Tonight, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen, hosted a reception in the Music Room of Buckingham Palace to mark the UK-Africa Investment Summit. It was the couple’s first solo event of this level where they received State heads in the absence of Her Majesty or Prince of Wales.
William and Catherine arriving for the reception. The UK-Africa Investment Summit, hosted by the UK government will bring together heads of state and government and senior representatives from African countries, key multilateral agencies and high profile the UK and African businesses to showcase and promote the breadth and quality of investment opportunities across Africa.
Both William and Catherine share a special bond with the African continent. While William has spent much-needed family time with his father and brother at the continent, the couple also got engaged during a vacation in Africa choosing Kenya specifically.
The summit will demonstrate the strength of the relationship between the UK and Africa, showcase and promote the breadth and quality of investment opportunities across Africa, and highlight the UK’s commitment to supporting economic development in Africa, including through the creation of jobs and new partnerships. It will mobilise new and substantial investment to create jobs and boost mutual prosperity.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stood for a group photograph after receiving the 21 delegations that included British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, African heads of state – President of Rwanda Paul Kagame, the Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara, and Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta among many others.
The Royal Couple welcomed the Heads of state and Government and their partners, prominent business leaders other representatives from the United Kingdom and from across Africa at Buckingham Palace. The Duke of Cambridge is the patron of the Royal African Society since 2017. He recently visited the African continent in 2018 and I believe we will see Duke and Duchess of Cambridge undertaking an African visit in the near future.
From British Foreign Policy Group Research, “The UK-Africa Investment Summit should serve as a springboard, not just to greater investment in Africa, but the start of serious relationships with major African governments. The Department for International Development has made clear that they want to make it easier for African governments to access, and make the most of, trade and investment opportunities – but articulating a post-Brexit, independent foreign policy means more than that, and the UK can now begin to present itself as the central convener on global conversations on the pressing issues of today”.
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were joined by Princess Royal Anne with Earl and Countess of Wessex. On a pleasant note, The Countess of Wessex Sophie is celebrating her 55th Birthday. I wish her a very Happy Birthday. Given the current situation in the Royal Family, it is believed that Earl and Countess of Wessex will have a more prominent role in Family as there are very few senior royals under the age of 70.
“The African continent holds a very special place in my heart.” — The Duke of Cambridge at a Buckingham Palace reception to mark the UK-Africa Investment Summit #InvestinAfrica pic.twitter.com/MVylx0ijiB
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) January 20, 2020
Speaking at the event, Prince William talked about his personal relationship with the African Continent. Emily Nash on Twitter reported,
“The African continent holds a very special place in my heart. It is the place my father took my brother and me shortly after our mother died.
And when deciding where best to propose to Catherine I could think of no more fitting place than Kenya to get down on one knee.
As Catherine and I have said to several of you here tonight, we hope to have the chance to visit many more countries in the future and share our mutual love of your continent with our children.”
A video of the day.
For the evening event, The Duchess of Cambridge was looking royally elegant in an all-over red look. She wore a gorgeous red dress from British label Needle and Thread.
Looks like The Duchess was wearing a customised version of label’s ‘Aurora’ dress. Thanks to Kate’s Royal Closet on Twitter for the quick id. It was the first time we saw Catherine wearing any piece from British Label. Crafted from delicate tulle, the a-line dress has sequin work on it.
The £410.00 dress is described as, “The Aurora Gown in Cherry Red. This light-catching floor-length dress is decorated with silver shimmering sequins inspired by vintage lace tablecloth. The Aurora is a long sleeve dress with pretty floral elements, engineered to flatter the A-line silhouette. There is delicate frill lace detailing around the neck and arm for further intrigue.”
The dress comes in both Gown and Mini version. Catherine’s dress looks like a customised version with midi Length. A lovely description of Catherine’s look from Telegraph’s Tamara Abraham,
Kate made the challenge look easy, making her entrance alongside Prince William in a red evening dress that looked suitably celebratory, identifying her as co-host, but not so over-the-top that other guests looked underdressed – a tricky balance to strike.
Kate’s dress, a customised version of the £410 Aurora gown from the Cruise 2020 collection, was unquestionably dazzling. The tulle creation was inspired by the design of a vintage lace tablecloth and is decorated with tonal sequins and a frill detail at the arms and neck.
The deep red hue was spot on: bold, regal, elegant, and no accidental stroke of luck – the 38-year-old will have learnt from the Queen that it is important to wear an eye-catching colour for such engagements so that people who may have waited to catch a glimpse of you can identify you easily in a crowd or from a distance.
It looks like Duchess paired the dress with her red Gianvito Rossi’s ‘Gianvito 105’ Red pumps
and Jenny Packham Casa Clutch.
Catherine wore a pair of Gold Ruby earrings from Soru Jewellery. Kate’s Royal Closet received confirmation from the label’s representative. The earrings are from 2017 collection and they will be available for pre-order.
In other news, the Goring Hotel – Where Catherine stayed a night before her wedding with her family, shared this unseen picture of The Duchess giving the final touch to a painting that is now hanging in the hotel. The picture is from March 2015 when Catherine was expecting Princess Charlotte and visited the Hotel to mark its 105th anniversary.
Today Palace announced that The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will attend the UK Holocaust Memorial Day Commemorative Ceremony in Westminster on January 27th. 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Dress Like Duchess