UK Diamond Jubilee Tour Officially Begins

The Queen, Prince Phillip and Kate took an hour-long train ride from London’s St. Pancras station to Leicester station, officially kicking off the UK Diamond Jubilee tour. The tour celebrates HRH's 60 years on the throne.

Their first stop was at De Montfort University, where they watched a dance performance in De Montfort Square. Then Kate and the Queen split from Prince Phillip and watched a fashion show that featured the designs of four students.

The Duchess of Cambridge announced the winner of a shoe competition. The designs were submitted from students in the university footwear design program. She picked 20-year-old Becka Hunt’s 19th-century inspired design as her favorite out of the six finalists. The winning blue suede pump, adorned with crème lace and an open front, was created with Kate in mind, echoing the color of her engagement ring. It will be custom-made for the duchess to wear on future occasions.

Next, the Royals visited Leicester Cathedral for a service. The service was attended by 700 people. Kate greeted the crowd before the service. Over 5,000 people lined the pavements to get a glimpse.

Kate sported a deep teal 1940's inspired ensemble by L.K. Bennett. She wore the elegant  'Davina' dress (£225) and the 'Jude' jacket (£296). Both are sold out as of this writing. The wool jacket was cinched at the waist with a black belt.

The Duchess topped off her look with a black pillbox hat by James Lock.

Kate's accessories included black heels (no longer available) by Episode which are exclusive to House of Fraser and a black clutch. She is wearing her green amethyst Kiki MCDonough earrings as well as her sapphire and diamond engaement ring.

Additional pictures from today's visit

Update 3/13/2012

Kate's belt has been ID'd (thanks to WKW).  It is the Glossed-leather belt (£480) by Alexander McQueen. It is available on the french Net-A-Porter website.

Girls Day Out: HRH, The Duchess of Cornwall & Kate Visit Fortnum & Mason

The Queen, Duchess of Cornwall and Kate, all dressed in shades of blue, made an official visit to Fortnun & Mason. The luxury store was founded in 1707 and is a well-known foodie haven located in central London. It has held a Royal Warrant for over 150 years.

The Queen and two Duchesses arrived by car and were greeted by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.

The royal trio toured the store and enjoyed tea with over 150 guests at the newly renovated St James' Restaurant. The restaurant has been renamed The Diamond Jubilee Tea Station to mark the queen's 60 years on the throne.

Before leaving, they were each presented with a Fortnum's hamper, containing items such as champagne truffles and dog biscuits.

Kate wore a simple, single breasted blue tweed dress coat by Italian label M Missoni (£765). Two small yellow daffodils were pinned to her lapel in honor of St David's Day.

The dress coat is the Italian brand's diffusion line and comes from their Autumn/Winter 2010 collection (no longer available). It is thought that Kate bought it a few months ago at the Bicester village outlet.

The Duchess's coat had a vintage feel with frayed panels, seams and edges. Underneath her coat, we caught a glimpse of the cornflower blue Zara dress Kate wore the day after the wedding.

I have searched the web high and low and cannot find the sold out M. Missoni dress coat. There is, however, a red one currently listed on Ebay for $2,500.

Kate completed her outfit with nude tights, her grey suede Rupert Sanderson Malone Pumps (£375),  her Links of London Hope egg earrings (£275) and, of course, her gorgeous sapphire and diamond engagement ring.