Today the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were in Essex to visit the Coach Core Facility in Basildon Sporting Village. Coach Core is an apprenticeship programme that helps young people who are not in education, employment or training to build a career in sports coaching.
Established by The Royal Foundation in 2012 and driven by a desire to build upon the legacy of the Olympic Games, Coach Core aims to harness the power of sport, and its ability to change lives and empower young people.
Believing in the potential of Sport to transform lives – The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry founded the apprenticeship scheme to help young people become sports coaches. Coach Core is making high quality coaching accessible and affordable to all, creating future coaches for local clubs, companies and communities.
Coach Core takes young people aged 16-24, who are not in education or employment, and trains them to be sports coaches and positive role models and mentors in their communities. Upon arrival, The Duke and Duchess were welcomed by the very excited group of children who were waiting for them in the extremely cold weather. A young kid was determined not to leave William’s hand, William entertained him by joking that his hands are really warm.
During the visit, William and Catherine met apprentices as well as some of the 30 plus graduates of the programme and saw how the scheme in Essex is getting the local community involved in sport. Coach Core targets communities, which have the highest levels of youth unemployment and social deprivation.
William and Catherine joined the children for tennis and indoor athletics sessions. Catherine tried her hand at tennis -a sport she famously love and William tried to throw a foam javelin.
Now in its third year, Coach continues to build strong partnerships with local organisations. Today, The Duke and Duchess found out more about two of these – Sport for Confidence and The South Essex Gymnastics Club, both of which have employed multiple apprentices through the scheme.
The royal couple took part in a game of Boccia – one of the sports provided by Sport for Confidence which offers sporting opportunities for individuals who face barriers to participation. They played on two opposite teams and enjoyed a great laugh.
William and Catherine toured the gymnastics centre and watched the Olympic standard gymnasts in training and a pre-school session run by Coach Core apprentices and graduates at the gymnastics centre, which is the home of South Essex Gymnastics Club
Coach Core with an aim to empower young people, since it’s birth in 2012, has 99% of graduates enter full-time education or secure employment.
A group photo marking the visit.
A sweet moment when a lady from Sports for Confidence asked for a hug and Catherine was all smiling while hugging her.
Before leaving, Duchess was presented with a posy from cute little kid Sophie Mitchell. The couple was all smiles and waves as they left the sporting village after spending time with children and apprentices.
For the day full of sports and hugs, Duchess chose a very elegant and stylish chic look. She wore Smythe 2 Button Blazer with thank Christin Zi on Twitter. The Glen Check with Black Corduroy tailored blazer was an exquisite choice for the engagement full of activities.
The single-breasted silhouette has a traditional riding blazer feel, featuring a contrast collar, flattering pocket flaps and oversized leather buttons.
The blazer retailed for $795 at Smythe and Shoptiques is now sold out. This was not the first time we saw Duchess wearing a Smythe blazer.
She wore Smythe blazers in the past i.e. navy blazer debuted during Canada 2011 tour and khaki Duchess blazer during Canada tour in 2016, named Duchess after Catherine wore navy in 2011.
Underneath the jacket, Duchess wore a black turtleneck sweater that we have seen in the past and paired it with black skinny jeans.
It was the fourth time since February 2017, when we saw Duchess wearing this sort of look – a blazer or jacket with a black turtleneck and black skinny jeans (Thanks to Katie on Instagram for pointing it out). In February 2017 she wore the sweater and jeans with Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini Red blazer when she had her first RAF Cadets engagement in 2017, then with Perfect Moment, Mini Duvet quilted down ski jacket when she met with the runners of London Marathon in the same month and then in October 2017 at Coach Core engagement with Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini blue blazer.
Catherine paired her outfit with Russell & Bromley Aquatalia Fallon Boots. With elastic detailing and a stacked heel, the ‘Fallon’ by Aquatalia is a gaucho-Chelsea boot hybrid. The ankle boot is crafted from weather-resistant black suede and finished with two zips. They are available at Rusell & Bromley for £295.00.
Duchess debuted a new pair of earrings today. She was wearing White Topaz and Diamond Cushion Drop earrings from Kiki McDonough. The £1,166.67 earrings are described as, “Two looks in one make these earrings an irresistible buy; featuring a dazzling White Topaz cushion drop on an elegant 18ct White Gold and Diamond hoop. Wear the hoops on their own or add the drop for a different look.” They are available at Kiki Store in both white and yellow gold and at Neiman Marcus in Yellow Gold.
Christin Zi on Twitter also spotted a black shopper tote in Duchess’ car when she was stepping out. It looked like her Smythson Black Panama East-West Zip Tote.
The visit was full of fun and energy. The kids and apprentices, as well as the attendees, were all enjoying the day with Duke and Duchess. A video of the day shared by Kensington Palace on Instagram. So far we do not have any other engagement scheduled for Duchess in the upcoming weeks.
In Cambridge household news Prince George started his school yesterday after the mid-term break. Prince Charles’ is celebrating his 70th Birthday in November. A documentary dedicated to his birthday is being released by BBC on his birthday. In a trailer released so far a very interesting clip has emerged in which Grandpa Prince Charles paid a sweet tribute to his eldest Grandson Prince George.
Standing in an arboretum at Birkhall, his Scottish estate, Charles says: “This is George’s wood.” He motions to dozens of different tree varieties which were planted when George was born five years ago. “As I get older, all I really long for is to plant trees,” the future King added. “I hope it will be quite amusing for George, as they grow up, and he grows up.”
In other clip released by Clarence House ahead of Charles and Camilla’s Africa tour, we can see a picture of Prince Louis’ christening on the side table of Charles. It was a sweet gesture showing Charles is actually closed to his grandchildren irrespective of the rumours in media.
