British Royalty, The Princesses Victoria and Maude, portrait, pic: circa 1890, The sisters are the daughters of the Prince and Princess of Wales
William and Kate, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have been criticised for managing fewer annual engagements than Charles and Diana at the same stage of their life.
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As the Victoria & Albert museum reopened its doors to the public for the first time this year, their royal patron, the Duchess of Cambridge, paid a special visit to mark the occasion and enjoyed a tour of two leading exhibitions. The Duchess was very excited to have the opportunity to visit again, revealing she had to "cancel three previous trips" due to Covid-19. As she was welcomed, she said, "It's nice to be here." The Evening Standard reports Gallery assistant Niede Gentelini told her, "The museum is this beautiful because to the collections, it is the soul of the museum. We are very happy to welcome you." To which Kate replied, "People have been craving art. All this beauty is not so beautiful if people aren’t here to see it." The Duchess became the V&A's first royal patron in 2018. At the time, the Palace said it was chosen as it "reflects Her Royal Highness’s continued personal interest in the visual arts, photography and design". The museum was officially opened by Queen Victoria in 1857. Over four decades later, the laying of the foundation stone of the Aston Webb building (to the left of the main entrance) on 17 May 1899 marked the last official public appearance by the monarch. It was during this ceremony that a change of name from the South Kensington Museum to the Victoria and Albert Museum was made public. Queen Victoria's address during the ceremony, as recorded in the London Gazette, ended: "I trust that it will remain for ages a Monument of discerning Liberality and a Source of Refinement and Progress." Today, the V&A is the world’s leading museum of art, design, education and performance with collections "unrivalled in their scope and diversity". It was established to make works of art available to all and to inspire British designers and manufacturers. Today, the V&A’s collection spans more than 5,000 years of human creativity, showcasing work in virtually every medium and from many parts of the world. The pandemic has been an incredibly trying time for the arts sector, but hopes are high the museum will not have to close its doors again. Kate first viewed Raphael Court, home to the Raphael Cartoons. It has undergone an extensive nine-month refurbishment to mark the 500th anniversary of the artist's death. Kensington Palace noted: "A set of seven full-scale designs for tapestry painted by Raphael, the Cartoons were commissioned in 1515 by Pope Leo X for the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel and are considered to be one of the greatest treasures of the Renaissance." Below, Paul Preaching at Athens (Acts 17: 16 – 34), cartoon. The Raphael Cartoons are widely considered one of the finest treasures of the Renaissance in the UK. More on the challenges Raphael encountered in their creation from the V&A: 'In designing the Cartoons, Raphael faced three challenges. Firstly, he had to comply with the existing decoration of the Sistine Chapel (completed in the early 1480s) and adapt his design to the style of the previous generation. Secondly, he had to create a design that would meaningfully translate from a work on paper to the less subtle medium of tapestry. And thirdly, he had to account for the fact that his designs would be reversed during the weaving process. The tapestries would be created Brussels (today in Belgium) using low-warp looms which produce a reversed image of the original design. Raphael would have to anticipate this in their compositions. Although Italy had at that time several centres of textile production, Brussels had made a speciality of tapestry weaving since the early 14th century.' Kate heard about the restorative work and the newly refreshed gallery, which now features digital experiences. The cartoons are on loan to the museum from Her Majesty the Queen. From there, Kate visited the V&A’s landmark 2021 exhibition 'Alice: Curiouser and Curiouser'. The exhibition is the first of its kind to fully explore the impact of the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland culturally and its inspirations for figures such as Vivienne Westwood, the Beatles and Yayoi Kusama. Below 'A Mad Tea Party' by Salvador Dali. 300 objects are on display covering the themes of art, fashion, music, photography and adaptations of the book across 158 years. Below, an illustration from the first published edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, illustrated by John Tenniel, 1866. I very much enjoyed 'Wonder, madness and magic: illustrating Alice in Wonderland with Kristjana S Williams'. Kate has long been fascinated by Lewis Carroll, choosing the English writer as the subject of her dissertation at St Andrews University, titled "Angels from Heaven: Lewis Carroll’s Photographic Interpretation of Childhood". The Evening Standard reports: 'She was firstly introduced to Tony Ryan, from the technical services team and was told he recently had the task of carefully moving Canova’s The Three Graces down to its new position in the museum’s sculpture gallery. “That’s some responsibility!” joked the duchess. He also told her the last year had been “tough” but the staff had been brought back in “bit by bit” and kept in social bubbles. “I am so glad for you and well done. [on the statue],” said Kate.' A peek inside the display. Look closer...👀🔊 pic.twitter.com/YG2y4m0RAU — The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) May 19, 2021 Finally, Kate spoke to a group of staff who shared their experiences from the past year and their delight the doors of the museum are open again. The Duchess chose a dress by Alessandra Rich today. The Pleated Houndstooth Silk Midi Dress is described as, "Elegantly tailored with a pleated drop-waist skirt, Alessandra Rich's midi dress is perfect for wearing both in and out of the office. It's made from silk in a two-tone houndstooth motif and complete with an exaggerated collar." The piece is made in Italy. Christine suggests Kate's earrings are the £14.50 ASOS gold plated twist hoop earrings. Another possible suggestion from Christine, the Twisted Sphere Hoop Earrings by & Other Stories. Made in Paris, they retail for just £17. The Duchess layered her Spells of Love necklace with her Asprey Woodland Charm Necklace. Kate carried her Mulberry black suede clutch. Kate's new black suede pumps are the Jennifer Chamandi Lorenzo 105 style with a gold buckle. They are also available in a shorter 85mm here. The Duchess also wore a black face mask by Amaia Kids. With thanks to Katie, Elizabeth, Gabi and Christine for their ID work on this look. ************ A very busy week ahead for the Cambridges with news just confirmed the couple will undertake a tour of Scotland tying in with William's role as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Kensington Palace announced: 'In his role as Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, Prince William will spend a week in Scotland from Friday 21st May to Thursday 27th May. The Duchess of Cambridge will join him from Monday 24th May and together they will visit Edinburgh and Fife, in addition to embarking on their first official joint trip to Orkney. Their Royal Highnesses look forward to meeting a wide variety of people across the country, as well as charities and organisations who are doing incredible work on issues such as the environment, mental health, homelessness and addiction. The Duke and Duchess will host several events during the week to thank individuals that have gone above and beyond to support their communities over the last year including NHS staff, frontline workers, emergency responders, volunteers, and the military. The Duke will invite emergency responders to watch the Scottish Cup Final with him at a rooftop bar and as joint patrons of NHS Charities Together, the Duke and Duchess will host NHS staff from Scotland at a unique drive-in cinema to watch a special screening of Disney’s Cruella at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.' A highlight of the trip will be a return to St Andrews University where the couple met almost twenty years ago. It promises to be a packed week filled with engagements. As noted above, Kate will join William from Monday. ************ In other news, another moving video call has been shared from Kate's conversations with Hold Still participants last autumn. Hayley Evans, who took the deeply poignant photo of her grandparents lying side by side in hospital was one of the most emotive photos in the exhibition. Finally, congratulations are in order for Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. Buckingham Palace confirmed today, the couple are expecting their first child in the autumn.
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