Kensington Palace
Kate Middleton is thanking the troops.
In honor of the UK’s Armed Forces Day on Saturday, the Duchess of Cambridge shared pictures from her visit to the Pirbright Training Academy last November.
During her day at the Academy, the royal mom of three, 40, spent time with the 101 Operational Sustainment Brigade at Abingdon Airfield to learn about how new recruits and serving personnel are trained.
The royal also sported full gear as she participated in some of the training exercises.
Kensington Palace
Kate made time to talk to personnel to learn more about their time in the British Army.
Alongside the pictures posted on social media, Kate shared a touching tribute: “Today on Armed Forces Day, William and I would like to pay tribute to the brave men and women, past and present, serving in all of our armed forces, at sea, on land and in the air, here in the UK and around the world,” she wrote.
She continued, “Thank you for all you and your families sacrifice to keep us safe.”
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Kensington Palace
“Last year, I was honored to spend time with the @BritishArmy to see how they train serving personnel and new recruits. It was wonderful to see first-hand the many important and varied roles the military play day in, day out to protect us all,” Kate wrote.
Before signing off with a simple “C” for Catherine, Kate promised to continue visiting the armed forces with visits to the Navy and Air Force: “I look forward to discovering more about the @RoyalNavy and @RoyalAirForceUK in due course.”
Meanwhile Kate and her husband Prince William, 40, recently viewed a special piece of artwork — their first official joint portrait.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were on hand for the painted portrait’s unveiling during a visit to their namesake county of Cambridgeshire. The couple received the titles of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge from Queen Elizabeth on their wedding day in April 2011.
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William and Kate stopped by the University of Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum in the heart of Cambridge, where they viewed the painted artwork as it was revealed to the public for the first time. The piece was commissioned in 2021 by the Cambridgeshire Royal Portrait Fund, which is held by the Cambridge Community Foundation, as a gift to Cambridgeshire. It was painted by award-winning British portrait artist Jamie Coreth.
Jamie Coreth + Fine Art Commissions Kate Middleton and Prince William
“It has been the most extraordinary privilege of my life to be chosen to paint this picture,” Coreth said. “I wanted to show Their Royal Highnesses in a manner where they appeared both relaxed and approachable, as well as elegant and dignified.”
“As it is the first portrait to depict them together, and specifically during their time as The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, I wanted the image to evoke a feeling of balance between their public and private lives. The piece was commissioned as a gift for the people of Cambridgeshire, and I hope they will enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed creating it,” he continued.
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In the portrait, Kate wears her metallic emerald dress by The Vampire’s Wife, which she wore during the couple’s visit to Dublin in March 2020. William is seen in a dark suit and a blue tie.
Kate also wears sentimental accessories in the painting. For her earrings, the Duchess of Cambridge wears pearl and diamond earrings that previously belonged to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana. Given to Diana as a wedding present from Collingwood jewelers, the gorgeous pieces are now part of Kate’s collection.
The Duchess of Cambridge wore another piece from Princess Diana’s jewelry collection: her three-strand pearl bracelet, which Diana famously wore with her “Elvis” outfit.
After viewing the piece, Kate and Prince William met with supporters of the project, including the artist. They also met with Lady Sibyl Marshall, the wife of the late Sir Michael Marshall, who originally proposed the idea to create the portrait.
