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Kate Middleton’s last solo engagement pre-maternity leave was certainly a big one! This morning the Duchess of Cambridge smashed a magnum of Moët & Chandon Champagne against the hull of the Royal Princess cruise ship, officially naming the ship and becoming her godmother in one fell swoop. While this appointment is certainly more of a commercial venture than the charitable organizations we’re used to seeing Kate involved with, there’s a bit of royal history behind it. The first Royal Princess cruise ship set sale from Southampton in 1984 and Princess Diana christened the ship as godmother, doing the same Champagne smash and speech.

So what do you wear when you’re becoming godmother of a cruise ship? Kate Middleton stepped out of her sartorial comfort zone today in a Dalmatian print coat from Hobbs. Has any other royal worn such a bold animal print before?

See this look and others up close »

Nothing brightens up the week quite like an impromptu appearance by the Duchess of Cambridge! The Queen held her first garden party of the year today at Buckingham Palace and low and behold, Kate Middleton was there, along with her in-laws, Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, and hundreds of other guests.

Considering that many a garden party style guide is based on Kate’s year-round wardrobe choices, it’s basically mandatory that she attend. (Okay, it’s not, but we’re not the only ones who would be disappointed if the garden party went Middleton-less.) Last year Kate wore a pastel-pink pleated Emilia Wickstead dress and this year she stuck with the same designer, though changing up the colour and style.

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Kate Middleton’s busy week continues with her third engagement in almost as many days. The Duchess of Cambridge attended a reception at the National Portrait Gallery for The Art Room, a charity that helps young people increase their self-esteem through art, of which Kate is a patron. Meaning: Kate made another speech, saying that she is a “firm believer in the power of art to make a difference.”

Style-wise, today’s outfit was certainly one of the most layer-free looks we’ve seen on the Duchess since she announced her pregnancy. Kate wore a sleeveless pale-blue dress by Emilia Wickstead, which had enough structure in its empire waist to provide some baby bump camouflage. (Question: Do you think the choice to wear pale-blue is a subliminal hint at Baby Cambridge’s sex?) Kate matched the soft colour of the dress with dove-grey suede Rupert Sanderson heels and accessorized with pale-blue drop earrings.

See Kate Middleton’s baby bump-hiding outfit up close »

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are in Scotland for two days and, fun fact: while north of the English border they’re formally known as the Earl and Countess of Strathearn. (So many royal titles!) In keeping with the Scottish theme, Kate Middleton wore a new tartan print coat by the British brand Moloh, possibly purchased for its uncanny ability to hide the baby bump we’re all eager to see.

(Seriously, Hollywood starlets wary of tabloid rumours should all be taking notes from Kate Middleton’s pregnancy style. It’s impenetrable.)

William and Kate spent the day in Glasgow, meeting with locals as well as the official mascot for the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. In the afternoon they visited a centre for homeless youth and had the chance to partake in various activities that the centre offers. Most notably, Will attempted to learn how to play DJ and mix records, a mental image we’ll spend the rest of the week delighting in.

But, back to Kate! The Duchess paired her tartan Moloh coat with black accessories, including opaque tights, her favourite Aquatalia boots and a clutch purse.

See Kate Middleton’s outfit up close »

Handing out sprigs of shamrock to soldiers and meeting an adorable seven-month-old Irish wolfhound seems like a perfectly good way to spend St. Patrick’s Day and that’s exactly what the Duchess of Cambridge was up to yesterday.

Kate first took on the royal role of handing out shamrocks to the Irish Guards at Aldershot last year and by all accounts this may be a new annual event for the Duchess. And like most royal traditions, there’s a fine piece of jewellery that comes with the job: the three-leaf gold shamrock brooch Kate wore for the ceremony actually belongs to the Irish Guard. (It’s also been worn by the Queen Mother—who participated in the shamrock ceremony from 1964 onward—and Princess Anne.)

In keeping with the emerald-green theme of the day, Kate chose to wear the same green Emilia Wickstead coat as last year, though slightly altered for her growing royal baby bump.

Get a closer look at Kate Middleton’s outfit »

Kate Middleton does have a royal baby bump—she just doesn’t want you to see it. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge made a surprise outing today (that is, they attended a public event that wasn’t part of their working royal duties) at the horse race festival at Cheltenham. Kate has actually attended the race almost every year in the past and other royals, like Zara Phillips and Princess Anne, were at Cheltenham earlier in the week.

But back to the baby bump. Lest you think that Kate Middleton is experiencing a magical pregnancy that keeps her looking trim at all times, the eagle-eyed readers of What Kate Wore were quick to notice that she’s altered her coat to allow for more room.

See all of Kate Middleton’s recent outfits »

Today is certainly the busiest day that Kate Middleton has had since announcing her pregnancy in November. (We respect her need to recover from acute morning sickness and keep things low key, but oh, how we’ve missed her!) After arriving in the fishing town of Grimsby this morning, the Duchess of Cambridge set out for a full day of public engagements. As any royal fan will know, the best thing about public appearances is that it’s the only time us commoners can put questions forth to the royals with hopes for a reply. This morning the town of Grimsby was asking all about the royal baby—and our darling Duchess was more than happy to answer. So when asked if she could feel the baby kicking, the whole world got to hear her reply: “Yes, it is. Very much so.” (Note the careful use of “it”and not “him” or “her,” smooth Kate, very smooth.)

As for her Grimsby outfit, Kate Middleton wore a coat we’ve seen a few times before—her brown Celeste coat by Hobbs—and barely a royal baby bump was visible.

See all of Kate Middleton’s recent appearances and outfits »

Kate Middleton fans got quite the treat this weekend when the Duke and Duchess of Cambirdge showed up on a mountain in Arosa, Switzerland. The pair—plus Prince Harry—were in town for the wedding of their friends Mark Tomlinson and Laura Bechtolsheimer. (He’s a professional polo player, she’s an Olympic gold medal winning equestrian (nbd!) and they both attended William and Kate’s wedding.) The royals spent Friday on the Swiss slopes, clearly taking advantage of the private ski lift at the Tschuggen Grand Hotel resort, conveniently owned by the bride’s billionaire grandfather. (Again, nbd!) But while everyone else opted to go skiing, pregnant Kate spent her time sledding.

On Saturday we got another glimpse of the Duke and Duchess en route to the wedding.

See Kate Middleton’s outfit—and baby bump!—up close »

It seems like it’s been forever since we last saw Kate Middleton at a public engagement—especially given that everyone is clamouring for a glimpse of that royal baby bump! But today we finally got to see how the Duchess of Cambridge is embracing maternity wear, thanks to a morning spent with one of her charitable patronages, Action on Addiction. Kate wore a grey printed wrap dress from Max Mara Studio, a style that was extremely flattering and also helped disguise the aforementioned in-demand baby bump from the hordes of press cameras outside the engagement. (Kate Middleton may be four-and-a-half months pregnant and completely recovered from her bout of acute morning sickness, but she certainly won’t be flaunting her pregnancy à la Kim Kardashian anytime soon.)

See Kate Middleton’s outfit up close »

The first official painted portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge was unveiled today in London and reviews are… mixed, to put it lightly. Created by artist Paul Emsley, the painting is quite dark, save for the glowing face of a serene-looking Kate Middleton with more of a Mona Lisa half-smile than the joyful grin we’re used to. “The Duchess explained that she would like to be portrayed naturally—her natural self—as opposed to her official self,” explained Emsley in a video about the work (which you can watch below). And yet, the painting seems much more official than casual—we’re not the only ones who think it would be the perfect portrait to appear on, say, currency? (We can hope!)

The painting does, however, capture Kate Middleton’s enviable hair. “We did say in the beginning we were going to make a feature of her hair, because it is a strong feature about her and everyone, I think, recognizes her in part through her lovely hair,” Emsley noted.

See all of Kate’s recent appearances and outfits »

There seems to be a direct correlation between the amount of time since we last saw Kate Middleton in public and the number of “royal sources” who are more than willing to share reports about our dear Duchess of Cambridge. Case in point: we’ve seen barely a glimpse of Kate since December (a surprise TV appearance was barely satisfying and zoom-lens shots from Christmas provided little intel) and the rumours are running rampant.

First up, the rumour we hope is true: Victoria Beckham will be designing maternity wear for Kate Middleton.

See all of Kate’s recent appearances and outfits »

Kate Middleton’s 31st birthday is next week and, right on schedule, there’s a fresh batch of rumours about what her husband has planned for the big day. Well, we hope Kate stays off the internet until January 9 if she wants to be surprised: Royal sources are claiming that Prince William is on the hunt for a house. Of course, given that he’s the Duke of Cambridge and she’s the Duchess, this isn’t any ordinary piece of real estate. Kate Middleton’s birthday gift is said to be in the £5 million range, as the royal couple want a home on a property so large that it will trump the prying eyes of curious paparazzi and zoom-lens cameras. (Remember what happened in France?)