The Duchess of Cambridge marked the reopening of the Victoria and Albert Museum that is opening its door to the public after remaining closed for almost 6 months on coming Monday. The patron of the V&A Museum, The Duchess of Cambridge, viewed two new exhibitions, ‘the Raphael Cartoons and Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser’.
An Art &History graduate, The Duchess of Cambridge became the patron of the Victoria and Albert Museum in March 2018. During her time at the University of St. Andrews, Catherine did her dissertation on the author of Alice in Wonderland that was titled “’Angels from Heaven’: Lewis Carroll’s Photographic Interpretation of Childhood.”
At the museum, The Duchess of Cambridge first visited the Raphael Court, home to the Raphael Cartoons (1483 – 1520), which reopened on Wednesday following a nine-month refurbishment to mark the 500th anniversary of the artist’s death.
A set of seven full-scale designs for tapestry painted by Raphael, ‘the Cartoons’ were commissioned in 1515 by Pope Leo X for the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel and are considered to be one of the greatest treasures of the Renaissance. The Duchess heard about how the refreshed gallery and its new interpretive approach will transform the way visitors experience the Raphael Cartoons. The collection of cartoons at the Museum also include some pieces loaned by The Queen to the Museum.
The next stop was V&A’s new 2021 exhibition, Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser, which is opening on Saturday. It features more than 300 objects spanning film, performance, fashion, art, music and photography related to Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
The exhibition will let visitors delve into the origins, adaptations and reinventions of Alice in Wonderland over 158 years. For the first time, the cultural impact of the legendary book and its ongoing inspiration for leading creatives, from Salvador Dalí and Yayoi Kusama to The Beatles and Vivienne Westwood will be explored at one place.
Before leaving, The Duchess of Cambridge met with a group of museum staff members and heard how they coped with the pandemic and closure of the museum. From Hello!’s report,
Speaking after the visit, Kate Bailey, senior curator at the V&A, said the Duchess had seemed thrilled by her visit.
“She was so engaged and interested,” she said.
“She clearly has a great knowledge of art history and I think it’s just so appropriate that she was here, among the first members of the public to come in, as our royal patron.
“As we were leaving she said how important it was to be here in the now and reflected on how the exhibition was multi-sensory, which is probably what people need now after months of lockdown.”
During the conversation with the staff members, we found out that three visits in the past were cancelled due to the pandemic. From Daily Mail’s report,
She was first introduced to Tony Ryan, from the technical services team and was told he recently had the task of carefully moving Canova’s The Three Graces down to its new position in the museum’s sculpture gallery.
‘That’s some responsibility!’ joked the duchess.
Niede Gentelini, from visitor experiences, told her: ‘The museum is this beautiful because to the collections, it is the soul of the museum. We are very happy to welcome you. People have been craving art.’
Kate replied: ‘Yes I think people have been craving beauty and inspiration. It’s going to be a good time to visit museums and galleries as they are not full of tourists coming in,’ the duchess said.
She added: ‘I am very glad to be here today as we have had to cancel three previous visits because of COVID, so it’s nice to be here.’
For the day, The Duchess of Cambridge chose a gorgeous look. She was wearing an Alessandra Rich Pleated Houndstooth Silk Midi Dress. Thanks to Katie on Twitter for the id.
Catherine paired the dress with ASOS DESIGN 14k gold plated twist hoop earrings. Thanks to Christine Ross for the id. The $14.50 earrings are not available anymore.
The Duchess of Cambridge was wearing her Asprey London Woodland Charm Necklace
and Spells of Love Double Strand Beaded Satellite Chain Necklace
Another new element of today’s look was Jennifer Chamandi Lorenzo 105 Black Suede pumps with Gold Buckle. Thanks to Gabi for the id.
Catherine was carrying her Mulberry Bayswater Suede clutch.
And she was wearing Amaia Kids The Duchess black face mask.
With sun-shining and vaccination drive ramping up, we might be returning to our pre-COVID Royal Era. Kensington Palace today announced a week-long schedule for The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Prince William and Duchess Catherine will be visiting Scotland from May 21 to May 27. Read the full announcement and the visit itinerary here.
Her Royal Highness Princess Beatrice and Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are very pleased to announce that they are expecting a baby in autumn of this year.
The Queen has been informed and both families are delighted with the news.
📸 The couple on their wedding day in July 2020. pic.twitter.com/oCHZLBa8oT
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) May 19, 2021
In other happy news, Buckingham Palace announced that Princess Beatrice and her husband Mr Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are expecting their first baby together in Autumn 2021. The couple got married in July 2020 in a private ceremony.