The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Sunderland to see and experience the city’s vibrant arts scene and engineering talent. The Royal Couple was in the city to open the music and arts hub Fire Station of Sunderland before visiting the Northern Spire, an ambitious and striking new bridge over the River Wear.
The city was dripping with excitement when William and Catherine reached. They were welcomed by the huge crowd holding flowers and gifts and waving Union Jack.
William and Kate have taken the time to speak to fans in Sunderland-they’ll now take a tour of the Fire Station Arts Centre #HeartNews pic.twitter.com/AtZNcqwKv3
— Heart NE News (@HeartNENews) February 21, 2018
As per Keith Merrin, chief executive of Sunderland Culture, “The timing of the royal visit couldn’t have been better, with so much happening already in the city’s cultural sector and some exciting news to be announced in the coming months.” The Royal Couple began the day by officially opening The Fire Station.
William and Catherine greet the members of the local community waiting for them.
Two adorable kids in Fire Station Uniform were waiting for them in the crowd.
William and Catherine also greeted an important guest outside the Station – Jane, who is 101 years old, came there to see them.
The Fire Station is the city’s new hub for theatre, music, and dance. The Fire Station is one of Sunderland’s most iconic buildings and will now become a place to encourage people across the city to engage with the Arts.
Upon arrival, William and Catherine were given a tour of the station to showcase and meet young people involved in arts and cultural activities in the city.
The Fire Station houses a dance studio, drama studio, and a heritage centre as well as a popular bar and eatery ‘The Engine Room’.
At Station, they participated in Live Tales story writing sessions with pupils from the local Hudson Road Primary School.
They were entertained by the exceptionally talented Dance Jam and the regional dance agency’s impressive aerial show.
The @FireStationSun is one of Sunderland’s most iconic buildings, which was recently converted into a music and arts hub.
TRH start their visit with a fantastic Bollywood dancing performance! pic.twitter.com/O1sdAtEuTN
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) February 21, 2018
The couple watched a Bollywood dance performance.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met youngsters from ‘Little Inventors Ingenious ideas’ – a charity turning children’s inventions into reality.
The royal couple watched a performance and met members of the community involved in the project.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge marked their visit by unveiling a plaque at the station.
The next stop was the Engine Room. Here they met the staff and youngsters.
The Duchess of Cambridge gets some body art done – a henna flower design on her hand that will last a couple of days. She also took some bindi for Princess Charlotte! #Sunderland pic.twitter.com/JWc1erf5Nt
— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) February 21, 2018
Catherine got a Henna flower tattoo on her hand and took a packet of Bindi for Charlotte.
The Duchess talked to members of the Young Asian Voices Youth Project – an organisation that provides affordable education, health, welfare & recreation.
Next, they visited the new Northern Spire Bridge, due to open later this year in the spring and will be the tallest structure in the North East of England.
The 1,550-tonne pylon structure is twice as high as Nelson’s Column and taller than Big Ben’s clock tower. The Northern Spire Bridge will be an economic catalyst, providing new jobs and investment as well as helping link the city center to the Port of Sunderland.
Following the safety precaution, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge donned safety glasses and Hard Hats with visibility jackets.
The Duke tightens a bolt on the brand new bridge. 🔧
The #NorthernSpire is due to open in the spring and will be the tallest structure in the North East of England. pic.twitter.com/GVY2G5f2zh
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) February 21, 2018
The Duke tightens a bolt on the brand new bridge. The Northern Spire weighs the equivalent of 125 double-decker buses, and nothing of this scale has been raised in this way since the London Eye in 1999.
The couple greeted the engineers and construction workers of the bridge.
Then they were greeted by the local children.
For the day away from London, The Duchess of Cambridge chose an elegant and comfortable ensemble. She wore a new green Dolce & Gabbana military-style coat with gold buttons today.
The custom-made piece that can be ordered on the label’s boutique has striking similarities to the plum Dolce & Gabbana coat Catherine wore in Oslo earlier this month.
Underneath the coat, The Duchess wore her favorite maternity label Seraphine’s design.
Phaedra Woven Maternity dress is made of soft woven fabric and features a flattering A-line shape that drapes beautifully over the figure, while a curved empire waist highlights the slimmest point. Smart for the office and chic for special occasions, this dress is ideal for desk-to-dinner styling.
Duchess paired the dress with her trusty Tod’s block-heeled suede pumps and for the visit to the bridge changed into her Russell & Bromley HalfNHalf boots.
She carried her Emmy suede clutch in green.
Her Mappin & Webb Empress earrings finished today’s look.
As The Duchess of Cambridge is believed to be in the 8th month of her pregnancy, I expect her to go on maternity leave soon. Till then we can enjoy these types of lovely outings before we see her with the new adorable member of the family.
