The Duchess of Cambridge inherited the patronage of Family Action from her grandmother-in-law, the Queen, it was announced earlier today. Queen Elizabeth served as patron for 65 years, but transitioned the organization to Kate as part of her ongoing efforts to divvy up portions of her work commitments to the younger generations. Given the charity’s focus on children, it’s a perfect fit for Kate given the rest of her portfolio.
…So much so that when I first saw the news, I thought to myself, “Wait, isn’t she already?”
Anyway, when Kate took over the Royal Photographic Society from the Queen in June, the news coincided with the Duchess’s first public engagement with the organization. And, in keeping with Kensington Palace’s recent trend of not publicly announcing Kate’s engagements ahead of time, today was yet another surprise. I’m still not sure what to make of this move – it’s possible it’s a security thing, but enough joint engagements are announced beforehand that I’m sure I’m convinced of that.
This transition also appears to have been in the works for the months, which isn’t surprising. As we well know, a lot of coordination goes on behind the scenes, and it’s likely that Kate has spent months getting to know the organization, learning about their initiatives, and establishing how she can be most useful. She carried out an engagement with them in January that likely kick-started her involvement.
Today’s visit was appropriately Christmas-themed. Kate joined children supported by the charity at a Christmas tree farm in Buckinghamshire where she helped make decorations, make eco-friendly “reindeer food,” and, of course, inspect Christmas trees. The day was topped off with the posting of letters to Father Christmas (Santa) and hot chocolate.
Given the outdoorsy and hands-on nature of the engagement, Kate was in full casual mode. She repeated her red Perfect Moment jacket (first seen in 2017) with a new green sweater, skinny jeans (likely J Brand), and Berghaus hiking boots. While jeans were very much a part of Kate’s “casual uniform” for years, it’s actually been a while since we’ve seen her so dressed down, so I found today’s look refreshing. I’ll call it a win, especially since she went full-on festive with the red and green combo.
Barring another surprise appearance, we’ll next see Kate when she attends the Diplomatic Reception on Wednesday, Dec. 11. Generally, she carries out engagements through the second week of December before breaking for the holidays, so it’s likely we’ll get at least one or two more events before the Queen’s luncheon and the Sandringham walkabout.
That lady never takes a bad picture. I’ve never seen anyone so at ease in all situations. I’m such a fan!