Kate wears red for first Wales visit as Princess - just like Diana 40 years ago
Watch: Will and Kate arrive at RNLI station in Holyhead
The Prince and Princess of Wales have returned to work for their first official visit after the mourning period following the Queen’s funeral. The royal couple have arrived in Wales on Tuesday for their first visit to the country since receiving their new titles.
Kate and William, both 40, arrived on Anglesey for their first visit to the country since becoming the Prince and Princess of Wales to visit the RNLI Holyhead Lifeboat Station, where they met with crew members, volunteers and those who have been helped by the charity.
Kate walked the delicate line of the post-royal mourning period with grace, wearing an all-black ensemble with a LK Bennett wool red coat over the top.
The single-breasted winter coat was in a shade of red which the Duchess of Cambridge and Cornwall often turns to, in particular for visits to Wales.
The black and red outfit also reflects the same colour combination as chosen by Prince William’s late mother, Diana, for her own first visit to the country as Princess of Wales in October 1981.
The late People’s Princess chose a short red jacket for the three-day visit, worn with a black pleated skirt and coordinating red hat.
Read more: Why does the Princess of Wales wear so much red?
Kate put her own modern twist on the outfit with a clean silhouette of high-waisted, wide-leg trousers, and a simple knitted top, both in black.
Her £599 LK Bennett coat is also aptly named the 'Spencer' coat – the same as Diana's maiden name.
She wore her brunette locks in their signature bouncy waves and kept her make-up fairly neutral with a subtle brown smokey eye.
A pair of gold angular hoops – from small independent Welsh brand, Spells of Love – completed the look as Kate joined Prince William in North Wales.
The senior members of the Royal Family – who used to live in Anglesey themselves when William was a search and rescue pilot with the RAF – are scheduled to walk from the lifeboat station to the Holyhead Marine and Café Bar.
Read more: Meet the ethical jewellery brand behind the Kate's £79 earrings
There, they will meet locals including representatives of small businesses and organisations including the Coastguard and Sea Cadets.
The parents-of-three will then head to the south coast of Wales to meet with volunteers at St Thomas Church in Swansea, which has been turned into a community hub over the past two years.
The site now includes a foodbank, facilities for homeless people, a not-for-profit café and community training kitchen as well as the home of Swansea Baby Basics scheme which distributes essentials for vulnerable mothers across the city.
Wales holds a special place in the couple’s hearts, as their first home as newlyweds, and the home they welcomed home their first child to in 2013, was on Anglesey.
A visit to the country was also Prince William’s first official appearance when he was eight years old, and the same for his son, Prince George, nine, and daughter, Princess Charlotte, seven, when they joined their parents in a visit to Cardiff Castle over the Platinum Jubilee weekend in June.
There are currently no plans for William to have an investiture ceremony as Prince of Wales as his father did in 1969, instead William and Kate are “taking the time to strengthen their relationship with communities in all parts of Wales,” says a Kensington Palace spokesperson.
“The Prince and Princess have a deep affection for Wales,” the statement continues, “having made their first family home in Anglesey, and have thoroughly enjoyed previous visits and the warmth and kindness shown by the Welsh people.
“Their Royal Highnesses are looking forward to spending more time in Wales over the coming months and years, taking the time to strengthen their relationship with communities in all parts of Wales.”
The couple have made several visits each year during their tenure as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and will undoubtedly continue to do the same in the coming years, with their next visit to the Welsh capital already scheduled for before Christmas.
