Kate spent this afternoon at her patronage, the Natural History Museum, attending a tea party to bid farewell to one of the museum's oldest residents, Dippy the Diplodocus as he prepares to go on tour.
Kate was joined at the tea party by twenty children from Oakington Manor Primary School in London. The youngsters were brought to the Museum by Kate's patronage Place2Be, which is quite fitting as the Duchess will attend the Place2Be Awards at Mansion House later this evening.
A spokesperson for the Natural History Museum said: "The Duchess has been Patron of the Museum since April 2013. This is a reflection of her interest in and commitment to the Museum's role in helping people to both reconnect with the natural world and answer the big questions about how we can protect our planet's future. In the past few years she has met with Museum scientists to find out more about their work to understand and protect the diversity of life on Earth."
Kate and the children decorated 'dinosaur eggs'.
Chatter quickly turned to George and Charlotte. More from People's story:
'She had taken the short drive from Kensington Palace to the Natural History Museum, for the party where she joined the children for dino-inspired crafts and a mini fossil dig.
There, chatting with kids from Oakington Manor Primary School, in London, she asked them which was their favourite. Eduarda, 10, told reporters, "She said George likes the T Rex because he is the biggest and the loudest."
And Amani, 10, added, "She was asking us if we knew the story of Curious George [a monkey in a children’s book] and how he climbed up on the diplodocus. Everyone did. We asked her about her home lifestyle and her children. She said that Charlotte is very chatty and likes doing play dates with George. George is interested in dinosaurs and volcanoes.'
After forty years standing guard at the museum Dippy will be saying goodbye in January and going on a two year-long tour of the country. It will mark the first time the popular 21.3-metre-long Diplodocus skeleton cast has ever been on display outside the capital. The eight tour partners will use the opportunity to showcase local natural history alongside the impressive dinosaur, and to draw attention to UK's own rich biodiversity, past and present, as well as the future facing our wildlife.
The children helped the Duchess cut the 'Good Luck Dippy' cake.
As the Duchess cut the cake, Sir Michael Dixon, Director of the Natural History Museum, said:
'Since arriving in 1905, Dippy has been a must-see at the Museum and it is a pleasure to have the Duchess and our young special guests with us today to celebrate his time at the helm. This cake-cutting marks the start of his journey, which will take him around the UK from early 2018 to late 2020, inspiring five million natural history adventures.'
The Duchess debuted an elegant new dress by one of her favourite brands, L.K. Bennett, today. The £375 Cersei Dress is crafted from a luxe chiffon with textured velvet print, this style boasts a high neck and long sleeves for a sleek silhouette. The silk dress comes in an evergreen print. As of writing, the Cersei is available at John Lewis (where it is reduced to £300 at present) and L.K. Bennett.
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| L.K. Bennett |
A closer look at the very pretty print.
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| L.K. Bennett |
The L.K. Bennett Cersei also comes as a skirt. The silk blend skirt features intricately detailed fabric and a tiered asymmetric hem. It's currently reduced from £220 to £180 at House of Fraser.
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| House of Fraser |
Kate accessorised with her Kiki McDonough Lauren earrings.
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| Kiki McDonough |
Kate debuted a new pair of shoes today.
With many thanks to Claude and Anonymous who left comments to let us know Kate wore Hugo Boss in embossed leather with a kitten heel. The £315 pumps are described as "These Italian-made BOSS pumps impress with the clarity of their design. Exquisitely shimmering leather and innovative embossing define their elegant look, and the branded bar-shaped ornament at the heel provides a sophisticated accent. Beautiful women’s shoes that give feminine outfits a certain ‘je ne sais quoi'.
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| Hugo Boss |
You can view a brief video on Kensington Palace's Twitter Feed.
After learning about dinosaurs the Duchess cut a special #DippyOnTour cake with @NHM_London director Sir Michael Dixon. pic.twitter.com/aN9PwJcht1— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) November 22, 2016
For those asking, it seems the reason the event was unannounced was due to the fact the museum did not want to inconvenience patrons with the media and crowds that tend to surround a royal visit, nor did they wish to close early.
We'll see Kate later this evening for the Place2Be Awards.
