The Duchess of Cambridge: Best of 2019
2019 has been another big year for the Duchess of Cambridge. Her charity work has expanded as she has helped to launch more initiatives and campaigns this year focused on mental health and the early years. She has been carving out a very clear path for the future of her work and been focused on raising her three children. Find out my favorite moments from the Duchess of Cambridge in 2019.
10. Christmas Day Walk
The Christmas Day wall is always a favorite of mine since it is one of the few times a lot of the family is seen together but this Christmas walk was even more special since Prince George and Princess Charlotte joined their parents for the first time. The walk to St Mary Magdalene's is one of the more informal times for the family to interact with members of the public. While they are both still young, George and Charlotte did a wonderful job meeting the public for the first time and their parents were on hand to help and support them through it all. Catherine was coordinating with her daughter in a green fascinator, shoes and clutch while Charlotte wore an emerald double breasted coat. Prince George coordinated with his father in a blue suit and tie.
9. Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
This year Catherine became a member of the Royal Victorian order which is an honor given personally by the Queen for outstanding service to the crown. It is signified by a royal blue sash and silver medal that members wear tow white tie events. Catherine wore it twice before the end of the year for the US State Visit and the Annual Diplomatic Reception.
8. James Middleton's Engagement
While this is not directly to do with the Duchess of Cambridge, her younger brother became engaged this year. James Middleton has spoken about his own struggles with Mental Illness, which is likely one of several reasons the Duchess is so passionate about her work on mental health, and it was so wonderful to see his happiness really coming out more and more this year via social media posts on public appearances.
It is believed that the wedding will take place in 2020 and James has spoken about his desire for it to be a private event. Whether or not we get any photos, it is very likely George, Charlotte, Louis and Arthur could be in the bridal party next year.
7. Kings Cup Regatta
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge held the first annual King’s Cup regatta this year in support of eight of their charities. The race featured well known ambassadors and celebrities and was hands down one of the most fun events of the year. Prince Williams competitive side came out while Catherine laughed off coming in last place after a false start disqualified them from the second race. The regatta will hopefully be an annual event and it has a ton of potential to do a lot of good for the charities selected. It would also be incredible to see the entire family taking part a few years down the road as George and Charlotte seemed to love watching the race with their grandparents.
6. EACH: The Nook
The Duchess of Cambridge launched the Nook appeal in 2014 for East Anglias Children Hospice (EACH) and this year the Nook was officially opened in Norfolk. The Duchess visited to officially open the new building which features specialized therapy and innovations that give children with life limiting conditions a chance to play, grow, heal and learn. EACH was one of the Duchess of Cambridge’s first patronage’s and she has remained heavily involved in its growth and maintenance. She regularly visits the families privately and has made a number of public visits to their different centers across the country.
5. A Berry Royal Christmas
Combining two of my favorite British institutions, the Royal Family and Mary Berry from the Great British Bake Off made this special an instant favorite of mine. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge did a wonderful job of combining their charity work with some light hearted fun and it created the most perfect hour of television this year.
4. Family Portraits
The Duchess of Cambridge proved her incredible photography skills once again with releases of Family portraits throughout the year. She photographed her three children for their birthday portraits as well as going behind the lens for the Cambridge Christmas Card. She does such a wonderful job of capturing her children in ways that show off the best of their personalities.
Through the years she’s done a little bit of work with photography between being Patron of the National Portrait gallery and joining in on Photography workshops. She also released the Photographs she took of a family living in rural Pakistan during their tour to the region in the fall. Her family portraits give a glimpse into the kid of photographer she is and I really hope we get to see more of this in the future.
3. Back to Nature Gardens
Catherine has been involved in promoting the importance of early years as well as the importance of nature in maintaining physical and mental health for several years. Those two areas merged perfectly this summer with her Back to Nature garden at RHS Chelsea. The Garden was so successful it enjoyed a stay at RHS Hampton Court before finding a permanent home at RHS Wisley. The garden was designed to encourage outdoor play for children. With kids using screens more and more, the garden was a perfectly timed reminder of the importance of connecting with nature.
2. Royal Visit Pakistan
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s five day tour of Pakistan was likely my favorite Royal tour of 2019. They not only highlighted incredible charitable organizations in Pakistan but really focused on showing the very best of PakistanI culture as it exists today. It was the most advanced tour the couple has done from a security standpoint and it all (barring inclement weather) went perfectly.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge seem to do their most impactful work when they are together and it really showed on this tour. The charities they visited highlighted the way that Pakistan is dealing with issues like climate change, early years, health and modernization. The fashion selected for the tour was also incredibly thoughtful from both the Duke and Duchess. While they did wear more traditional Pakistani fashion, it had a modernity to it which seemed to echo the way Pakistan is balancing tradition and modernization in the 21st century.
1. Early Years Initiative
2019 brought much more emphasis on the Early Years, a project Catherine has been working on for several years. The Duchess convened a steering group in 2018 in order to discover what can be done to best support children in the earliest years of their lives. Over the past two years the Duchess has spoken with researchers, childhood experts and organizations to create a strategy to provide the best foundation for children in order for them to become healthy and fulfilled adults.
The early years will continue to expand in 2020 but the work she has done this year has been incredibly impressive. When children are given a healthy, nurturing and productive environment in the first years of their lives, they learn and advance skills that are vital for later in life such as stress management, coping mechanisms, problem solving skills, self-motivation, empathy and communication skills. All of these things help grow children's confidence and lead to physically and mentally healthy adults.
Do you have other favorite moments from the Duchess of Cambridge this year? Leave a comment below!