Duchess Kate Visits Olympic Village

After spending the day at Greenwich to support Zara Philips (I was delighted to see Team GB win silver) the royals visited the Olympic village.

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There was huge excitement in the village when the royals arrived.

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Most of Team GB waited outside their house to welcome the royals. 

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Kate greeted the athletes and talked about the games. Below we see her with cyclists Victoria Pendleton and Jess Varnish.

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William and Kate wearing their passes.

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The village is located in the Olympic Park, within walking distance of the venues. Construction of the Village began in May 2008. There are 11 residential plots, each made up of five to seven blocks built around communal squares and courtyards.

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A look inside one of the apartments.

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The athletes and team officials have use of a state of the art gym, an extensive entertainment room and 'The Globe', a centre of recreation in the Village. It includes a private cinema, stage, bar, pool and football tables.

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After the games, the Olympic Village will be used for new housing East London. 2,818 new homes will be provided for Londoners and will create a new residential quarter to be known as East Village. 

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Kate is wearing her Smythe blazer, J Brand 811 jeans, striped top, Russell and Bromley Muse clutch and Stuart Weitzman for Russell and Bromley wedges (To read more on Kate's outfit please visit today's earlier post)

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The Duchess also wore her Team GB Supporters Scarf. It is available for £10.

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William, Kate and Harry Attend Equestrian Events

William, Kate and Harry attended the Equestrian events at Greenwich for the second consecutive day.

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Zara Philips rode for gold in the Eventing team Jumping Final. Zara put in a confident performance and was visibly moved when speaking about the crowd's support

'It's incredibly, it gives you a massive life as you come into the arena. We're really grateful to everyone who has come here to support us'.

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William and Kate are certainly looking very much in love aren't they? :)

The couple were spotted holding hands again today.

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 Howard Truong was sitting a couple of rows behind the royals and share a photo.

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Kate chatting with Peter Philips (Zara's brother)

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The trio watching the tense event where Germany won Gold. Britain claimed silver thanks to a fabulous ride from Tina Cook.

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Cheering on Team GB as they collected their medals. Kate put on a Team GB jacket when the rain started.

Kate wore the same navy Smythe blazer she wore yesterdays events. The Duchess teamed it with a striped navy and white top.

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Kate is wearing a Team GB Olympic pin badge on her lapel (With thanks to the wonderful Anna and Michelle. I'm quite confident there is nothing those ladies can't ID)

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It would appear she is also wearing her J Brand 811 jeans.

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Kate also carried the Russell and Bromley Muse clutch and wore the £245 navy Stuart Weitzman for Russell and Bromley SW Coco wedges in navy suede (With thanks to What Kate Wore) 

The royals leaving the event.

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There are some gorgeous (and very romantic) photos of William and Kate in this Daily Mail article.

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Kate graces the cover of Vanity Fair's best dressed issue. Kate's status as a style icon saw her crowned 'Best Dressed' for the third year running. Stunning photo from the couple's visit to Los Angeles last year.

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The royals are expected to visit Athlete's Village at Olympic Park later today.

Kate Recycles Roskanda Ilincic Reception for GREAT Campaign

Duchess Kate attended the UK's Creative Industries reception this evening at the Royal Academy of Arts, London. It is a solo engagement for Kate, who earlier watched the equestrian competition.

The reception is showcasing the GREAT Campaign which is designed to promote the UK abroad, and aims to deliver long-term economic benefits from the level of interest generated by London 2012. The campaign offers a chance for the whole world to discover what the UK has to offer.

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Greeting Prime Minister David Cameron on the red carpet. The Duchess wore her hair in an elegant updo.

800 guests were invited to the reception including Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney, Roger Daltry, Snow Patrol and Julian Fellowes. 

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Kate chatting to guests.

The red carpet before guests arrived.

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The Royal Academy of Arts is quite something isn't it? Founded through a personal act by King George in 1768 with a mission to promote the arts of design in Britain through education and exhibition. Kate is a History of Art graduate and very passionate about the arts so no doubt we will see her here again in the not too distant future.

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Inside the Royal Academy, all set for the VIP guests.

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The online shop sells everything from limited edition books to homeware and stationery. 

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Kate pictured inside the royal academy.

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Kate talking to one of her favourite designers, Stella McCartney.

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Kate wore a dove grey dress by Serbian born designer Roskanda Ilinic  Peridot dress. We first saw the Duchess wear the dress when she arrived in Los Angeles in July 2011.

The dress originally retailed for £815 and was later reduced to £570. It is no longer available to buy in boutiques but can be ordered directly from Roskanda Ilincic. It is described as

'Light blue grey. Draped neck to one side. Cap sleeves. Pleats down from drape neck to waist band. Pleated skirt. While tulle neckline and cuff trim. Exposed centre back zip'.

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The 'Peridot' is available in petrol blue wool crepe at Net a Porter for €668 (reduced from €978)

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Kate chose a pair of LK Bennett shoes this evening. Not her favourite Sledge pumps but the £195 Harper Shoe (With many thanks to Michelle) The light taupe court shoe has  110 mm heel and is available in numerous colours. 

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Kate is carrying a sequin clutch and wearing her Kiki McDonough blue topaz and diamond earrings.

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I'll finish the post with a lovely quote from Jeremy Hunt.

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See you all tomorrow :)

William, Kate and Harry Support Zara Philips at Greenwich

William, Kate and Harry were at Greenwich Park today to support the princes' first cousin Zara Philips as she competes in the Equestrian Crosscountry.

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The Duchess of Cornwall, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were also on the sidelines.

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The scenic Greenwich Park is London's oldest park, dating back to 1433 and has been strongly associated with royalty since the land was inherited by Henry V's brother. There is a large grassland enclosure, covering almost thirteen acres which serves as a sanctuary for deer, foxes and birds. The park is the host venue for the Olympic Equestrian and Modern Pentathlon events and the Paralympic Equestrian events. 

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Kate greeting Camilla.

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Kate seemed to enjoy the event immensely. 

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The couple reading the programme.

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Thirty one year old Zara Philips is the daughter of Princess Anne and her first husband Mark 
Philips. Princess Anne did not want her children to have a title but Zara is fourteenth in line to the throne. Zara was voted BBC Sports personality of the year in 2006, sadly her horse Toytown suffered injuries which meant she missed out on the 2004 and 2008 Olympics. 


Both her parents competed in the Olympics in equestrian competition (Princess Anne in 1976 and Captain Mark Philips in 1972 winning gold) so one could say it is in her blood. This time Zara is determined to go for gold with her horse High Kingdom and I wish her the very best of luck!

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Zara performed wonderfully and was visibly delighted with her performance.

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Kate is wearing her navy Smythe blazer. It was available for $357 at Saks but is now sold out. The Duchess first wore it twice during the Canada tour (Smythe is based in Toronoto) 

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The Duchess wore the London 2012 Olympic Games Logo Pin Badge  on the lapel of her blazer. It is available in green, blue, pink and orange for £6.

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Kate wore the Givenchy SGV 761 Sunglasses (A huge thank as always to Anna)

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Kate is also wearing her navy J Brand 811 jeans, a white Team GB Adidas shirt and navy wedges.

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To see some lovely photos of William and Kate holding hands and a full length shot of Kate's outfit please click here.


Tomorrow the royals will attend the jumping finals where they are expected to hand out medals. Before that, Kate has a solo engagement this evening at the UK Creative Industries reception. It's going to be a very glitzy black tie event apparently.

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Finally, a photo of a Kate look-alike caused quite a stir at the Olympics on Saturday with many questioning could it be Kate?

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It was later revealed the lady in the photo had attended ladies day at the park with a Pippa look-alike. The cream lace McQueen repli-Kate is beautiful (although the nude heels were a giveaway, Kate would almost certainly team the dress with her Sledge pumps). Do you think the ladies resemble the Middleton sisters?

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