Ahead of her 11th Wedding Anniversary this Friday, The Duchess of Cambridge made another first of her Royal life. The Duchess of Cambridge undertook a joint engagement with Princess Royal, Anne. They have been present jointly at many family events with other family members but this was the first time when we saw both Ladies together for an official engagement.
Princess Royal, Patron of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), and The Duchess of Cambridge, Patron of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), visited the RCM and RCOG’s headquarters in London to officially open their new headquarters and to learn more about their joint initiatives. The visit highlighted both organizations’ work to support and improve safety in UK maternity services. They were received by RCM’s Chief Executive Gill Walton and RCOG President Dr. Edward Morris.
Both the RCM and RCOG have waited over two years to officially open their new headquarters due to the pandemic. Becoming residents of the same building further cements the RCM and RCOG’s commitment to multi-disciplinary working and their shared vision to support and drive improvements in the safety and quality of UK maternity services.
The Duchess of Cambridge became the patron of RCOG in February 2018 and is the second Royal Patron after Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. RCOG was founded in 1929 and works in the UK and globally to set standards for clinical practice, provide doctors with training, and advocate women’s healthcare.
The Duchess’s first collaboration with RCOG was in 2017 when she delivered a key speech on motherhood at RCOG. Read more about The Duchess and RCOG here.
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) – established in 1881 as the Matron’s Aid or Trained Midwives Registration Society, is the only trade union and professional association dedicated to serving midwifery and the whole midwifery team. The RCM represents the interests of midwives in all four UK countries individually and collectively. Princess Anne has been the patron of RCM for more than 2 decades now.
An interesting fact shared by Gloucestershire Live is, “What many people do not know is that Princess Anne broke a royal tradition which paved the way for Kate Middleton and other royals to have modern maternity care. Until 1977 when Anne gave birth to her son Peter at the Lindo wing of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, it was tradition for royal babies to be delivered quietly behind closed doors at Buckingham Palace. Anne broke the mold when she had her babies in the hospital and also started another royal tradition at the same time. In May 1981 she became the first royal to be photographed on the steps of the now-famous St Mary’s hospital with newborn baby daughter Zara. Decades later Kate, 40, also had her three babies at the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s and stood on those same steps to show them off to the world.”
The new headquarter is home to a collection of women’s healthcare organizations that are dedicated to improving and advocating for women’s healthcare, the hub has been designed by the RCOG to foster collaboration across the sector providing a space for events such as this roundtable, where experts and new mothers discussed the measures being taken to tackle inequalities in maternity care.
During their first joint official visit together, The Princess, Patron of the RCM, and The Duchess, Patron of the RCOG, joined a roundtable discussion on how to ensure the best possible maternity care for all women and heard more about the ways that the two organizations are working together to improve maternal health care, before jointly opening the new building. They heard about the RCOG and RCM’s global work in Bangladesh and their response to the Ukrainian crisis.
The staff informed the Royal ladies about the Avoiding Brain Injury in Childbirth (ABC) – a collaboration between the two organizations, which is bringing together maternity staff, parents, and birth partners to contribute to their research to improve fetal wellbeing during labor. The Royal College of Midwives and The Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists are working together to improve women’s healthcare.
They also observed a demonstration of the newly developed Tommy’s App, a medical app that can be used by maternity staff to improve upon the current checklist method for antenatal risk assessment. A midwife demonstrated how this will work practically at antenatal appointments.
Before leaving, The Princess and The Duchess met some of the winners of RCM awards for excellence in maternity care from Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales.
Now moving towards, The Duchess of Cambridge style. The Duchess of Cambridge wearing a Self-Portrait Tailored Crepe Lace Detail Midi Dress. Thanks to Gabi for the id.
The £420 dress is described as, “This cream midi dress is cut from heavy crepe. It is designed with a slim-fitting silhouette and internal shoulder pads for a subtle structured form. The bodice is detailed with lace motifs and flap pockets. The waist is accentuated with a detachable self-fabric belt balanced with a flared hem skirt. This style is lined.”
A closer look at the detailing.
The dress is similar to Catherine’s white Self-Portrait Cream Tailored Boucle And Chiffon Midi Dress that she wore in September 2021 at the reception she hosted for Hold Still team.
The Duchess teamed up the look with her Annoushka Baroque Pearl Drops and gold hoops
And her Monica Vinader Vintage Chain Pearl Necklace.
The Duchess was carrying Emmy London Natasha Clutch in Biscuit tone
Catherine wore Gianvito Rossi Gianvito 105 Bisque Pumps that she first wore during Jamaica’s departure in March this year.
On Friday, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be marking their 11th wedding anniversary.
On Monday, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge will be celebrating her 07th birthday. We can expect a new picture of The Princess on Sunday evening.
