Well, the Cambridges are back from Mustique, tanned, and ready to carry out an engagement for The King’s Cup Regatta in support of eight hand-selected charities. This event was originally scheduled for tomorrow, but due to the weather forecast they moved it up a day. Even better, they surprised onlookers by bringing along Prince George and Princess Charlotte for the fun.
Held off the Isle of Wight, this event was open to members of the public who wanted to watch the latest edition of William and Kate competing against one another (a time-honored tradition for the couple). I’ve long lost track of the final tally, but unfortunately neither came away today with first place. Instead, William took third and Kate, alas, came in last.
Unfortunately for her that meant she was bequeathed the wooden spoon, which William seemed to particularly enjoy.
Among the charities chosen to participate were The Royal Foundation’s Early Years Programme, Child Bereavement UK, Centrepoint, London’s Air Ambulance Charity, Tusk, Action on Addiction, Place2Be, and the Anna Freud Centre. So, a solid mix of William and Kate’s most prominent patronages.
Tusk turned out to be the winner.
While the couple each helmed a boat, George and Charlotte watched the spectacle with their maternal grandparents, Michael and Carole Middleton, which was another treat. It’s been a while since we’ve seen the Middletons join the Cambridges in any official capacity, and they were able to lend a helping hand to looking after the kids since we can assume Nanny Maria was tending to Prince Louis.
It looks the biggest updates in George and Charlotte’s lives are that George has lost his two front teeth and Charlotte has perfected the act of sticking out her tongue.
The latter, when prompted by Kate to wave to the crowds, instead opted to greet them in a more informal way and, hey, I respect it.
The only real fashion to be had came at the beginning when William and Kate arrived. HRH debuted a new top by Sandro, a label she only recently started wearing publicly, and a pair of nautical-inspired LK Bennett trousers.
Today was definitely not about the fashion, so I’m not going to dig into this too much save to say I think Kate might still be in holiday mode! Actually, this might have worked regardless save the trainers, but sometimes utility has to win out.
Sporty events always bring out the Cambridges’ fun side and are a generally good time. Today was no exception, and it was a nice, summery break in the middle of the Royal Family’s quiet spell. There’s no further engagements for Kate on the horizon, but it’s a relatively safe bet that the family will visit Balmoral later this month and we usually get a picture or two of the couple attending church with the Queen. Then, before we know it, it will be back to school and work come September, and the Cambridges have what stands to be a very interesting visit to Pakistan already on the books.