Photo courtesy of @KensingtonRoyal
In which Kate skis, gets dressed up, and hangs with some Norwegians.
Day 3
Itinerary: Arrive in Oslo and meet with Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit; meet with King Harald and Queen Sonja at the Royal Palace; visit the Princess Ingrid Alexandra Sculpture Park and the historic Arkershus Fortress; visit MESH co-working space for entrepreneurs; attend official dinner at Royal Palace.
Will and Kate arrived in a frigid looking Norway to warm greetings from Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit on the tarmac. I love Prince Haakon’s “let’s get these warm blooded Brits inside” pose. Kate is wearing a new blue Catherine Walker coat which is lovely, but she clearly underestimated the depths of Norwegian temperatures since she changed into boots and her trusty fur turban for their next outing:
First though, they had lunch with the Norwegian Royal Family, who all looked rather spiffy. Kate’s dress here is from her maternity go-to Seraphine and it’s adorable. From left to right we have Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Crown Prince Haakon, Kate, Will, King Harald, and Queen Sonja.
Harald, the reigning monarch, has spent a relatively short time on the throne compared to many of his European counterparts, having ascended in 1991. Queen Sonja was a commoner when they met and Harald only convinced his father to of approve the marriage after threatening that is he wasn’t allowed to marry Sonja, he wouldn’t marry at all, a move that would have effectively ended the monarchy. Following in his footsteps, his heir apparent Prince Haakon also married a somewhat controversial commoner. When they met, Mette-Marit was a single mother who was apparently partial to Oslo’s drug filled rave scene, which gets a shrug from me, but was not received well by the public. They’re an interesting and dramatic bunch!
To close their first day in Norway, Kate brought out the big guns for dinner at the Royal Palace. As much as I love Erdem, I am pleased to report she went with Alexander McQueen for the occasion.
This is so lovely. It’s classic and ladylike, with a Grecian vibe that she doesn’t usually go for.
Day 4
Itinerary: Visit the Hartvig Nissen School to discuss challenges facing Norwegian youth; private lunch with Haakon and Mette-Marit; skiing at Holmenkollen outside of Oslo.
Kate wrapped up her Scandinavian tour with two final outfits. She wore a lovely, plum colored Dolce and Gabbana coat for their lunch with Haakon and Mette-Marit and their visit to a Norwegian school. Underneath she apparently wore a floral dress from Norwegian brand TiMo , but I couldn’t find any pictures of it.
And finally, she broke out the sportswear and took to the slopes – although I assume she had to take a pass on the actual skiing since she gives birth in just a few months! They did visit the Ski Museum however…which doesn’t sound particularly interesting. She looked the part though, in a bright orange jacket by Norwegian brand Kjus.
All told, some great new gowns, an excellent showing of coats, and the usual amount of accessories repeats and standbys. And that’s a wrap folks!
Fashion Wonk 