Catherine’s Official Royal Engagement Debut

Ms Catherine Middleton has undertaken her first official royal engagement, during a visit to Wales with fiancé, Prince William; followed by a visit to Scotland.

The first engagement took place on Thursday February 24th, when the duo were in Anglesey, Wales for the dedication of the Welsh Trearddur Bay Lifeboat Station’s newest lifeboat, the ‘Hereford Endeavour’. Around 2,000 locals turned up in the town which Prince William and Ms Middleton will call home following their April 29th wedding, while the Prince continues his Royal Air Force training. Prince William made a short speech, before Ms Middleton christened the lifeboat by pouring a bottle of champagne over it (smashing it on to the boat, as is usually done in a christening, would no doubt have caused some inflatability problems). “I do the talking, she does the fun bit,” was how Prince William described the proceedings with a laugh.

The future Princess delighted crowds by knowing the lyrics to the Welsh national anthem, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, as well as the British anthem, God Save the Queen. Another indication of Ms Middleton’s knowledge of Wales was the inclusion of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers’ insignia on her fascinator, designed by Vivien Sheriff Millinery. A brief royal meet-and-greet took place shortly after the christening, with Ms Middleton showing no hesitation to mingle with the public.

The following day, and the couple was in Scotland – back to where their romance began, at St Andrew’s University. They were there to mark the beginning of the university’s 600th anniversary celebrations, and to mark the Prince’s recent patronage of its 600th Anniversary Appeal. In his speech to the 600 selected guests, Prince William spoke of the university’s significance to himself and his fiancée. “This is a special moment for Catherine and me. It feels like coming home,” he said. After watching a military fly-past, the couple once again went for a walk to meet the 3,000-strong crowd which had gathered to welcome the couple back to their alma mater. “He’s always faster then me,” Ms Middleton said of Prince William’s pace with meeting the crowd, joking, “I get told off if I don’t keep up.”

From St Andrew’s, it was a mad dash to London for William and Catherine, where they joined Prince Harry at New Zealand House for the signing of the condolence book set up for the victims of the Christchurch earthquake. While both Princes signed only with their first given name, Ms Middleton signed as ‘Catherine Middleton’ next to her fiancé’s name – she will soon only sign ‘Catherine’.

Filed under The United Kingdom
Tagged Hats, New Zealand, Patronage, Prince Harry of Wales, Scotland, The Duchess of Cambridge, The Duke of Cambridge, Wales.

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