The Duke and Duchess of Sussex carried out their first joint engagements of the year with a visit to Birkenhead in Cheshire. The two made a series of appearances throughout the day, only some of which were announced ahead of time by Kensington Palace.
The big takeaway is that Meghan told members of the public during a walkabout that she is due in late April, while I think the growing consensus from the rest of us was that she was due much earlier. Between Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and now Royal Baby Sussex, spring does appear to be the popular season to make one’s debut.
Meanwhile, bookmakers and some of you via a v. unscientific poll I put on on Instagram are very confident that the baby will be a girl.
As for today, the couple stopped by Hamilton Square to see a new bronze statue erected in honor of the 100th anniversary of Wilfred Owen’s death. For the uninitiated, Owen was a writer famous for his poetry on World War I, while the statue itself is named ‘Futility’ after one of his poems and depicts an exhausted soldier.
At the square, Harry and Meghan met with World War I vets and members of the Birkenhead Institute Old Boys, of which Owen was a member.
After a walkabout, the two made their way to Number 7, a Feeding Birkenhead citizens’ supermarket and cafe – an offshoot of Feeding Britain. There they met with members of the public and staff to learn more about the organization’s services.
Then it was off to Tomorrow’s Women, which was established in 2011 to help women recently released from prison. It has since expanded its role to help other women in vulnerable situations get back on their feet through workshops and training programs.
Finally, they met with a youth group, the Wirral Youth Zone, at which they were treated to a performance by a young dance troupe:
A fantastic performance from the Junior Dance Troupe @TheHiveYZ! #RoyalVisitBirkenhead pic.twitter.com/vts6gKbzqe
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) January 14, 2019
As though addressing the critics tired of all navy and black ensembles, Meghan chose bold colors today. Her bright red coat is by Canadian brand Sentaler, while her matching red shoes are Stuart Weitzman. Underneath she wore a purple dress by Aritzia Babaton, while her handbag is Gabriela Hearst. It was a fun pop in the midst of a dreary January, so I’m all for it.
We’ll next see the couple on Wednesday when they attend an evening event on behalf of Harry’s charity Sentebale, while earlier in the afternoon we’ll see Meghan carry out an engagement for Mayhew, one of her new patronages.
I love the red and purple combination. It looks wonderful on her. I like that she is shown first with her coat closed.
Agreed!