The Royal Couple Journey to Marau

 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge landed on a tiny dirt airstrip in Marau on the Solomon Islands. They were greeted spear-carrying tribesmen, painted with white war paint and whooping aggressively as they stepped off the plane.

 

 

 

The couple were garlanded with long necklaces made of shell money.The colourful necklaces, worth up to £150 each, took three months to make, using romo shells, nut shells - and the teeth of dolphins found washed up on the shore.

 

 

Kate & Williams then made their way down a 150 yard stretch of rush matting sprinkled with wild ginger petals, and boarded a waiting motor launch to go to the neighbouring islands of Marapa and Tavanipupupu.

 



 

 

 

When the royal couple arrived, their boat was flanked by three warriors swimming beneath shark costumes constructed from a wire frame covered with black plastic.

 

 

Kate wore a sleeveless Mulberry dress in 'Nightshade Blue' Broderie Anglaise from their 2012 spring/summer collection. The frock features a soft collar, a full skirt and a nipped-in waist. The Duchess added a matching patent belt.

 

 

 

 

 

Completing her outfit, Kate wore her blue suede Stuart Weitzman 'Corkswoon' wedges.

 

 

 

 

 Additional Pictures

Update 1/9/2013

Thanks so much to Kate's Royal Reference Wardrobe on FB for sharing her pictures of her blue suede Stuart Weitzman 'Corkswoon' wedges.

 

William & Kate Tour a Cultural Center in Honiara

 

Hundreds of people gathered to welcome The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge as they toured the cultural centre in Honiara.

The couple then split with the Duke going on to make a speech to a Commonwealth Youth Conference, while Kate met a group of women and young girls all working to highlight inequality in Melenesian society, where there is a distinct lack of female health facilities and domestic violence can be common.

 

Next, Kate was crowned with a garland made from exotic frangipani, hibiscus and orchids.

After the culutral centre it was on to a ribbon cutting ceremony as the Duke and Duchess officially opened the renovated Commonwealth Street in central Honiara.

Next, the Duke and Duchess paid their respects and each lay a wreath during their visit to the Coast Watcher and Solomon Scouts Memorial.

Kate wore a bright yellow pleated shirt dress by Jaeger (originally £180, reduced to £750. The dress is 100% cotton and has a bow around the waist.

 

 

 Additional details from the Jaeger website:

'Pleated summer dress from Jaeger with cap sleeves, shirt collar, belt loops and button fastening through the front. Falling to the knee, this lightweight summer style has a full skirt with soft pleating throughout, a fitted top and belt loops to nip in the waste for a thoroughly flattering finish.'

 

 

 

 

The Duchess completed her look with her trusty nude L.K.Bennett Sledge pumps.

Photo Credit: Max Foster

 

Photo credit: Max Foster

Kate & William Have Dinner Under the Stars

 

The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William attended a reception and dinner under the stars hosted by the Governor General at his private residence.

 

 

During the dinner the couple were entertained by musicians including a choir and the Haguelu Pan Pipers, who performed on a stage clad in grass skirts with white body paint and beads around their heads.

 

 

The Duchess made a last-minute wardrobe change after finding a strapless dress with a bright pink and orange batik design in her hotel room, a gift from the islands’ government. She had brought her own dress for the occasion, but, said an aide, “she tried it on, she loved it and she is wearing it”.

 

 

 Photo credit: WKW

 

The material is hand dyed batik, a closer look reveals the motifs include flowers, fish, vines and other designs. The dress came from a shop called 'Print'.

 

Completing her outfit, Kate accessorized with her Stuart Weitzman 'Minx' wedges, Red Sponge Coral Earrings by Serretta (£36 and available at myflashtrash.com) and her gold 'Scale' (£80 also available at myflashtrash.com) bracelet by Catherine Zoraida.

 

Update 9/21/2012

 

Kate's dress is by TAV. www.tavresortwear.com/ It is Style # DF66 - Long and still available for NZ$475.