The Duchess of Cambridge donned her trusty khaki jacket and £475 boots she’s had for 17 years as she clambered aboard a tractor and petted a lamb during a farm visit with Prince William today.
Prince William, 38, and Kate Middleton, 39, who spent much of lockdown living in their Norfolk home of Anmer Hall with their children Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, three, travelled up to Darlington to visit Manor Farm today.
The Duchess cut a casual figure on the visit today, opting to rewear several of her favourite pieces, including a cosy jumper from sustainable brand Brora and a pair of boots she has owned since before she joined the royal family.
The couple were given a tour of the fifth-generation family-run mixed cattle, sheep and arable farm near Darlington, and were seen visiting the cattle, calving and lambing sheds with owners Clare Wise and Stewart Chapman.
The visit comes as the couple prepare to celebrate their tenth anniversary later this week, having married on April 29 2011 at Westminster Abbey.
Prince William, 38, and Kate Middleton, 39, who spent much of lockdown living in their Norfolk home of Anmer Hall with their children Prince George, seven, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, three, travelled up to Darlington to visit Manor Farm today
The Duchess of Cambridge donned her trusty khaki jacket and £475 boots she’s had for 17 years as she clambered aboard a tractor and petted a lamb during the farm visit with Prince William today
Kate was first seen sporting a pair of the distinctive brown leather boots at the Game Fair at Blenheim Palace in August 2004.
The then Kate Middleton had just been thrust into the spotlight after news of her relationship with Prince William first emerged.
The boots made another appearance exactly a year later as Kate attended the Gatcombe Festival of Eventing in Gloucestershire.
As the Duchess found her feet in the royal family, the boots have remained a staple for the mother-of-three.
The couple were given a tour of the fifth-generation family-run mixed cattle, sheep and arable farm near Darlington, and were seen visiting the cattle, calving and lambing sheds with owners Clare Wise and Stewart Chapman
The Duchess appeared in high spirits during her visit to the farm in Little Stainton earlier today, while the Duke could be seen chatting animatedly
Earlier today, Clare and Stewart spoke to Kate and William about their particular focus on protecting the health and welfare of their livestock, as well as some of the tools used at the farm including grass monitoring, land rotation and feed sampling to improve productivity and ensure that they are able to give back to the environment and increase their sustainability.
The royals then joined a discussion with local farmers who are supported by The National Farmers Union about their experiences of the last year, including the mental health impact of COVID-19 for farmers and the challenges of balancing home-schooling with farm work.
Ahead of the COP26 Climate Change Conference in Glasgow later this year, the group also spoke about the work that is being carried out across the industry to improve environmental impact and help deliver the UK’s commitment to ‘net zero’ carbon emissions.
Kate opted to rewear her cosy white £195 jumper from Brora for the occasion, and paired the knit with a khaki green jacket
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s appearance today comes days before their 10th anniversary, which is set to be be marked by a new BBC documentary.
It will air on BBC One on April 30 and hear from a number of contributors about the wedding including David Cameron and former Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams, The Mirror reported.
Additionally, composer John Ritter, florist Shane Connolly and former England rugby coach Sir Clive Woodward will also all feature.
The Duke and Duchess meet farming family, Clare Wise (left) her children Clover, 9, Penelope, 7, Wren, 4 and her husband Stewart Chapman and her parents, during their visit to Manor Farm in Little Stainton
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge meet farming family, Clare Wise (left) her children Clover, 9, Penelope, 7, Wren, 4 and her husband Stewart Chapman and her parents
The mother-of-three appeared in high spirits as she stroked a lamb alongside farms daughter Clover Chapman, 9, during a visit to Manor Farm
While the Duchess appeared happy to be hands on with the sheep, Prince William stood a little further back from the animals during the visit
A group of friends who met Princes William and Harry during an impromptu walkabout before the wedding will also appear in the documentary.
The CEO of Centrepoint Seyi Obakin, who was a guest at the wedding in 2011, told the paper how visibly emotional William was on the day: ‘In his face, the pride that he’d come to this point, this position, in which he’s getting married to somebody that he truly loves.’
A fundraiser who walked 55 miles in a suit of armour as well as couples from around the country who were married on the same day as William, will also contribute to the programme, titled Royal Wedding: A Day to Remember.
Prince William married Kate Middleton on April 29, 2011, at a ceremony held in Westminster Abbey, London.
The pair had been together as a couple for eight years and the couple had announced their engagement on November 16, 2010.
The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, married William and Kate in front of a guest list of around 1,900 people.
Instead of receiving wedding gifts, William and Kate urged guests to donate to charity and established The Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton Charitable Gift Fund which aimed to assist 26 charities from around the world. In the end, the fund took in a grand total of £1,058,367.
The Palace said £559,104 was donated by members of the public and wedding guests; £247,000 was generated from rights due to The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry that the Trustees allocated to the Gift Fund; and £252,263 was paid directly to the 26 charities.
More than 5,000 street parties were held throughout the UK to celebrate the Royal wedding and as many as one million people lined the route between Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace to catch a glimpse of the couple on their wedding day.
The ceremony was viewed by tens of millions of people live, with around 72million people watching a YouTube livestream of the service.
Two years after their wedding, William and Kate welcomed their first child, Prince George.
He was followed by Princess Charlotte two years later and then Prince Louis in 2018.
Earlier this week, Kate’s uncle Gary Goldsmith branded Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ‘muppets’ and said Kate should be the next Queen because she was ‘born ready.’
It comes as the couple prepare to celebrate their tenth anniversary later this week, having married on April 29 2011 at Westminster Abbey
He added: ‘That she looked like a princess from the off. Well, she was an ordinary girl, a bit of a tomboy, always in the middle of the rough and tumble, so I don’t mean that she looked prim and proper, but at the same time she had . . . values. She was kind, just a lovely person.
‘I think she’s quite unique. I’ve said it before but I mean it, she’s as beautiful inside as out. And she knows about duty and putting others before herself. Kate is a giver, not a taker.’
He continued: ‘She doesn’t just look the part, she’s living the part. She acts like you’d want a royal to behave. She has that poise of the public servant, yet she also has the common touch — or the Diana touch, as I think of it.
‘ It’s a difficult balance, being someone people can identify with but also look up to, but she’s got it. I think she’s the Queen’s protégée’.