Kate Middleton attends Garter Day service 14 years after appearing as Prince William’s girlfriend
(Image: GETTY)
Order of the Garter ceremony attended by senior royals, including Prince Charles and Sophie, Countess of Wessex
After 14 years as Prince William’s girlfriend, Kate Middleton attended the Order of the Garter.
King Edward III founded the order of chivalry in 1348, making it one of the oldest royal traditions. In 2008, when she was dating her future husband, the Duchess of Cambridge attended the event for the first time. That same year, William, 39, was knight by the Order of the Garter, as per people reported.
The 40-year-old’s initial appearance at the event signaled to the public that she had been welcomed by the royal family.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met as University of St Andrews students. They started dating in 2003 and married at Westminster Abbey in 2011. Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis are their three children.
Middleton came with Sophie, Countess of Wessex, William’s uncle Prince Edward’s wife, for the ceremony on Monday. The duchess wore an Alexander McQueen regal blue coat dress with a Juliette Botterill matching clutch and floral fascinator.
Following the ceremony, the National Portrait Gallery stated that one of Middleton’s portraits, which was released on her birthday earlier this year, had been sent to the University of St Andrews Museums.
“From today, this portrait of The Duchess of Cambridge will be displayed at @MuseumsUniStA, with The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge having met at @univofstandrews,” they tweeted.
“This forms part of our Coming Home project, where we send portraits of individuals to places they are associated with.”
It’s good news for the royal family, who made headlines after Prince Andrew chose not to participate in the Order of the Garter procession.
The disgraced Duke of York’s so-called public return was put on hold after a last-minute “family decision,” according to Omid Scobie, royal editor-at-large for Harper’s Bazaar and co-author of “Finding Freedom.”
“After what palace sources have described as a last-minute ‘family decision,’ Prince Andrew will no longer be walking in today’s Garter Day procession or service,” Scobie tweeted. “As a Knight of the Garter, he will still be at the investiture and lunch taking place in Windsor (as will the Queen).”
A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. According to the Guardian, Andrew will attend the investiture of new members and the annual meal as a garter knight, keeping his presence hidden from public view.
The 62-year-old, who is a knight in the world’s oldest order of chivalry, was scheduled to arrive in Windsor with his family, which included fellow knights Prince Charles and Prince William. As Queen Elizabeth’s son, the controversial royal was previously knighted.
Andrew would not appear on the balcony with senior members of the royal family for Trooping the Colour during the Platinum Jubilee, the palace said in May. Only working members were allowed to join the queen.
Following a disastrous interview about his ties with late American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew stepped down from royal duties in 2019. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who will step down as senior members in 2020, were also absent from the balcony.
Andrew would miss the Service of Thanksgiving the next day due to testing positive for COVID-19, the palace announced during Trooping the Colour on June 2.
