Duke of Cambridge

We all are going through a really challenging time. Work is slow, outing is limited (I believe it must cease completely), Movie releases are postponed, Our favourite tv show is not shooting anymore. Overall, it’s a bit depressing and gloomy. Here Comes British Mother’s Day and we got a lovely surprise from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Kensington Palace today released 4 beautiful pictures paying tribute to the Mothers. In the message written from iPhone, William and Catherine said, “To mothers new and old and families spending today together and apart – we are thinking of you all at this difficult time. Happy Mother’s Day”. The first picture is of William and Catherine giving a ride to George and Charlotte respectively. If you look closely it looks like they were doing some sort of piggybacking race. Overall, the pic showed the family having fun outdoors.

The picture looks like an old one as Catherine is in the same outfit that we saw in the 2018 Christmas pic. She is wearing her Fjallraven Ovik Re-wool Sweater. Also, the picture was taken by Matt Porteous who also clicked the same Christmas picture.

The second picture is remembring William and Harry’s mother Diana, Princess of Wales. The picture was taken by Jayne Fincher. In the picture, Diana is sitting with little Prince Harry while William is hugging his Mummy from the behind. What a beautiful picture.

Next Picture is a little surprise. Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released a picture of Catherine’s mother Carole Middleton who is holding little Catherine in her arms.

My my, if you look closely at this picture and pictures from Catherine’s recent visit to London Ambulance Centre, you will see the similarities between mother and daughter.

Last picture is bit extra special. We always knew Cambridge kids are amazing kids. But they are very talented too. Prince George made a beautiful card for his Mummy and gifted it to his Mummy on Mother’s Day. The colourfully crafted collage is made of card, paint and tissue paper and depicts a yellow vase with three red flowers. Duke and Duchess of Cambridge chose to share the intimate family details with all of us. I am so happy to see it. Duchess who is an avid art lover and graduated from St. Andrews in History of Arts, has been an advocate of the benefits of encouraging children to be creative. Once she said,

“I have always believed in the power of art, not only to unlock that creativity but also to bring us joy and to inspire, challenge and positively change our lives.”

The Royal Family’s Twitter account also shared a lovely picture of Queen Elizabeth II with her mother Queen Elizabeth I in which they are arriving at Westminster Abbey to attend a wedding on a windy day and they both are candidly holding their hats with one hand. The message says, “#MotheringSunday is a chance to thank and celebrate all mothers and caregivers, wherever they may be. So to all Mums everywhere, we are thinking of you, and wish you a very special Mother’s Day. #mothersday2020“.

Prince Charles, who is currently in Scotland with Duchess of Cornwall, also shared a lovely moment from his childhood to mark the day. The picture is from 1950 in which young Charles is playing with his mother the then Princess Elizabeth at their residence Clarence House. The message says, “Wishing everyone a Happy #MotheringSunday, particularly in a year when families may not be able to be together.“

Due to the worldwide outbreak of Coronavirus, all the future royal engagements, gatherings, State events, Garden parties and Princess Beatrice’s wedding reception has been cancelled. Daily Mail reported that The Queen is preparing to make a televised address to calm the nation’s nerves during the ‘difficult times ahead’. Last week Queen shared a message with the nation. Currently, Queen and Duke of Edinburgh are at Windsor Castle.

This is a tough time for all of us. I urge all of you to follow Government and Medical Instructions, practice social distancing. We all have to come together as a community to overtake COVD-19. Hopefully, we will see each other on the other end of this pandemic soon.

Talking about why do I Like or Love Catherine so much is easy.

In so many ways I can relate to The Duchess of Cambridge. No, I am not a Duchess neither do I live in a Palace nor I have a lot of wealth, but Catherine’s so much more than that.

For many years, I was a fan from afar. I was consistently following William and Catherine, what they did or say but I wasn’t immersed in this Royal watching world like today. I just admired The Duchess of Cambridge and was in love with her love story. I was in love with her life story. I’m sure if I ask a few fans what they love about Catherine, they will say,

I love how down to earth she is, I love her smile, her laugh, her personality, I love how shy she is, I love that she is the Queen of Walkabouts, I love how emphatic she is with kids, I love how committed she is to her causes, I love that she’s a good mom, I love how private she is. I’m sure many others would agree with all this so I will add that I love her hair. And the list does not end here.

Catherine has always been shy. In 2010, after seeing her for nearly a decade with William, we finally heard her voice – in their engagement interview. I think a lot of people can agree that it was one of the things they love about her – as a Royal Girlfriend she never talked. She never said anything, bad or good. And boy, she really had reasons to say something but never did.

Catherine is a Woman, a Mom, a Wife and a Duchess. In that order, and I admire her for that. The Duchess of Cambridge has her priorities sorted and if you have been paying attention, I am sure you must have noticed that she has been faithful to that order. So, I would like to talk about exactly why I admire and love The Duchess of Cambridge:

As a woman: The Duchess is so composed. So unbothered. So sure, of herself. Yes, she’s shy but that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t know her value or who she is. In one word- The Duchess of Cambridge is Strong.

I still remember the day, during their Diamond Jubilee Tour of South Asia in 2012, when the photos of Catherine sunbathing emerged in a French magazine. Her privacy was violated, her body was objectified, The Duke and Duchess were in the middle of an important visit, William looked furious but do you remember Catherine’s face?

The Duchess of Cambridge was calm, she was smiling, she looked gorgeous. Yes, she was definitely furious but she knew they were there to do a job, and they had to do it the Royal Way. I think that day Catherine showed the world the type of woman she is – One that no matter what will not break, at least not in front of everyone. A confident and strong woman even when her world seemed to be falling apart.

As a Mom: This is probably Catherine’s favourite role. She loves kids. We can all agree on that. The Duchess of Cambridge has this gift of just getting along with them. To break their shyness, to make them smile but especially to make them feel important. She knows about children boundaries, she understands they have choices and respect those choices.

Catherine never assumes a kid want to shake her hand or give her a hug, she always asks them if they want to do any of those things. And I love that about her. She’s definitely a great mom.

We don’t see the Cambridge kids that much (unfortunately) but the few times we have seen her with them we can see how present she is in their life, how dedicated to them she is. Kids are little sponges, they learn by watching their parents act, talk. And Catherine and William are the true role models that are raising three amazing kids.

As a wife: Who doesn’t love this Royal Couple? I’m always inventing stories with their photos. They are the human version of the heart eyes emoji. You can literally see their love. The way they act, they are so in tune with each another, it’s impressive! I guess 15+ years with the same person will result in that.

But I love how supportive she is of William. In the unique role they are, The Duchess of Cambridge understands that he’s the blood royal, so sometimes he will lead and she will follow happily. It’s not demeaning because you will never see them like that, they are equals so sometimes William will lead and sometimes Catherine will. They trust and respect each other as a life partner and that shows in their chemistry.

I love how genuinely proud Duchess looks when William is saying something or doing something. Catherine is definitely William’s ground pole. She represents his centre of gravity. Catherine is definitely William’s calm, of that, I’m sure. And you can just see how crazy he is about her too.

I personally love that they are very professional, that they don’t hold hands all the time because the few times they do, it’s like Christmas for us! We all go a little crazy when they show some PDA, I think that makes it special for us.

As a Duchess: She’s just great, isn’t she? The Duchess knows what she is doing. She genuinely seems to love what she does and she definitely does what she loves. Her Yearly Years Intervention Project is proof of that love.

We can see that love when she’s talking with someone in any of her engagements, she looks interested in what the person is saying, she immersed in her causes, she listens to experts, she educates herself every single time she dedicates her time to something. And I’m not saying this as a fan and just repeating what a lot of experts and people who have talked with The Duchess of Cambridge say: she knows her stuff. I’m sure The Queen, Prince Charles and William are proud of her. The Duchess is an asset.

The year 2018 was a transformative year, I did notice after Prince Louis’s birthday a mature Duchess. A more mature Catherine. She looks and acts more confident than ever. There is this positive aura around her that radiates happiness and confidence.

I think Catherine reached that point where everything in her life is exactly where she wants it to be. She’s a beautiful woman with beautiful and healthy kids, with a husband who love and support her, a family that loves her and she’s doing a job that she loves. She’s helping those she can, she’s concentrating on the little ones and I love that.

One thing I noticed about Catherine and even William’s work is that they prefer quality over quantity, their work is more about delayed gratification or about seeing the results in the future rather than now. Everlasting results rather than instant ones.

I remember something she said in their engagement interview:

“I really hope I can make a difference, even in the smallest way. I am looking forward to helping as much as I can.”

And I truly think that for the past almost 9 years, as a member of the British royal family she has been doing exactly that. She doesn’t want to change the world, she wants to help people’s lives so they can change the world together.

In very refreshing news among this challenging period that saw many of the Royal engagements cancelled or postponed, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited the London Ambulance Centre in Croydon to meet the staff who have been taking NHS 111 calls from the public and thanked them for the vital work they are doing.

We were delighted to welcome the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge @KensingtonRoyal to our 111 control room in Croydon this week.https://t.co/Xx5nHPZZio pic.twitter.com/lQYmtp38HL

— London Ambulance Service (@Ldn_Ambulance) March 20, 2020

It was an embargoed engagement. The couple visited yesterday, but Palace released the information today. Due to the worldwide outbreak of COVID-19, many Royal Engagements have been cancelled or postponed. The visit came amid the pressured period of our life when a morale boost was really necessary.  It is the situation like this when we see the real magic of the Royal Family when Royals can come out and lead the nation by example.

Following government social distancing guidelines, William and Catherine are staying inside their London Residence Kensington Palace with their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. George and Charlotte are on school break after Government closed down the schools and other institutions to stop the spread of Coronavirus.

Another point to notice is the lack of Royal Reporters. The couple was accompanied by the Kensington Palace photographer Adam Vallance who took the beautiful pictures of the visit.

The London Ambulance Service takes NHS 111 calls through its centres in Croydon and Barking, which have currently been receiving at least five times the usual rate of calls. The London Ambulance Service also operates two 999 control rooms which have been receiving nearly 8,000 calls a day that had quadrupled since the crisis began.

During the visit, William and Catherine spoke to staff members and the Chief Executive of the London Ambulance Service, Garrett Emmerson, about how they are dealing with the increase in demand on the NHS 111 service. The couple took the precautions and did not shake hand with any of the staff members.

From Daily Mail’s report,

William asked: ‘I imagine that you are concerned that a lot of [the public] don’t have internet access, therefore [having] 111 to call is really important.’

Dr Nortley-Meshe replied: ‘Online can only take you so far. If you need a clinician, you need a clinician.’

Kate asked how many of the calls reflected people’s mental health issues. Mr Emmerson said: ‘Quite a large volume. People with mental health issues are more concerned about coronavirus and how to manage that’. The duke also repeatedly asked whether members of the public could help by volunteering.

Mr Emmerson replied: ‘We are actively looking at that. We have a lot of former employees, retired employees, people who used to work in our service but are now in other fields, for instance the airline industry.

‘As staff are laid off, they are saying, “Can we bring our skills back?” It extends beyond call handling and front line clinicians into support functions like vehicle maintenance. How to put more vehicles out there than we have probably ever done before. We are talking to other organisations about how they might be able to help us.’

‘How quickly can you train up people to become call centre volunteers?’ William asked.

Mr Emmerson replied: ‘In terms of call handling, pretty quickly.’

The Duke and Duchess also met with teams who are advising the public on their health options at this time, instead of heading to a hospital or doctor’s surgery, and potentially putting others at risk. A very interesting meeting happened during the visit. From Daily Mail,

Prince William bumped into a former Buckingham Palace telephonist who movingly told him how his late mother used to sneak in and sit with them to answer calls. He spoke to 111 call handler Paula White, who told him about Princess Diana’s hi-jinks and how she even brought William in to see them when he was a baby.

He joked, ‘Was I behaving myself? A rowdy little child? Was I well behaved?’ I said, ‘I can’t say sir – the press is here!’

‘Explaining how Diana used to sneak into the switchboard room after she was engaged she said, ‘I worked there when his mum was getting married. ‘She used to be taking calls with us. I saw the ring!’  He was just a little baby when she brought him down.’

Having a visit from the couple was a big boost for staff morale, Paula said. ‘It’s lovely. It’s like a pat on the back. It just raises morale.’

From Mirror’s report,

Attempting to lighten an understandably tense atmosphere, William said: “I think we are all going to have a lot of TV to watch in the next few weeks.”

He said, “It’s at times like this when we realise just how much the NHS represents the very best of our country and society – people from all backgrounds and walks of life with different experiences and skills, pulling together for the common good.

Not only are NHS staff and emergency workers responding to the needs of the public, they – like the rest of us – are concerned about their families, friends and loved ones. They need our support as much as we need theirs.”

As the Covid-19 is projected to get worse, William suggested future royal visits might have to be via video link – a point confirmed today by Kensington Palace who insisted the couple will change their diaries to find ways to help out.

They also heard about when members of the British public can help alleviate pressure on the system by using advice available online at nhs.uk/coronavirus before contacting 111. Continuing from Mirror,

Speaking to a group of handlers, Kate wearing a pink trouser suit, said: “It’s amazing. You’re doing such a great job bringing everyone together and providing that, the support system for the whole public.”

While the couple sanitised their hands twice during the visit, one member of staff forgot the new rules when she asked William and Kate for a photograph and without thinking reached out to shake their hands.

“Don’t shake hands!” William remonstrated with a laugh as he brought down his other hand to cut her off. But he swiftly added as they posed for a picture: “We can do a photograph if we are not within a metre of each other.”

About the Royal visit, Mr Garrett Emmerson told that William had suggested that royal visits might change as the virus progresses through the population. From Daily Mail, “We are all learning new ways of behaving socially as a result of this, and indeed new ways of working,’ he explained. ‘We were talking with the duke about potential future visits if we are in further stages of social distancing – we may be doing remote conferencing for events like this. That’s certainly a possibility in the coming weeks and months.’

In a Statement about the visit, Prince William said,

“The last few weeks, and more recent days have been understandably concerning with the continuing spread of coronavirus. But it’s at times like this when we realise just how much the NHS represents the very best of our country and society – people from all backgrounds and walks of life with different experiences and skills, pulling together for the common good.

Not only are NHS staff and emergency workers responding to the needs of the public, they – like the rest of us – are concerned about their families, friends and loved ones. They need our support as much as we need theirs.

That is why Catherine and I were proud to visit staff working at NHS 111, to pass on our personal thanks, along with those of my grandmother and father, to staff working around the clock to provide care and advice to those that need it most. It was also brilliant to see the great online tools for those with mild symptoms or worries.

All of us have a part to play if we’re going to protect the most vulnerable. That means acting on the latest expert advice, staying home if we or those we live with have symptoms, and avoiding non-essential contact to help reduce the spread of the virus.”

A video of the visit.

For the visit, Duchess of Cambridge was looking very pretty and professional in Marks & Spencer Dark Rose suit. Thanks to Middleton Maven for the quick id.

Catherine wore M&S Wool Blend Double Breasted Blazer. The £99 blazer is described as, “The sharp cut and double-breasted shape of this Autograph blazer are perfect for days when you want to make an impact. Tailored fit with added stretch for a figure-defining silhouette. Italian wool-blend fabric creates a luxuriously smooth drape. Contrast button fastening. Coordinating lining with chain loop for hanging.”

It is currently available on M&S official store in all sizes.

Duchess paired the blazer with matching M&S Wool Blend Slim Leg Cropped Trousers. The £59 trousers are described as,” Show up to any event looking polished in these smart trousers. Slim fit design with zipping, hook and bar fastening. Front pintucks and two functional side pockets. ” It is also available in all sizes.

A Small Tidbit-> @prince_scarf on Twitter noted that the colour of Catherine’s outfit matches with the uniform of NHS Staff. Such a lovely gesture. Duchess has always used her wardrobe as small sartorial nodes to pay respect. The people working in the healthcare sector definitely deserve every bit of our respect.

Underneath the blazer, Catherine wore a white round neck top that she also wore during Cyprus visit in 2018.

Duchess teamed up the look with Hugo Boss Staple P90-L Pumps. The pumps are an old model debuted during a visit to the Natural History Museum in London in November 2016.

Catherine was wearing a new pair of earrings today. She wore Missoma Gold Small Molten Hoops. Thanks to @replicateroyals for the id. The $84 Gold Small Molten Hoops from Magma Collection have an open shape and fasten with butterfly backs. The Magma collection is inspired by the gently oscillating swell of free-flowing lava.

 The visit was a lovely surprise and I look forward to seeing how the Royals are adapting the changing environment while following the precaution and Government advisory. Stay safe everyone.