We’re finally here! The Cambridges’ tour of Poland and Germany has officially commenced with the family touching down in Warsaw earlier today. Two quick things before we get started: 1) I’m going to cover only the day events in this post and will follow up with the reception later this evening or tomorrow AM and 2) I have to flag that I made quite the faux-pas yesterday and misidentified the dress Kate wore to Wimbledon. Turns out it was Catherine Walker and that’s been corrected in the original post.
Moving on! William, Kate, George and Charlotte all descended on Eastern Europe today, starting off their Brexit “charm offensive,” as it’s being called in the media – which really sounds quite aggressive. The day began with their formal reception in Warsaw, offering an updated visual to the one we got last year when the family of four arrived in Canada.
It was interesting to see that Charlotte appeared completely unfazed by the crowds, while George appeared to need a little comforting/coaxing from William. I’ve seen some headlines about George being bashful or being the more reserved of the two, but I feel like that might be a little premature considering they’re both toddlers.
Well, that, and we are literally only seeing glimpses of the two here and there in what I think can safely be described as extraordinary circumstances. There are few pics of him seemingly stepping on William’s shoes at a certain point, prompting a brief “talking to” from dad.
Once again George was rocking navy shorts and knee socks, while Charlotte was wearing a red and white dress that may have matched Poland’s flag, but unfortunately hasn’t yet been identified.
There are some absolutely gorgeous pictures of Charlotte in her mother’s arms.
And some equally adorable shots of William interacting with George on the tarmac. My favorite George is “Unimpressed George.”
Fashion-wise, Kate was wearing a white wool and silk twill coat by Alexander McQueen. I have to say that I was surprised when I first saw it was a coat – I just assumed it was a heavy skirt suit. In actuality, it’s a peplum coat with a bit of a “wrap” to it.
While perhaps not the most daring choice in the world, I thought it was gorgeous and it fit her perfectly. There’s a reason she continues to go back to McQueen for these big moments. Huge win.
The coat complemented her haircut perfectly (or vice versa?) and I thought she also looked the most traditionally professional I’ve ever seen her.
She paired the ensemble with a pair of nude Gianvito Rossi heels – again, not the biggest splash in the world, but it worked for the occasion.
Kate accessorized with a new set of ruby jewelry, including earrings, a necklace and a ring. All of this, I assume, was more color coordination on Poland’s behalf.
The only slight edit I would have given the whole thing was styling her hair with a center instead of a middle part, but maybe that helped keep it out of her face when descending the plane.
At one point a Polish student told Kate she was beautiful and she responded, “It’s not true, it’s just the makeup.” So, let today go down in history as the day we learned Kate is a liar.
William wore a suit, I guess.
While the family will be staying at the Belvedere Palace while in town, William and Kate next headed to the Presidential Palace to meet President Andrzej Duda and his wife, First Lady Agata Kornhauser-Duda. Duda has been in office for just under two years, but he and his wife are no stranger to high-profile visits, particularly given that they just wrapped up one from the United States.
After a photo-op with the first couple in the Palace’s gardens, it was off to the Warsaw Rising Museum, which is dedicated to the 1944 Polish uprising to liberate Warsaw from German occupation during World War II.
William and Kate paid their respects and met with a number of veterans.
This particular engagement was on-brand for William who not only has a military background himself (obviously), but works with a number of organizations that support veterans, as does Prince Harry.
Next up was a trip the Heart business incubator where the Duke and Duchess met a group of young Polish entrepreneurs.
One thing I will always give William and Kate credit for, particularly William, is being game to try anything during their engagements. Today we saw them both don 3D headsets, trying out some of the technology firsthand.
And in-between all these trips, the couple had the chance to meet any number of Polish citizens who had lined up along the streets to greet them (or snap their photo from afar).
Even through just the images, it’s hard to not to get a sense of the excitement clearly in the Warsaw air today. As for press coverage of it, well, it’s now being driven by an offhand remark Kate made to William when she was presented with a newborn toy in which she said, “We will just have to have more babies.”
Naturally this has sparked some interest from those hoping for a third baby Cambridge, and who knows? It may very well happen. To be clear, though, the fuss was over this brief exchange:
Tonight William and Kate attended a reception in honor of the Queen’s birthday party hosted by the British Ambassador. I’ll cover that separately, from Kate’s new dress to William’s speech, so keep an eye out tomorrow morning!