
The quote is by Virgil from The Aeneid it reads: “No day shall erase you from the memory of time.”
Following their visit to the Memorial, William and Kate visited The Door and met young people and watched a performance from CityKids Foundation, which supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. You know, I’m happy Kate finally wore a bright color to a cheery children’s visit, but she could have worn a black coat to the Memorial, then switched coats in the car and worn the pink to The Door. Easy enough switch. Darn you, Tash!
As I mentioned earlier, Kate wore a bright pink coat. She wore the Mulberry Cerise Wool Silk Double Crepe Coat (£1,500). She carried her black Mulberry clutch – natch – and wore her Kiki McDonough green amethyst cushion drop earrings.
Link: Daily Mail.
Photos: Getty/Clarence House Twitter/UK in New York Instagram/Sept 11 Memorial Twitter/UK in New York Twitter/Mulberry/Kiki McDonough
KMR idk how moved W&K were while holding a product placement umbrella, sigh. OVER this visit, cant wait they go back to the UK to be nobodys.
Eh. They didn’t expect it to rain, so they weren’t prepared with special royal umbrellas, so they used the hotel’s.
It was gauche. You mean that they could not find a simple black one?
I don’t know, KMR. As much as I would like to think that they just forgot an umbrella, I feel pretty certain whoever organizes their packing would make sure they had one. Plus we all know how Will and Kate like freebies, so I figure The Fancy Hotel comped/discounted them big time for staying there and the umbrella was part of the advertisement. (Bonus for the Hotel!) After all, why stop at a million to attend 1/2 of a basketball game? I am a cynic and don’t believe anything with PR is random. Have you ever noticed the backgrounds when the President (or any politician) speaks? It’s always carefully constructed to emphasise the message/situation/location of the speaker. Same here, I am afraid. Will and Kate have shown many times they are not above using their positions to provide private-paying perks for themselves in addition to the perks the public pays for.
Nice point that effective PR also use images and symbols strategically. I would actually be an interesting topic for a research paper.
Oh, man. Who is advising them? Anyone? Hello? Doesn’t make any sense to wear black to hang with kids and hot pink for the World Trade Memorial.
I’m joining you – sigh.
Plus, you make me feel so old 😀 I was a freshman at college on Sept. 11. Watched the 2nd tower fall on the TV.
Forgot to mention – ponytail, yay!
Tash needs to be fired, she’s a terrible stylist. And Kate needs a slap in the face, for many reasons.
I didn’t mean to make you feel old. I’m sorry.
Uh, you feel old? I had a 7th grade child in 2001. I win! LoL!
So disrespectful to the Memorial. You would never see Kate wear this on Remembrance Sunday. And this is the same kind of event. Honoring the fallen. Very poor taste. Not to mention, I just think it is a bad color on her. But no media outlet is going to say how disrespectful this coat is! They will only praise her.
Btw, I don’t think she was that moved by the breath of the Memorial. There are photos of her laughing and waving. Personally, I cried when I visited. It was hard not to. I just don’t think Kate really gives a darn! It is evident in her outfit choice and her expressions. I am going to be sick of the headlines about how moved she was since her actions show nothing of it. I wish they would print the truth.
This is a color I wish she wore for the children’s visit, but I question the decision to wear it while representing her country at another country’s memorial. I love seeing Kate in jewel tones and she looks great in this color, but I think something more suitable to the somberness of the occasion would have been a better choice. Even the lovely deep purple coat she wore on her arrival would have looked better. The 9/11 Memorial is still a sensitive issue for so many people because of the human remains that haven’t been found on the site, Kate as officially representing her country should have erred on the side of caution and worn a more toned-down color. Her purple tweed coat would have been more suitable for this visit or even a winter white.
I agree the purple would have been perfect. The thing also is she hardly wears bright colors, so wearing such a bold one as this on a dreary day makes it look like she wanted people to notice her and she wanted attention.
Absolutely; I believe she’s promoting herself as well. With all the hundreds of coats in her closet that would have been more appropriate to wear on this occasion, she goes and chooses shocking pink? It wouldn’t have been so noticeable if she was wearing color at all her prior events, but this is so egregiously obvious. And then she’s back to wearing black again at the Empire State Building. Oh, vey, the choices she makes!
I light grey would also have been effective in making her stand out in the sea of darker colours. While I’m not outraged by her sartorial choice I must admit that my first though was “oh-no-she-didn’t”! So it would have been smarter to err on the side of caution in this situation.
My exact thoughts; this always had to be about her standing out. An off-white, or winter white, or even old rose or the first coat she wore would have been more appropriate. Just when she gets the hair and the coat length correct, she has be in shocking pink knowing that she would be surrounded by grays, navies and black ensembles that day.
Kate wore a dove grey outfit for church services in Australia, I believe, that was really lovely and would have been perfect for here. While I’m not outraged either, she does leave me scratching my head over her lack of common sense. She would have been better to err on the side of discretion in her choice of color.
Overit, the mainstream press are avoiding some of the photos. http://www2.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/British+Royals+Visit+September+11+Memorial+H0AarIncKaBx.jpg
I was in 10th grade during 9/11, so I’m between Liz and KMR in age. I’m also a native New Yorker and remember like many people, exactly where I was during everything that happened. As for Katie’s outfit… thank GOD she wore a knee-length skirt so she didn’t flash her behind. I think the bright pink is good for bringing a bit of light and color to a graveyard. What I don’t get is that Kate is making expressions at The Door that look more appropriate to the 9/11 Memorial. I mean, it’s a kids’ visit, SMILE for heaven’s sakes. The time for the grave look is at the graveyard.
The black dress underneath the hot pink coat is mid-thigh, not knee-length. It may be the same black dress she wore yesterday.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B4bGr7UCcAIh4Kd.jpg
Long enough. 🙂
Of course they were moved by the Memorial, as any human being would be. That is not something that should ever be up for speculation. Go crazy on her sartorial choices, if you must. Although, she wore sky blue to Normandy for the 70th anniversary of D Day, and top to toe cream in Belgium at a Remembrance ceremony, both earlier this year. She is not making light of anyone’s tragedy by wearing pink, but she certainly brightened up a gloomy day (and the rest of her outfit was black as pitch, in case you didn’t see those). pictures
Thanks for a great post KMR! I was pleased to see Kate wearing a bright color today, like many of you I wish she had worn a brighter color yesterday, but there you go. I don’t think it was disrespectful to wear this color to the 911 Memorial. This memorial as I understand it is about hope and moving forward while not forgetting those who have gone before us. Of course this place will always carry the memories of those who died on that horrific day, but it’s also a place to heal and hope for the future.
I was so glad to see her hair up today, no need to fiddle with it all day then. I have to say while I haven’t been a fan of her clothing choices on this trip, her hair has looked pretty good meaning back and not cause for fidgeting.
I do think both W&K were genuinely moved by this site, how could anyone not be? While they both do lots of things that make me shake my head, today’s visit wasn’t one of those times.
For your consideration. Princess Diana, New York, 1989. Black and hot pink with black buttons.
http://support.henrystreet.org/images/content/pagebuilder/84261.jpg
I try not to nitpick on the little things she gets wrong because she gets so many big things wrong, LOL. But – really? A super-bright pink at a 9/11 Memorial while everyone else around her is in somber colors? It’s not as if she hasn’t any black clothes with her. We saw them yesterday. When she was meeting with children (eye roll).
I don’t want to accuse her of deliberately drawing attention to herself at a 9/11 Memorial, but I am truly at a loss to otherwise explain her behavior. Sometimes her thought processes really bewilder me.
Yes, this certainly goes in the “what was she thinking?” file.
Uggggggggh. WHY hot pink to Ground Zero and the black one to the children’s center? Somebody smack the stylist. I would have loved to have seen her purple tweed here, or something in navy.
Navy would have been a great choice. If she really wanted to wear pink, why not wear a deep pink, something more in keeping with the setting?
Although she doesn’t seem particularly moved to me, at least hair twirling pictures haven’t shown up yet.
Right- I wouldn’t object to one of the pale tones she’s worn for Remembrance Sunday. This bold pink is a joyful one, and kind of goes in the face of solemnity.
Thank goodness her hair was in a ponytail.
Pink?! Why? That is so disrespectful! That would be like her wearing yellow to a Holocaust memorial or a funeral. You wear black or navy. I’d have been semiokay with a deep eggplant.
Off topic but the news keeps calling her Princess Kate it makes me nuts she’s not a princess she’s a Duchess. Get it right.
If I were a newsreader, I might start saying, “Prince and Princess William visited [x] today” just to get a rise out of people–because there’d be nothing wrong with that statement; it’s technically a correct version of the titles.
I hate People Magazine for insisting on calling her Princess Kate.
I honestly wish they hadn’t visited the memorial. I was a sophomore in college when 9/11 happened. I remember that day and it was horrible. They weren’t just tourists – they were public representatives for their country on that visit. There are many colors to wear to a memorial that can signify both hope and remembrance. Especially because black was her chosen color for seemingly every other event and this pink was just such a showstopping, cheery color, it just feels like a slap in the face for her to have worn that. I always try to give her the benefit of the doubt but I have none for her right now. Also, non-branded umbrellas are for sell everywhere in New York. Even if they needed it on their way out of the hotel, someone could have stopped before the memorial and purchased a different one. Furthermore, people from the UK died too that day. Why not write something like we join you in mourning for the people from the US, UK and other countries who died that day. We are united in the loss and united in moving forward on a path of hope…. or something like that. The note is so cold, it’s almost an afterthought. I’m going back to my first statement. They shouldn’t have visited.
They either shouldn’t have visited or they should have kept the visit private if they truly wanted to pay their respects. They shouldn’t have used the visit for PR.
I agree…absolutely agree….they hadn’t any business coming here (USA) in the first place and this behavior was utterly insulting….NY city is in pain and grieving…(if I were there I would be one of the protesters)….and these useless idiots inflict themselves….they should never ever have visited the 911 memorial….it’s sacred ground. No place for a bimbo and a buffoon….and that’s all these two are…I am absolutely outraged…they spit on MY country….I think there is something seriously wrong with the bimbo….but whatever it is …keep her the hell in the UK….or in a frickin’ zoo….there she can have all the attention and photo ops she wants….she is beyond hope…she isn’t even a human being…neither is he….no decency in either of them.
I am a little older than most on this thread. I was on the phone for hours trying to call my aunt in the South Tower. We found her, but that day was hell. I spent my summers in the South Tower and have many good memories there. My heart hurts each time I think of the site. I think that the outfit and umbrella was tasteless.
Oh, rhiannon. That must have been horrible, horrible experience. I am so glad your aunt got out in time. I can’t even imagine how terrifying it was for all the families.
What a terrifying experience that must have been. Thank goodness you were able to get a hold of her.
My brother was in college in New York during 9/11. He lived so close to downtown that he and his roommates rushed to the top of their apartment building after the first tower was struck and saw the second one fall in real-time. He said for days after, papers from some of the financial companies like Cantor Fitzgerald, ashes, and soot would fall onto their rooftop.
I remember trying to call him over and over that day, on the land line and cell (no smartphones in those days), and being just frantic when I couldn’t get through because the circuits were blocked from so many people calling. I was in grad school myself but they cancelled classes, so I just sat there calling, calling, calling, watching the news in horror. When I finally got through, the first thing my brother said, in this choked voice, is, “They’re celebrating. There were some Palestinians who ran a corner grocery store, and they were driving around honking and cheering. Then my brother broke down, and because he’s a guy he never talked about that part again.
Anyway, sorry for going on so long about my personal experience. All this is to underscore that 9/11 is a personal as well as national issue for many of us, so showing up looking like a cherry taffy was not respectful.
Thank you all. I don’t ever want to relive a day like that again. My son was a preschooler and asked if planes would come and get him too. As a nation, we all experienced a broken heart of some sort that day.
I am all for fashion and glamour. I kinda live for it. But, that is hallowed ground and you must behave and conduct yourself . I think that Kate and her team should have been more prepared for this visit. But then, this is the same woman who twirled her hair at a Rememberance Day ceremony .
This also makes me sad for her because she does not know any better. This is a woman who has had obvious arrested development. And it provides a mirror to how she will do in her future role as Princess of Wales. She’s had time to practice and perfect her role, but she squanders it each time. This trip highlighted just how out of touch and unapproachable she really is.
I lived in NYC for years but had moved out prior to 9/11. One of my best friends worked a couple blocks from the towers, we called and called and didn’t hear from her for a very long time. She’s walked from work, covered in the soot and falling ash, down Manhattan and over the Brooklyn Bridge and then home – several hours of walking. And everyone else walking assumed the ash was toxic and they were being poisoned. Her parents’ best friends lost their only child, who they’d been talking to on the phone from high up in the tower – both parent and child knew she would not make it out and would not survive. The stories any New Yorker can tell from that day are life-changing. None of them have ever been the same.
Added to say that my friend had a collage on her office door overlooking the WTC site for years showing pictures of everyone she knew who died that day – at least a dozen.
I’m sitting here crying. So many heart breaking stories. 9/11 still hits so deep for a lot of people.
I was baking my eldest sons 2nd birthday cake (his birthday is 9/12) when I heard the news. I watched the Towers fall whilst my eldest son played in front of me, and my baby son was in my arms.
I will never forget it.
I will also never forgive Kate for representing my country, the United Kingdom, so poorly at the 9/11 Memorial.
I am so sorry to all of you in America. We Brits are better than this – we take 9/11 very seriously, it broke our hearts as it did yours. Kate did NOT represent the UK on this occasion. Shame on her – hot pink is a crass, rude and shocking choice to a place where 2977 innocent people lost their lives (I don’t count the hijackers)
Thank you, Chic. America was not the only country who had loss of life that horrendous day. Other nationalities, including the British, were among the victims that day. So many lost lives in a brutal attack; nothing like that has happened since Pearl Harbor. It’s become so much a part of our psyche now.
Thank you very much! You are a class act and what Britain is all about. I hope I said that right.
You’re right, of course, Feeshalori, there were many nations touched that day. 67 Britons lost their lives – it is worth noting, in fact, that Kate and William did not even bother to visit the 9/11 British Memorial Garden at all.
Shame on them.
Thank you for saying this.
I just read that their visit was even shorter than I originally thought, only 30 minutes. Because they wanted to sleep in or something. It’s like they just barely made it because they had to, but only did the bare minimum and would have skipped it if they could have. And then she wears bright ass pink. So rude on so many levels.
I think Kate looked beautiful. And I disagree that she was being disrespectful towards the victims or to the Memorial. This was just a site visit, not a memorial service like Remembrance Day. Those are vastly different things, and can hardly be compared.
And just to point out, Queen Elizabeth wore vivid colours when she paid a visit to Ground Zero in 2010 (http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/07/07/article-1292594-0A594F21000005DC-619_634x449.jpg) – and Camilla wore a bright pink when she and Charles visited Ground Zero in 2005, which was only four years after the event (http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/royal-visit-ground-zero/).
Does that mean that Camilla and the Queen also have shown disrespect towards the victims? I think not. There seems to be precedence amongst the British royals to wear colour to such memorials – the Queen also wore blue and bright turquoise when she visited a memorial garden in Ireland back in 2011 (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/queen-elizabeth-II/8522923/The-Queen-in-Ireland-day-two-as-it-happened.html)
So I don’t believe she was being disrespectful – certainly not anymore disrespectful than any of the other royals.
And as far as speculating on whether or not they were genuinely moved by the Memorial, seems very petty to me. 9/11 is one of the biggest tragedies in recent history, and anyone would be affected after paying a visit to a memorial with the pictures and the names of the victims. I visited Auschwitz II when I was a teenager, and even though it had been some sixty years since the war, and I had no connection to the victims, I still broke down in tears when I saw the exhibit of baby clothing. So I cannot for the life of me think that William and Kate would be different from anybody else, and there is no basis for anyone to claim that they are so cold-hearted that they would not be moved.
For one thing, the Queen wore muted tones on those occasions. It’s my understanding that her first outfit had a pattern of butterflies which is a symbol of remembrance, I believe. The turquoise hat is an accent color to her outfit. She thinks about what she wears and has understanding of what is represented. I can’t answer for Camilla, even though it looks like the color is a bit more muted, but my way of thinking is that Kate has made a number of missteps in her fashion choices and if she had chosen colorful outfits in her appearances prior to this one and even afterward, maybe it wouldn’t have looked so obvious. Kate just seems to project that it’s all about her and not about the occasion. I’m not saying she’s being disrespectful, but I believe she could have thought twice about what she wore and erred on the side of a muted tone.
I think we’re trying to find fault with anything and everything the Duchess does. I stand by thinking that bringing a bit of color to a terrible place like the Ground Zero memorial is not disrespectful. If Her Majesty wore a lighter color (and she did) and Her Royal Highness wore pink (and she did) then there is no problem. Black is only worn in the Royal Family for funerals and mourning. This was not a mourning ritual.
I am a bit baffled as to why she wore black to a children’s event, but as a native lifelong New Yorker, I take no offense at her actions. Someone mentioned above that the rest of the entourage around them wore dark colors. Yes, well most of the entourage were also men, so obviously they wore dark suits and slacks. The women likely did not want to clash with the Duchess, which would be embarrassing. Let’s stop making something out of nothing.
I second this, entirely. Her Majesty wore a perfect outfit.
I think Camilla wearing bright ass pink to Ground Zero is rude as well.
Actually, Seth, those of us who do question Kate’s choice aren’t making something out of nothing. Ground Zero and the 9/11 Memorial are lightening rods for people’s emotions even today as indicated by the comments here. Some people have gotten over the direct impact of the tragedy while for others it seems that it just happened yesterday. There’s no right or wrong to how people feel; it can still be very emotional and highly charged. The site stirs up still shocking memories of that horrendous day and many people will never forget and still have loved ones whose remains are buried beneath. Given that, Kate should have toned down her look and erred on the side of discretion in her color choice. That’s what an official representative of a foreign nation does on another country’s soil when visiting a highly sensitive and emotionally charged memorial site. People will interpret her choice as they will based on how deeply this affects them, and I say that also as a lifelong New Yorker.
I did not mean offense but I find this to be quibbling over minutiae. It would have been far more disrespectful for her and the Duke not to visit the memorial at all. I would be (and am) far more outraged that there is a gift shop and restaurant on site, like it’s another tourist attraction and that they charge a $24 admission fee to visit what should be a free national memorial, like all the memorials in D.C., than about what a minor member of a foreign royal family wore to the site to pay their respects. But I guess I think differently than other people.
Thanks for sharing, Seth. I agree, it is deplorable to spend $24 to go in see the museum. It is a huge slap in the face as the Pentagon and Shanksville are free. There was plenty of outrage about it. When I went, I spent time at the reflective pool and spent a moment thinking and left my flowers in different spots. I would love to see the museum, but I will say that I don’t know if a) I am ready and b) if I can cough up that much money for a family of four while in the rest of NYC, the museums are free.
All good points.
No offense taken, Seth, everyone has different opinions over this situation. You are right about how the museum is run. To have a gift shop and restaurant at the 9/11 Memorial seems frivolous and where it appears the objective behind it all is to profit on tragic circumstances. But it is outrageous that visitors are charged admission when it should be absolutely free. Only in New York.
Only in NY.
“I did not mean offense but I find this to be quibbling over minutiae.” And obviously many disagree.
there’s a gift shop, restaurant and admission fee? That’s awful. This site is a national memorial representing a travesty in American history, it should be free to all who chose to pay their respects.
Yeah KMR, it’s disgusting. I will never visit it because of those things. I prefer to let the dead rest in peace.
Freeshalori, it is also paired with the fact that everything else she wore on this trip was muted or black. Why choose Barbie pink for the site of mass murder, when anything else she pulled out of the suitcase would be more appropriate.
I know, M2P, that’s the $64,000 question, isn’t it? Even the purple tweed coat she wore on arrival would have been more appropriate for that visit. SMH.
This, absolutely! Why black for visiting kids, grey for basketball and then choose the brightest colour I have EVER seen her in for Ground Zero.
It dumbfounds me, with emphasis on the dumb.
But I think it is time to put this matter to rest. I’ll be glad to see them move onward, to tell the truth, and put the pedal to the metal in making a concerted effort to do more appearances on their home turf. But I’m sure this trip to NY calls for an upcoming vacation for them!
You know Mustique will be a-callin’ soon 🙂
Unfortunately, we probably won’t see Kate until the Christmas walk and probably not much after that, so this trip will be talked about for a while to come.
I am late to the game for this post. Too busy of late to visit the site in a timely fashion.
I concur, her stylist needs to be given the heave-ho. The choice of hot pink for the 9/ll Museum and black when visiting the children makes no sense at all.
A visit to the museum, btw, is emotionally draining. There are exit doors throughout the entire exhibit in order to help people make a “quick” exit if the going gets too rough.
I am happy the Royals paid their respect to those who lost their lives on that terrible day and to those who survived such a frightening experience. I am certain they were deeply moved by the experience.
I’ve never been to the museum, but I can imagine that it would be incredibly emotionally draining. 9/11 was such a traumatic event for so many people.