The Cambridges Down Under: Arrival in Wellington

Unless you’ve been residing under a royal-watching rock, I’m sure you’re aware that the Cambridges — duke, duchess, and prince — are on a royal tour of New Zealand and Australia this month. I’ll be doing extra periodical updates to the blog with information on the jewels Kate’s been wearing. Enjoy!

William, Kate, and George arrived in Wellington, New Zealand on April 7, and Kate chose a piece of jewelry from the Queen’s collection for the occasion.

The brooch that Kate has pinned to her red coat is the silver fern brooch given to Queen Elizabeth II by the women of Auckland. It’s made of diamonds set in platinum. The first tour that Elizabeth and Philip made to New Zealand happened in the summer of 1953 (that’s the southern hemisphere’s summer, of course), and they were in the country for Christmas. She received the brooch as a Christmas gift and wore it during subsequent engagements on the tour. It’s often seen on HM at events in or related to New Zealand, including her official portrait as Queen of New Zealand.

Unfortunately, the views we got of the brooch during the Cambridges’ arrival was obscured by one of the most anticipated parties on the visit: Prince George! I think we’ll all forgive him, though — he’s too adorable for us to stay mad for long.

And yes, let’s address the elephant in the room: THE HAT. Readers of Mad Hattery! may remember my mixed feelings about pillbox-style hats, and I’m afraid I’m no fan of this one. It makes the elegant duchess look like she’s entered a Jackie O. look-a-like contest. Royal outfits that look like costumes are a no-go for me. Add in the fact that it looks like it’s an afterthought plopped on her head — the hair doesn’t look like it was done with the hat in mind — and I’m sad. So very sad.

Let’s cleanse our hattery palates with another view of that baby, yes?