South East Asia Tour Itinerary, Possible Tiara, Kate's Second Speech + Kate Attends Swimming

Clarence House released details on William and Kate's South-East Asia tour this afternoon and I think you'll agree, it looks like it's going to be a fantastic tour. The nine day trip begins on September 11 in Singapore where William and Kate will visit the Botanic Gardens where they will an orchid named after each of them and visit an orchid named after Diana shortly before her death. Sadly Diana (who died fifteen years ago tomorrow) never got to see the flower and no doubt it will be a special moment for the couple. 

Singapore Botanic Gardens

A look at Diana's orchid.

My Gola

The couple will visit a Rolls Royce Factory and attend a state dinner at the President's residence. The Palace is not ruling out the possibility of Kate wearing a tiara, a first for the Duchess. A private hairdresser will travel with Kate to ensure her glossy locks are in perfect condition for the tour. James Pryce accompanied Kate during the Canada tour but will not be doing the same this time as the two parted ways a number of months ago.

Georgina Brewer Twitter

The couple's next stop is Malaysia where they will stay in Kuala Lumpur. A very exciting visit for Kate as she will make her first speech abroad at Hospis Malaysia. The location was reportedly chosen for Kate as she made her first public speech at  the East Anglia's Children's Hospice, and she is keen to forge links between the two organisations. William and Kate will also attend a Diamond Jubilee tea party thrown by the British High Commissioner and a glamorous dinner hosted by the country's King in his Istana Negara palace. 

The Istana Negara Palace.

Istana Negara

The couple will then fly to Sabah, the Malaysian part of Borneo and explore the jungle at Danum Valley. The area holds unique status in the sense that before it became a conservation area there were no human settlements in the area. The conservation area is a 438 square kilometres tract of relatively undisturbed lowland dipterocarp forest.

Visit Asia

On September 16 the couple will travel to the Solomon Islands. Despite their small population of just over half a million the couple have been told to expect a very warm, colourful welcome. William and Kate will attend another state dinner with a difference - an outdoor island feast. The couple will take a boat trip to Marau and then sail by traditional war canoe to Tavinipupu Private Island resort. With crystal clear waters, delicious food, ice cold beer and relaxing massages the island is described as 'paradise'. It is expectedly William and kate will stay in a £300 a night hand thatched bungalow. The Palace said they also hope to do a little snorkelling in the Azure waters.

Theodora

The final destination on the couple's itinerary is Tuvalua, when the Queen and Prince Philip last visited in 1982 they were carried ashore from Britannia in a canoe on the shoulders of locals. William and Kate will arrive by plane but their private secretary Jamie Lowther Pinkerton said 
'We really have no idea what to expect'. 

PA

Kate has reportedly chosen thirty outfits for the tour and will borrow pieces of jewellery from the Queen. I expect we will see Kate in an array of stunning outfits, paying homage to local designers from South-East Asia with a mix of British designers and quite possibly pieces we've seen before. It sounds like it's going to be a wonderful tour. Less than two weeks away. Are you looking forward to it? :)

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Kate watched the swimming at the Aquatics Centre tonight. It was a solo for the Duchess.

London 2012

Kate wore her Team GB jacket, skinny jeans and Stuart Weitzman Corkswoon Wedges. Kate wore her in a ponytail, a lovely look for her.

Stuart Weitzman

Kate in Team GB Shirt for Paralympic Events

Hello to you all,
After joining the Queen at the Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony, William and Kate were back at the Olympic Park this morning to support Team GB.

Daily Mirror

The couple watched goalball at the Copper Box Venue. Parts of goalball are played in complete silence meaning spectators must respect this at all times. 

Daily Mirror

The iconic Copper Box is an extremely flexible venue, with retractable seating that can change the floor size within the venue, facilitating different activities both during and after the games.

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Next up, the couple cheered on the cyclist at the Velodrome. Kate was seated next to Sophie, Countess of Wessex and her daughter Lady Louise Windsor. The royals certainly got into the Paralympic spirit and took part in a mexican wave.

London 2012

William and Kate chatting during the cycling.

London 2012

David Llaurdo Caldero and Christian Venge of Spain competed in the Men's Individual Cycling B Pursuit.

London 2012

Both William and Kate wore Team GB polo shirts today, William wore blue while Kate opted for red. The Duchess also wore a Team GB fleece and skinny jeans.

Daily Mirror

Kate wore her Adidas Supernova Glide 4 running shoes. 

Adidas

Kate will attend the swimming later today. See you all then :)

William and Kate Join The Queen at the Paralympic Opening Ceremony

William and Kate joined the Queen, Princess Anne,  Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex at the Olympic Stadium tonight for the Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony. 

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Prince Edward is patron of the British Paralympic Association and was seated next to the Queen.

London 2012

Film Director Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot) headed the team behind the ceremony. Called 'Englightenment', the programme celebrated the inclusivity of the Paralympics. Over 3,000 volunteers, rehabilitating soldiers and children took part. Over 2.5 million tickets were sold for the event.

William and Kate attended a reception ahead of the ceremony.

PA

Kate met with volunteers and staff who have worked tirelessly over the past number of weeks.

PA

A panoramic view of the ceremony before it got under way.

London 2012 Facebook

'Aerobility', a British charity that trains disable people to become pilots, flew over the Olympic Stadium.

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William and Kate were seated next to Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha.

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There was an introduction by Stephen Hawking, a British theoretical physicist and author. He was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease at the age of 21. Stephen's determination and courage has inspired people all around the world.

 During the introduction Stephen said

'Look up at the stars, and not down on your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder what makes the universe exist. Be curious'.

Performers fly in with umbrellas.

A sea of umbrellas creates an image of the Union Flag.

London 2012

In tribute to Sir Isaac Newton and his theories of gravity, a large mechanical apple was brought into the stadium.

London 2012

Around 18,000 LED lights were used in the performers' hat brims.

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Wheelchair tennis player Peter Norfolk carried the British flag during the ceremony.

London 2012

Kate chose to recycle for the event choosing the pale gold coat by Day by Birger/ Mikkelsen,  she wore to Zara Philips and Mike Tindall's wedding last year, Mel Nicholson's 2010 wedding and to the 2006 wedding of Laura Parker Bowles. Again Kate obviously wanted the attention firmly on the athletes and not her sartorial choices hence recycling a piece that has been seen three times before.

A closer look at the coat.

Kate wore her favourite LK Bennett Sledge Pumps.

LK Bennett

Kate carried her Wilbur and Gussie gold envelope clutch.

Wilbur and Gussie

It was a wonderful ceremony and I'm delighted to see the Paralympic Games getting the attention it receives. What did you all think of the ceremony? See you all tomorrow :)

Kate Spotted in London Wearing Black Dress, Paralympic Schedule + More

Good evening Duchess Kate readers,

It certainly has been a quiet couple of weeks for Kate but that's all set to change with the Paralympics and the royal tour of South-East Asia. William and Kate have been in Anglesey since the Olympics and returned to London today. The couple were seen driving into Clarence House, no doubt in preparation for the coming weeks.

Starbuck Friend

Clarence House, stands beside St James' Palace and provides office accommodation for Their Royal Highnesses in their official engagements.

Wikipedia

One lucky passer-by G De Siena walked past Kate just off the Kings Road and shared a photo via Twitter. According to the tweet "people's faces were priceless".

Kate was on her way to the Richard Ward Salon to get her hair done.

Emma McCarthy Twitter

Kate wore a black jersey dress, very similar to an Issa dress she was spotted wearing days before the royal wedding whilst shopping in London. On closer inspection it would appear the sleeves on the Issa dress are significantly different.

It is thought the dress is either the $80 Zara Dress With Pleat On Sleeves.

Zara

or the Alexander McQueen Fine-Knit Wool Dress (With thanks to the lovely ladies over at What Kate Wore Facebook and to all of you who took the time to comment here)

Alexander McQueen

Kate appears to be wearing her LK Bennett Greta wedges.

LK Bennett

The Duchess carried her Mulberry Cookie bag.

Mulberry

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William and Kate will join the Queen tomorrow night for the Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony at the Olympic Stadium. Award-winning film director Stephen Daldry heads the team behind the ceremony, which has a cast of over 3,000 volunteers. The ceremony begins at 8 pm BST.

The Palace released some information today regarding events the couple will be attending. All engagements are provisional and I expect many more will be added as the games progress.

• Thursday August 30 - The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will cheer on Team GB at Goalball and Track Cycling. Kate will attend the swimming also.
• Sunday September 2 - The Duchess of Cambridge will attend the athletics at Olympic Park.

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Kate on the cover of Hello! Magazine this week.

Hello

Kate Loves: St Andrews

The University of St Andrews, more commonly referred to as "St Andrews" was founded between 1410 and 1413 and is the oldest university in Scotland. St Andrews is judged as world-class for teaching and research; it is currently ranked the sixth best university in the UK.  Coined 'Britain's top match-making university', it is said that one in ten students marry a fellow student from St Andrews.

The Guardian

In 2001, After completing his gap year in Belize and Chile, Prince William enrolled at the University of St Andrews, under the name William Wales. News of this caused a temporary increase in the number of applications to the university, primarily from young women :)

Meanwhile, Kate was also preparing for student life in Scotland after returning from her gap year where she visited Italy and worked in Chile, as fate would have it, she ended up at a project Prince William had visited just a month before.

By the end of freshers week Kate was crowned the prettiest girl at Sally's, the nickname for St Salvator's Hall, her hall of residence. When William arrived he also moved St Salvator's Hall where he was eager to be treated like any other student and, without press intrusion, his four years in St Andrews would become the most private of his life.

Wikipedia

Regarded as one of the university's most prestigious residences, Sally's is often described as a 'rambling gothic dormitory'. In total it houses 180 students. At the west wing of the building there is a small library and a study room. A computer room with pigeon holes for residents' post is also situated on the ground floor. Each room comes with a desk, a wardrobe and a bookcase.

St Andrews

Kate as a first year in St Salavator's.

Laura Warshauer

Enjoying dinner with friends.

Laura Warshauer

Kate spoke about meeting William for the first time during the royal engagement interview.

'Well I actually think I went bright red when I met you and sort of scuttled off, feeling very shy about meeting you. It take a bit of time for us to get to know each other but we became very close friends'.

Not only did William and Kate share the same hall of residence, they were also both studying History of Art and inevitably spent a lot of time together. William liked the fact Kate was quiet and reserved and enjoyed country life as he did. They shared laughs and stories about their time in Chile. Kate took notes for William in lectures when he couldn't be there and a strong friendship was forged. Romance was not yet on the cards for the young students as William was dating Carley Massey-Birch, an English Language and creative-writing student. Carley was also a country girl and during their brief relationship William enjoyed visits to her home in Devon where they spent time playing board games and visiting the local pubs.

ABC/Peter Kelly

William initially struggled to settle in to university life and described it as 'daunting'. Following discussions with Prince Charles, Prince Philip and his friends (including Kate) he decided to switch his major to Geography and taking his father's advice, stayed for another term and never looked back.

PA

It was March 27, 2002 at the annual Don't Walk Charity Show when the sparks first ignited between the two. Andrews Sands selected Kate to model for the show because of her popularity

'She didn't dress in a sort of Euro-trash revealing way, it was always very homely. So people were desperate to see her in slightly more scanty attire'.

Kate was asked to model a see through dress. Kate hadn't told William exactly what she would be wearing and the Prince was stunned as the brunette shimmied down the runway. William just turned to his friend Fergus and said 'Wow. Kate's Hot'. At the after show party William did not waste any time making his feelings clear and leaned in to kiss her. Kate was reportedly flattered but pulled away because she was dating fourth year student Rupert Finch. Kate and Rupert quickly parted ways and the royal romance began shortly after.

Solo Syndication

William and Kate's university year photo 2002.

At the start of second year, September 2002, William and Kate moved off campus to 13A Hope Street, in the centre of town with friends Fergus Boyd and Olivia Bleasdale. They each paid £100 a week in rent for the two storey apartment and shared cleaning duties. Security measures included bulletproof windows and a bombproof front door.

HMJ Properties

In the small kitchen in their Hope Street apartment William cooked Kate romantic dinners.

'When I was trying to impress Kate I was trying to cook these amazing fancy dinners and what would happen was I would burn something, something would overspill, something would catch fire'.

The couple were often spotted walking around the small town of St Andrews, Fife which has a population of just 16,000. With its breathtaking views the pair enjoyed romantic walks and were regularly seen shopping in their local Tesco, take-away and sweet shop. It was a level of normalcy no previous future King had experienced and William loved it.

St Andrews Panorama

By the time the couple started their third year their romance was no longer a secret at St Andrews and they were desperate for privacy. They moved out to Balgove House, a private estate outside of town. The couple entertained frequently in the four bedroom cottage. Kate dressed the the kitchen windows with red and white gingham curtains. They often packed a blanket and a picnic basket and spent hours walking and chatting while taking in the stunning views. These were described by royal writers as 'very happy days for William and Kate'.

Below we see William and Kate having a wonderful time on the dancefloor at a St Andrews gala dinner in October 2004. Kate looked lovely in a little black dress and the couple's body language was undeniable.

Rex Features/Daily Mail

Kate graduated from St Andrews in June 2005 with a 2:1 Undergraduate MA in the History of Art. William also achieved a 2:1 in his Arts degree, the best degree of any heir to the throne in Britain and the Commonwealth realms.

Middleton Family Flickr

In February 2011, the couple returned to St Andrews on one of their first joint engagements where Prince William unveiled a plaque to commemorate the university's 600th anniversary. During his speech William said 

'This is a very special moment for Catherine and me. It feels like coming home'.

St Andrews obviously holds a very special place in the couple's hearts and it was simply wonderful they visited the university just a couple of months before their wedding. No doubt many memories came flooding back that day.