Day 2 of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Ireland visit started on a very pleasant note bringing back the memories of William and Catherine’s dating era. (We will talk about it more in this and next post.) Given the security details, the itinerary was disclosed just a few hours before the day was about to begin.
Julien Behal Twitter
After spending day 1 of the visit in Dublin, which made a big splash on the front page of almost every newspaper in both countries, today William and Catherine were set to carry out several engagements in Dublin, Kildare and Meath on day 2 of the visit.
The first stop of the day was Jigsaw – a Mental Health support service in the Temple Bar district of Dublin. Mental Health is one of the couple’s primary focus of royal duties so we were expecting at least one engagement covering the issue.
National Centre for Youth Mental Health, Jigsaw works to ensure that no young person feels alone, isolated and disconnected from others around them. They provide vital supports to young people with their mental health by working closely with communities across Ireland through education, training, early intervention, adopting a holistic approach.
As part of their three-day visit to Ireland, The Duke and Duchess heard about Jigsaw’s initiative One Good Adult, which highlights the importance of one good mentor or role model in a young person’s life, and plans for improved youth mental health services. About the visit, Dr Joseph Duffy, Jigsaw’s CEO said,
“Today was all about shining on light for the need for an increased focus on youth mental health services and supports. It’s a reminder to us all that we can all be that One Good Adult in a young person’s life. Having exemplary role models such as Their Royal Highnesses, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge express this in such a genuine way is really encouraging for all of us at Jigsaw.”
During the visit, William and Catherine met with members of the Jigsaw team and board. A youth representative on the Jigsaw Board of Trustees, Alba Mullen, said, “I was so struck by the similarities in our community work in Jigsaw and that of Heads Together, the campaign The Duke and Duchesses spearhead in the UK. I really hope this is the start of an ongoing conversation. Supporting young people’s mental health in places where they learn, live, work and play is crucial. It’s all about a collective effort.“
The Duke and Duchess also met with young people who have used Jigsaw services, volunteers and supporters of Jigsaw. Ella Barton and Lauren Russell from Dublin, and Ricky Jinks from Galway shared their experience of the support they received from Jigsaw with the Royal Couple.
Before moving towards the second stop, the Duke and Duchess made a short stop at Dublin’s famous “Love Lane” in Temple Bar.
Love Temple Bar
The couple saw the project-in-work by Irish Artist Anna Doran to reanimate the laneways. The famous way features street art having a range of quotes written on tiles inspired by lyrics and poems.
Next, the Duke and Duchess travelled to the Irish County Kildare. The couple visited the respite centre, Savannah House, of Ireland’s leading social justice charity “Extern” in Clane to learn more about the charity’s work to empower young people and support them in developing important life skills. If you remember during their Northern Ireland visit in 2019, William and Catherine visited Extern’s NI branch Roscor Youth Village in Fermanagh.
Operating in 27 counties across Ireland, each year Extern supports over 20,000 people to change their lives, including young people and families facing challenges in their lives, people who are homeless, people living with mental health issues, people with an offending past, people living with problem drug and alcohol use and minority communities. Extern has over 90 projects, operating out of 40 locations across Ireland, delivering world-class social care interventions to transform the lives of 20,000 people each year.
At Savannah House The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined young people supported by @Extern1978 for a spot of cooking 👩🍳👨🍳 the charity provides a safe space to support vulnerable young people and families who are going through challenging times #RoyalVisitIreland pic.twitter.com/Y3pTErBY6U
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) March 4, 2020
During today’s visit, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spent time with 18 young people, hearing how they have benefitted from Extern’s life-changing supports and their time at Savannah House. Savannah House provides overnight and daytime services for vulnerable children and their parents allowing them a time out from the complexities of their daily lives. From Extern,
One of four family respite centres operated by Extern, Savannah House has welcomed over 2,500 children from across Ireland since opening its doors in 2011. It offers children who would not otherwise get the chance of a break, to avail of some time away, while others can come to stay when they are facing challenging situations at home, or in care, and while they are being supported on one of Extern’s programmes.
One of the key focuses for Extern with young people staying at Savannah House is the development of independent living skills, including how they can best manage their own health and wellbeing, how to budget, and learning about healthy eating. They are also taught basic cookery skills and how to cook a range of simple, but nourishing meals, which they can then recreate at home.
While staying at Savannah on overnight respite breaks, children are also encouraged to undertake a range of other fun and educational activities which help them build much-needed resilience and self-confidence around issues they may be facing in their lives.
During William and Catherine’s joint engagements we are always in for some real fun activities. Today was not a different day. The Cambridge couple joined young people for discussion that have the topic of – “budget for a meal and what ingredients to buy”.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge then joined some of the children on a trip to the local Londis shop in Clane village to buy their ingredients before joining the young people in Savannah Kitchen where they prepared vegetable soup and cookies. Speaking about the visit, Charlie Mack, CEO of Extern, said,
“It was a tremendous honour to welcome The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Extern today on their first official visit to Ireland. It was also a unique honour for Extern, as Their Royal Highnesses have now taken the time to visit our projects and meet some of the children we are supporting, in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
“The children we support are truly inspirational, and Extern is committed to providing them with the opportunity to discover strengths and abilities they never knew they had. It was wonderful to once again witness the enthusiasm and passion Their Royal Highnesses have for encouraging and empowering children. I know this day will live long in the memory of the young people and staff who were here at Savannah House today.”
During the market run, William and Catherine received a very warm Irish welcome. The royal couple was greeted by the locals with flowers and huge cheers. William also stood for a selfie – something Royals usually avoid.
Then it was cooking time. The Duchess of Cambridge helped in chopping carrots to make soup while Prince William tried his hand at mixing cookie dough for making cookies.
During the couple’s engagement interview in 2010, they talked about their cooking habits about how William would make a mess in Kitchen and Catherine had to step in to save the day. It looks like the second in line to the British Throne has finally got the handle of basic cooking skills.
The Duchess of Cambridge spoke about the importance of healthy food choices, adding that she was very impressed that they were cooking the soup from scratch.
The Duchess of Cambridge cutting carrots.
After showing off their cooking skills, William and Catherine enjoyed a game to table tennis before visiting the art room of the centre where various artwork and bunting made by the children were on display.
Before leaving Extern’s Savannah House, the young people presented The Duke and Duchess with a gift of the handmade bunting for their own children and a posy of flowers who spent almost 2 hours at the respite centre.
Now to What The Duchess Wore- When I saw the first picture of Catherine today, it straight took me down memory lane and back to the time period of 2007 to 2010. She was wearing her stylish Reiss Olivia Coat.
The pea-length coat has been part of The Duchess’s wardrobe since at least 2007. We first saw the coat during a visit to the club when Catherine and her younger sister Pippa joined Peter Philips’ Birthday celebration. Catherine was seen wearing the coat on her 26th birthday in 2008. The coat again made an appearance at William’s RAF passing out parade in 2008. Then at the Henry Van Straubenzee carol service in 2009 and then finally at the pre-wedding rehearsal just a night before William and Catherine’s wedding in April 2011.
The stunning off-white double-breasted piece features lapel collars with a slightly flared silhouette. The coat is such a classic piece and a perfect example of investing in timeless clothes that will last in our wardrobe for a long time.
Underneath the coat, Catherine wore Equipment Slim Signature Polka Dot Silk Shirt debuted in September 2019 for a visit to Sunshine House Children and Young People’s Health and Development Centre in London.
The Duchess of Cambridge paired the blouse with a new Zara Premium High Waist Revolve Back Jeans. Thanks to Kate’s Royal Closet for the id. The jeans are still available for $49.90.
Catherine was wearing a new pair of Russell & Bromley boots. Middleton Maven identified the pair as Date Night Heeled Ankle Boots from the British label. The £225 boots are described as, “Crafted from rich black suede, this sleek uninterrupted style fastens with inside zip and elegantly hugs the ankle. Set on a suede-covered block heel, this style can be dressed up or down with dresses or jeans alike” and are available in all sizes.
Duchess finished her look with a Daniella Draper Mini Cupid Hoops With Baby Shamrock Charms. Thanks to @_ladyvalerie_ for the id. The £120 earrings are described as, “These solid Sterling Silver Mini Cupid Hoop earrings with Baby Shamrock charms are a definite must-have. The Shamrock leaves stand for faith, hope and love, making this piece a perfect lucky addition to your collection. These charm hoops are the perfect finishing touch for any occasion.” The earrings are available in both silver and gold.
Next, the Royal couple travelled to County Meath to visit the Teagasc Animal and Grassland Research Centre at Grange.