Firstly, Kensington Palace released the full programme for the Duke and Duchess' visit - a nice refresher for those who would like another look at the itinerary with notable additional information.
Sunday 7 December
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive at their hotel in New York City. As you may have heard they will be staying at luxury hotel The Carlyle on New York's Upper East Side. The hotel has royal links: Princess Diana first visited in 1980's and it became her residence when she visited the US after that. Other familiar faces who stayed at the hotel include John F. Kennedy Jr. and Diane von Furstenberg.
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| Wikipedia |
We expect to see arrival/greeting photos from the hotel shortly after the couple touch down in New York. That evening they will attend a private dinner being hosted by the American Friends of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. There's always the possibility of arrival/departure photos from the (undisclosed) location of the event.
Monday 8 December
Engagement 1:
The Duke of Cambridge will be received by President Barack Obama in the Oval Office at the White House and later will also pay a call on Vice-President Joseph Biden. We had hoped there would be an opportunity for William to meet with the President and it's wonderful to see it's been manageable considering his very full schedule. Readers will recall William and Kate met the Obamas in 2011.
Engagement 2:
The Duke of Cambridge, accompanied by the Right Honourable William Hague, will attend the International Corruption Hunters Alliance conference at the World Bank in Washington.
Engagement 3:
The Duchess of Cambridge, accompanied by the First Lady of New York City, visits Northside Centre for Child Development in Harlem. The child development centre fosters the healthy development of children and families by providing high-quality mental health and educational services.
Engagement 4:
The Duchess of Cambridge will attend a lunch at the British Consulate General in New York. The Duchess will meet members of the British Community in New York from culture, arts, hospitality and business sectors.
Engagement 5:
The Duke of Cambridge, accompanied by Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton, will attend a Conservation reception at the British Consul General's Residence, New York.
On his return to New York, the Duke will attend a reception organised by the Royal Foundation, in recognition of the conservation work carried out by Tusk and United for Wildlife partners, Wildlife Conservation Society, Conservation International and The Nature Conservancy.
Engagement 6:
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will attend an NBA match (Brooklyn Nets v Cleveland Cavaliers) in Brooklyn. The partnership between United for Wildlife and NBA Cares aims to use the huge global reach of the NBA to help raise awareness among a younger generation of the negative effects of purchasing illegal wildlife trade goods. There are still tickets available for the game should any of you wish to go.
Tuesday 9 December
Engagement 1:
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit the National September 11 Memorial Museum, New York. This is perhaps the most notable addition to the calendar. We knew the couple would be visiting the museum, however, we didn't know when and if would be a private occasion or one covered by the press. It appears a select number of the press will be there to cover the very important commemorative engagement.
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Engagement 2:
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit The Door/CityKids, New York where they will see the work they carry out in partnership with the CityKids Foundation. Both organisations focus on programmes and projects that promote youth development and social learning. The Duke and Duchess will learn about the wide-ranging support services on offer to young people to help them reach their potential, particularly through an arts-education model that supports the artistic and intellectual development of the participants.
Engagement 3:
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will attend the Creativity is GREAT reception, hosted by NeueHouse, New York. The reception will be hosted at the membership work collective NeueHouse, in association with the UK Government's GREAT campaign.
Engagement 4:
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will attend the Innovation is GREAT reception, hosted by Shutterstock at the Empire State Building, New York.
The event will bring together entrepreneurs from the UK and the US. UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) works closely with this community, and launched the GREAT Tech Awards in 2013. The Duke will have the opportunity to present this year’s winners, who will have recently returned from a week-long business-development programme in the UK, with their GREAT Tech Awards trophies.
Engagement 5:
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will attend the St Andrews 600th Anniversary Dinner at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. The event will support scholarships and bursaries for students from under-privileged communities, new student sports facilities in St Andrews, investment in the university's media and science faculties and a lectureship in American Literature at St Andrews.
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The dinner promises to be a star studded one. More from the Business Insider:
'The 600-person dinner will be held inside the hall housing of the Temple of Dandur. A VIP table for 10 costs $100,000. Tom Hanks will give the formal toast after dinner. His daughter studied at St. Andrews.'
This will be the glittering red carpet engagement of the trip.
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What will Kate wear for the trip? The Duchess will need at least two outfit changes per day. Considering the climate of the event I think she'll pack warm but stylish coats, perhaps a coatdress, stylish fitted dress and a 'Wow' evening gown for the St. Andrews dinner. We can expect to see her favourite designers including Alexander McQueen, Jenny Packham and Temperley London with a nod to her host country in something by a US designer.
I've thoroughly enjoyed looking through potential labels - particularly Marchesa. British-born Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig met at Chelsea College of Art and Design in London and their creations resulted in the creation of Marchesa (named after socialite Marchesa Luisa Casati) in 2004. The brand's headquarters is in New York and their clothing is sold worldwide and online at Net-A-Porter, Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.
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| Marchesa |
The beautiful One-shoulder draped silk-gazar gown, the Embellished lace and tulle gown and the Off-the-Shoulder Silk-Chiffon Gown in such a beautiful shade of green. (All of these gowns are on sale with up to 50% off at Net-A-Porter).
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| Marchesa |
Marchesa's gowns scream 'Princess' and were made for royalty. Two such gowns (which would be something of a departure for Kate, but hey we can dream) are the Embellished Tulle Gown and the ethereal embellished tulle gown.
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| Marchesa |
The level of attention to detail on Marchesa designs is incredible and very much evident in the Floral and Lace Mermaid Gown. Crafted with floral underlay and accented with beading on the bodice it's a very striking piece.
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| Marchesa |
Marchesa's diffusion line Notte by Marchesa offers endless droolworthy possibilities. Shall we look at more gowns? (I think so...) The Sleeveless Beaded-Neck Column Gown, the pretty pink Illusion-Neck Gown and the divine Tiered Flower Applique Gown.
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| Marchesa |
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Another designer I thought of immediately was Oscar de la Renta. The ever-popular Dominican-American designer sadly passed away earlier this year, however, his legacy will live on for many, many years to come. He's something of a favourite among the European royals including Princess Mary, and the brand would be a great choice for Kate.
The 3/4 Sleeve Cardigan & Floral A-Line Dress, the Sleeveless Dotted Dress, the Rose-Print Cropped Cardigan and Striped Waist Dress and the Vibrant Red Princess Coat.
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| Oscae de la Renta |
The Off-the-Shoulder Floral Print Dress and the Metallic -Embroidered Lace Blouse & Midi Skirt are very elegant ladylike looks.
For evening gowns, the Strapless Sweetheart Gown and the Floral-Embroidered Ball Gown are both fabulous garments.
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| Oscar de la Renta |
For evening gowns, the Strapless Sweetheart Gown and the Floral-Embroidered Ball Gown are both fabulous garments.
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| Oscar de la Renta |
A number of the garments shown in this post are seriously discounted in the Net-A-Porter US Sale. There's up to 50% off a wide selection of Kate designers.
Should Kate choose to repeat an evening gown, I do very much hope she selects the lilac bespoke Alexander McQueen gown she wore to the annual Diplomatic Reception last year. We never did see the dress properly, but from what we could gauge it looked stunning. What gown would you like to see again?
Speaking of the Diplomatic Reception, it took place earlier this week. Photographers were waiting outside the Palace, though unfortunately William and Kate were not there this year.
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Finally, on Thursday Kate attended a board meeting and reception for her newest patronage, sailing charity, the 1851 Trust at the Goring Hotel. The Duchess attended the launch of Ben Ainslie's America's Cup bid in June. It was a private event and no photographs have emerged.
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Of course, royal fans know Kate and her family stayed at the Goring the night before the wedding, and no doubt the evening brought back many happy memories for her.
We'll see you on Sunday when William and Kate arrive in New York. It should be a fun one :)
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