The Telegraph reports "The visit is likely to be interpreted as another trip being made by a member of the Royal Family in their role as ''Brexit Ambassadors'', as they have been dubbed. Kate visited Paris in March with William in what was seen as the first in a series of European tours by the monarchy to strengthen ties with the continent." In July, the Cambridges will visit Poland and one of the leading EU nations, Germany.
More from The Telegraph:
'Luxembourg is only a small country, but over the decades has become a thriving financial centre after suffering the depression of its iron and steel industries.
The country's strategic place between France, Belgium and Germany, and proximity to the Netherlands, has meant it has been at the heart of territorial ambitions of a number of states for centuries.
In the mid-19th century things came to a head when a crisis developed over France's plans to buy the Grand Duchy from the Netherlands's William III, whose forebears had governed it. But when Prussia, whose garrison still occupied the fortress of Luxembourg, objected, the powers met in London. Once known as the Gibraltar of the North, its fortress was dismantled under the treaty signed on May 11 1867, the garrison withdrew and the Grand Duchy was declared perpetually neutral under the guarantee of the signatory powers.'
On arrival, Kate's first port of call was the Grand Duke Jean Museum of Modern Art (MUDAM). The Duchess was accompanied by Princess Stéphanie, Hereditary Grand Duchess of Luxembourg. Her husband Prince Guillaume, has been heir apparent to the Crown of Luxembourg since his father's accession in 2000.
Crowds outside the museum before the royal arrival.
Moien Lëtzebuerg! Crowds have gathered outside @Mudam to welcome The Duchess for the start of #RoyalVisitLux 🇱🇺 pic.twitter.com/ZaED0bUPMf— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) May 11, 2017
Kate was given beautiful flowers.
Very excited six-year old twins Gabriel and Charles were delighted to present The Duchess and Princess Stéphanie with a posy :)
Kate and Stéphanie were also joined by the Prime Minister Xavier Bettel.
The Duchess toured current exhibitions by British artists Sir Tony Cragg and Darren Almond.
Kate heard about iconic works of art during the tour.
Tony Cragg is an award winning British sculptor. His early work involved site-specific installations of found objects and discarded materials. From the mid-1970s through to the early 1980s he presented assemblages in primary structures as well as in colourful, representational reliefs on the floors and walls of gallery spaces. In 2001 he won the prestigious Turner Prize and was awarded a CBE for services to art in 2002. Speaking about his work, Cragg said "Sculpture is only a method of dealing with the big world. It’s only a method of looking for new forms and of formulating questions about the world we live in, about reality.’ ‘My experience in sculpture is that it is an incredibly dynamic and moving thing. There is something very immediate about reading material".
First proposed in 1989 and championed by then-Prime Minister Jacques Santer, the location of the future museum was much disputed, until it was agreed in 1997 to use Dräi Eechelen Park and connect the museum to Fort Thüngen. The building was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect I. M. Pei, and cost $100m to build. The museum was inaugurated on 1 July 2006 by Grand Duke Jean, to whom the building is dedicated, and opened to the public the following day. As Luxembourg had no grant, the museum budget did not allow acquiring a modernist collection, instead the museum focused on contemporary art - its permanent collection includes works by 100 artists, including: Andy Warhol, Bruce Nauman, Julian Schnabel, Thomas Struth, and Daniel Buren. In its first year being open to the public, the museum had more than 115,000 visitors, which is a record attendance in Luxembourg. The architecture of the building is a work of art in itself, take a look in the video below.
Kate and Stéphanie were clearly impressed with the PM's sense of humour!
Kate also attended a reception with leading young Luxembourgers in the fields of culture, education, business and the charitable sector.
Kate chatted with guests about art and exhibitions she saw.
An overview of the reception.
The Duchess and Princess Stéphanie chat outside the museum after their visit.
Year 1 students from St. George's school were delighted to meet Kate.
A video of Kate meeting the students.
In the centre of the capital, the Duchess visited Place Clairefontaine, and toured a cycling-themed festival, which celebrates the shared UK and Luxembourg passion for the sport. Kate was introduced to the Grand Duchy's most famous cycling icons.
Teo Schlek was feeling very shy when he met Kate :)
More from Richard Palmer's story:
'She was handed a posy by three-year-old Teo Schleck, the son of cyclist and former Tour de France winner Andy Schleck. Upon seeing the Duchess, who was wearing a pale blue Emilia Wickstead coat, Teo appeared a little overwhelmed, and, as the Duchess crouched down to speak to him, dived into this mother's arm for comfort. His mum Jil later said: "She asked if he was shy and said not to worry, it's totally normal at that age."
The Duchess was then introduced to Kim Kirchen, his wife Caroline and six-year-old twin sons Liam and Mike. Kirchen, a former professional road cyclist from Luxembourg, wore the yellow jersey for four stages of the 2008 Tour. After asking many questions about his career, the Duchess was presented with a jersey by the twin boys.
Mrs Kirchen said: "She said she has no excuse now not to get on a bike." Frank Schleck, also a professional cyclist and brother of Andy, said: "She asked me about the Tour de France and whether I liked it. "I said it was a love-hate relationship. "I have two daughters and she was asking if they would be cyclists too. "We talked about how they [children] really appreciate riding a bike. For kids, it's great because they can exercise and - as long as it's safe - go to school without their parents. She said their kids have bikes and that they're always excited about trying to ride."
Kate met children who are designing Tour de France jerseys, ahead of the tour coming to Luxembourg in July.
The Duchess unveiled a mural of British cyclist Tom Simpson and Luxembourgish cycling legend Charly Gaul.
Next, Kate called on Their Royal Highnesses The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg at the Grand Ducal Palace.
The Grand Ducal Palace is a magnificent piece of architecture. It has quite a history too, beginning as the city hall of Luxembourg in 1572. Located in Luxembourg City, the Grand Duke performs an array of official duties there.
Kate joined join the official commemoration of the 1867 Treaty of London, which confirmed Luxembourg’s independence and neutrality, at Luxembourg City Museum.
A new collection "The Luxembourg Story" about Luxembourg's history was unveiled.
The museum shared the following information on the exhibition "The new exhibition tells the eventful history of the city of Luxembourg, from its origins in the 10th century to the present day. By following the chronology of urban development, divided into four major periods and 17 topics, the exhibition focuses on the most important and characteristic aspects of each epoch. The exhibition provides local as well as foreign audiences with a concise introduction to the history of the city, with a corresponding selection of objects, films and sound documents, photographs and multimedia applications."
There's been an active campaign promoting the exhibition around Luxembourg.
Kate, with other guests, enjoyed a short walk outside the museum to take in the stunning views of the capital on the corniche (viewing trail).
What a view! It's no surprise it's known as "Europe's most beautiful balcony".
Kate and Prince Guillaume were all smiles outside the museum.
Finally, The Duchess continued to Dräi Eechelen Museum for the main commemoration event.
Kate was given a guided tour of 'Luxembourg 1867 – Open City', the new exhibition, which explains how the dismantling of Luxembourg’s fortifications laid the foundation for the transformation of Luxembourg into an open and outward-looking city and country.
Kate viewed original copies of the Treaty and a model of Luxembourg City before the fortress’ demolition.
The museum is housed in Fort Thüngen, most of which was demolished after the 1867 Treaty apart from its foundations and three towers. Dräi Eechelen means “The Three Acorns” and refers to the acorn-shaped sculptures on each tower.
The Duchess selected a bespoke pale blue Emilia Wickstead coatdress for the day. It's a 'classic Kate' look, HRH has long favoured bespoke coatdresses for significant events, they have become something of a 'go to' option over the years. The piece bears notable similarities to other Wickstead designs such as the green coatdress Kate wore on St. Patrick's Day in 2012. Blue is one of Kate's favourite colours when it comes to her sartorial choices - it's also one of the colours of the Luxembourg flag.
Another look at the full-skirted garment.
HeavenLM via Twitter notes similarities between Kate's garment and the designers Foster Tuxedo Jacket. Made in Portugal and crafted in wool, it features a notch collar and full length sleeves.
Kate also chose blue for her first solo overseas trip to the Netherlands. The skirt suit was created by Catherine Walker.
It looks like Kate wore her L.K. Bennett Fern pumps.
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| L.K. Bennett |
Kate carried her clutch by Etui Bags.
Kate wore her Mappin & Webb Empress pendant.
And the Duchess debuted a dazzling new pair of earrings.
They are the Kiki McDonough Blue Topaz and Diamond Drop Earrings in White Gold (with thanks to Bertie and Royal Romance). The £3,500 pair are described as "A wonderful pair of blue topaz oval and cushion cut stones surrounded by diamonds set in 18ct white gold to form the most stunning drop earrings.". Emily Andrews suggests they may have been an anniversary present.
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| Kiki McDonough |
It was a very interesting visit encompassing several engagements which flowed along very nicely and interconnected to celebrate cultural ties and Luxembourg's fascinating history. The schedule was well handled and quite a bit of ground was covered in just four hours. It was lovely to see Kate accompanied by Princess Stéphanie and later Prince Guillaume for the majority of the day. It's always a treat to see royal families together and welcoming each other to their countries. I suspect there's a clear strategy going on with Kate's solo trips, and today felt like a 'step up' in terms of gravitas compared to last year's visit to the Netherlands. The Duchess spent a large portion of the day with the Prime Minister and delegates from other countries marking the anniversary of the Treaty of London. I would love to see Kate's next solo trip see her spend a couple of days in another country, but the "Brexit Tour" is clearly a focal point for the firm this year. It's worth noting the Queen's private secretary Christopher Geidt and longtime adviser David Manning were with the Duchess. Kate was accompanied by Rebecca Deacon today. For those asking, Rebecca is not leaving until the end of the summer. You can watch a video from the day here.
We'll see you Saturday for 'Party at the Palace'.
