Three of the Royal Family’s leading ladies paid a visit to one of London’s most luxurious department stores today.
The Queen, who fittingly wore the shop’s colours, the Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cornwall went to Fortnum & Mason, where they were given a tour of its famous food hall.
Sporting two daffodils on her lapel in honour of St Davids day, Kate wore a blue coat by Italian label Missoni and shoes by Rupert Sanderson.
Kate is said to have snapped up the autumn/Winter 2010 coat on a shopping trip to Bicester Village a few months ago, the foreign correspondent for People magazine revealed on Twitter.
The Duchess of Cornwall opted for navy blue and white stripes but the Queen was the only one to wear a hat and gloves.
The royal guests met military personnel involved in the Gifts For Troops scheme, which sends packages to soldiers serving in Afghanistan, and saw a display of tea and biscuits similar to those which will be sent to troops deployed overseas on operations during the Diamond Jubilee weekend.
The Queen also greeted recipients of grants from the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (Qest) – the charitable arm of the Royal Warrant Holders Association.
Qest makes awards ranging up to £15,000 to craftsmen and women of all ages to help them further their careers.
It was established in 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Association and the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and since 1991 has awarded £1.5 million to 242 craftspeople aged between 17 and 50-plus for study, training and work experience.
Royal bride visits unsung wedding dressmakers
They toiled in utmost secrecy to create one of the most talked about dresses of all time, changing needles every three hours to ensure it stayed pristine. And now the women of the Royal School of Needlework have been rewarded by the wearer of the magnificent ivory silk tulle and satin gown.
The Duchess of Cambridge dropped in to give them her thanks.
A friend told the Daily Telegraph. “Catherine was keen to express her gratitude in person to the women who worked so hard on her dress. She was very conscious of the pressure that they were under.”
During her visit the royal met around 30 of the staff members. The work was shrouded in such secrecy the embroiders, who included one as young as 19, did not know the identity of the designer, Sarah Burton, creative director at Alexander McQueen until it was announced.
Every 30 minutes the women had to wash their hands to make sure the fabric remained unsoiled.
Hand stitching the gown using the Carrickmacross lace-making technique, they created a design which incorporated the rose, thistle, daffodil and shamrock.
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