The Duchess of Cambridge has returned to work following a month off during her extended festive break
She visited the King Henry’s Walk Garden in Islington in London to see how the project brings people together
She will try her hand at pizza making in an open air kitchen during her visit to North London this morning
Kate looked typically elegant in a £399 jacket from Irish brand Dubarry
She enjoyed an extended break over the festive season but the Duchess of Cambridge has returned to work with her first engagement on the New Year today.
Country girl Kate, who turned 37 last week, is visiting the King Henry’s Walk Garden in Islington to see how the project brings people together through gardening and food growing.
The Duchess of Cambridge was element today as she visited the community garden in North London where she was introduced to an open air pizza kitchen.
‘Pizza outside sounds like the coolest thing ever’ said Kate as she spoke to local school children as she helped to make bird feeders with them.
She later added that her own children would be jealous while making pizzas with the school children.
She said: ‘George and Charlotte would love to be learning outside of the classroom. It’s still fun inside but it’s much better outside.’
Kate cut a casual figure in a khaki tweed jacket by Irish brand Dubarry costing £399. The jacket has proven to be a hit with Kate, having been spotted wearing it while last-minute Christmas shopping in the Range in Norfolk on December 24.
She opted for her trademark skinny jeans for today’s engagement, her go-to look when it comes to more casual occasions such as this.
In light of the chilly temperatures, Kate added an extra layer in the form of a rust coloured roll-neck jumper that could be seen peeking out from her jacket and ditched her signature stilettos in favour of a practical walking boot, £252 (reduced from £360) by See by Chloe to muck in with local school children.
She added just a touch of bling in the form of a small pair of gold leaf-motif earrings which were framed by her bouncy brunette locks, worn in loose waves today.
Kate’s ensemble is relatively casual compared to that of her sister-in-law Meghan who yesterday attended several community events in Birkenhead alongside Prince Harry.
The Duchess of Sussex wore a baby alpaca coat by Canadian brand Sentaler costing more than double the price of Kate’s coat at £1,085.
Meghan’s red wrap coat was worn over a figure-hugging £107 purple dress from Babaton by Aritizia and she carried a £1,695 Gabriela Hearst leather ‘bowling’ bag.
The garden has been run for over a decade by community volunteers, with support from Islington Council.
It contains growing plots for cultivation by local residents, where the use of organic gardening methods helps to promote a diversity of plants and wildlife.
It also boasts a full programme of educational sessions and events to engage the whole community.
The garden has also helped to reduce problems such as anti-social behaviour and vandalism in the area. It has subsequently received many accolades, including London in Bloom’s Best Community Garden award in 2008, 2009 and 2011, and the RHS National Certificate of Distinction in 2012.
The duchess will visit the garden to meet with volunteers from the community to hear about the benefits of this urban green space.
Kate will be shown some of their allotment plots to see the impact that can be achieved in small scale plots. She will then take part in a winter planting workshop, bird box building and pizza making in the garden’s kitchen area.
Kate grew up in the Berkshire countryside and relishes her time at Anmer Hall in Norfolk, the country home she owns with her husband Prince William.
She has often spoken of taking her three children out into the garden to grow their own fruit and vegetables.
This is the Duchess of Cambridge’s first public engagement of the New Year following an extended break for the festive season.
Kate was last spotted attending Sunday service with Prince William on the Sandringham estate just over a week ago but her last official engagement was back in mid December.
She and William visited the Evelina London’s Children’s Hospital together on December 11 making it over a month since Kate’s last engagement.
The Duke of Cambridge, however, returned to work last week on January 9, which also happened to be Kate’s 37th birthday.
The mother-of-three is thought to have celebrated her birthday with a family tea party at Kensington Palace, it has been reported.
The royal is said to have wanted to keep the festivities low-key, opting for just a small gathering with her children, George, five, Charlotte, three, and eight-month-old Louis.
The Duke of Cambridge spent part of the day at Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, where he marked 30 years of the London Air Ambulance service.
Green-fingered Kate will showcase a garden at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show to promote the positive effect nature has on mental health
The Duchess of Cambridge is set to showcase her very own garden at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show it has been announced.
Kate, 37, will work alongside the Royal Horticultural Society and landscape architects Davies White to produce the plot to go on display at the annual gardening event.
The garden is being designed to highlight the benefits of the great outdoors and inspire children, families and communities to get back to nature.
It will build on the Duchess’ passion for the outdoors and th
The mother-of-three is a strong advocate for the positive impact that nature and the environment can have on childhood development.
She has demonstrated this through her longstanding support for organisations including the Scouts and Farms for City Children, as well as at more recent engagements to Sayers Croft Forest School and Wildlife Garden, the RHS Campaign for School Gardening, and her visit today to Islington Community Garden.
Based on a woodland, the garden seeks to recapture for adults the sense of wonder and magic that they enjoyed as children, in addition to kindling excitement and a passion for nature in future generations.
Wild planting and natural materials will be used to recreate a woodland wilderness where children and adults alike can feel closer to the great outdoors.
Kate has worked in collaboration with the RHS and Davies White over the past three months and will continue to finalise the design ahead of the show in May.
Sue Biggs, RHS Director General, said: ‘We could not be more thrilled, or feel more honoured, that The Duchess of Cambridge has co-designed our RHS Garden at Chelsea Flower Show this year, with Award Winning Landscape Architects, Andree Davies and Adam White.
‘For over 200 years the RHS has been championing the power of gardening and growing plants for the environment, for health and wellbeing and to help people of all ages, from all backgrounds, to learn and grow.
‘So to have The Duchess advocating this with us, and to be continuing our partnership with NHS England will, we’re sure, further highlight the powerful benefit that access to gardens, nature and growing plants can have for all our health and happiness.’
By Martha Cliff
Source: DAILYMAIL MAILONLINE
