Duchess Kate Visits Children's Playground
The duchess is on royal duties after her British Vogue cover was revealed.
— -- After a whirlwind weekend where Duchess Kate, a mom of two, turned into a cover girl for British Vogue, it is back to work today for the future queen of England.
The Duchess of Cambridge, 34, has a busy day ahead focusing on some of her patronages. Her first stop was Hampton Court Palace, where she opened Magic Garden, a new children's playground area.
The garden includes grottos, towers and a 25-foot sculpted dragon. Kate reportedly told the school children at the playground that her son, 2-year-old Prince George, would love the dragon but be a bit scared by it, too.
Kate also told school children that, in addition to their beloved cocker spaniel, Lupo, the royals also have a pet hamster named Marvin at home, according to ABC News' royal contributor Victoria Murphy.
The duchess wore to Hampton Court Palace a Michael Kors blue coat that she previously wore in Australia in 2014 while on a royal tour there with Prince William and Prince George. Kate also wore nude heels and accented her outfit with a small nude clutch.
Later today, Kate will visit the Anna Freud Centre for her first engagement as its new patron. The duchess is lending her support at a lunch on her favorite cause, childhood mental health, and will meet with families who have benefited from the center's work.
Kate, the mother of Prince George and Princess Charlotte, has been a passionate advocate of children's mental health, trying to end the stigma and silence surrounding mental health problems. In February, to mark Children's Mental Health Week in the U.K., Kate released a public service announcement video encouraging parents and children to seek help.
Last week, Kate teamed up with Prince William and Prince Harry to launch a new joint initiative, The Heads Together Campaign, to help tackle the stigma surrounding mental illness.
Today, Kate will end her day with a visit to the National Portrait Gallery where she will view two of the photos in the "Vogue 100: A Century of Style" exhibition. Kate, an art enthusiast and avid photographer, is Charitable Patron of the National Portrait Gallery and does what she can to raise the profile of the museum, located in London's Trafalgar Square.
Kate was photographed by British photographer Josh Olins for the cover of British Vogue to celebrate the magazine's 100th anniversary, in a collaboration with the National Portrait Gallery.
For the magazine, available on newsstands June 5, the duchess was photographed in the Norfolk countryside. British Vogue editor-in-chief Alexander Shulman said the photos captured Kate's great sense of humor.
Even the family's dog, Lupo, made a guest appearance in the photos. Kate is said to have wanted the look to be "informal" and to depict her "countryside" roots.
"She didn’t want to be dressed as a fashion plate and was not keen to be shot in gala gowns and tiaras," reads a description in the magazine's June issue.
In five new photos, Kate can be seen in a plaid shirt by Cabbages and Roses and in a retro jean overalls ensemble by AG Jeans and a red turtleneck. Perhaps most stunning is Duchess Kate casually chic dressed in a lovely, long leather coat as she sits atop a bicycle.
Kate and William split their time between Anmer Hall in Norfolk and Kensington Palace in London. Like any mother multitasking and juggling two kids and work, Kate amusingly drove herself to the shoot in her Range Rover with her hair in curlers, the magazine revealed.
British Vogue's Shulman wrote of Kate in the June issue, "We drank coffee and everyone prepped until the duchess arrived, in jeans and a parka, her hair in big rollers, with a bright, inclusive smile."
"She walked through the small cottage door with her hairdresser, Amanda Tucker, who was dragging a wheelie case of products," Shulman wrote. "The duchess joked about how she must have appeared to anyone who saw her driving the car in her rollers, before introducing herself to everyone she hadn’t yet met."
British Vogue editors said Kate came ready to work with an utter "lack of vanity." The shoot, which took place in the frigid, biting cold, had Kate allowing the stylists latitude to do as they wished, all without complaint.