Kate Middleton Steps Out in the Perfect Fall Look (That Has a Connection to Meghan Markle!)
Kate Middleton is having a solo day out!
The royal mom paid a visit to the Natural History Museum, of which she is patron, on Wednesday to learn how the Angela Marmont Centre for U.K. Biodiversity is helping to protect wildlife in the U.K.
Kate embraced fall in green khaki culottes (her new go-to style) from one of her favorite brands, Jigsaw, and a burgundy sweater with a scalloped neckline and sleeves and eyelet detail by Warehouse. She carried a matching deep purple Chanel purse.
Kate and sister-in-law Meghan Markle both share a connection to the British retailer, Jigsaw. Meghan’s recent charity capsule collection for Smart Works features trousers from Jigsaw — which is where the Duchess of Cambridge worked when she was dating Prince William.
Kate worked as an accessories buyer for the clothing brand in 2006. She landed the job after she personally contacted Belle Robinson, the brand’s founder and a family friend.
During Wednesday’s outing, Kate will view some of the museum’s specimens and see DNA sequencing in action, done to identify the tiniest insects and microorganisms playing a part in the environment.
The scientific hub located within the museum is dedicated to the study of the country’s natural world, helping to study and understand over 80,000 species known to exist in the U.K. It is also focused heavily on conservation efforts — and encouraging young people to do their part in protecting nature.
Kate, 37, who has taken her children to the museum on previous occasions, looked at collections of plants and insects, including butterflies.
“I remember seeing the butterfly collection with George,” she said, recalling a visit with Prince William and their son to the museum’s Sensational Butterflies exhibition in 2014 just before her son’s first birthday.
She peered into a tank to view a selection of insects taken from one of the ponds earlier that morning in the museum’s wildlife garden.
“It’s fun to try to identify the types of spiders,” she said.
The royal loves spending time outside with her three children — Prince George, 6, Princess Charlotte, 4, Prince Louis, 1 — and speaks highly of the positive effect the outdoors can have on physical and mental well-being.
“Spending time in nature can play a pivotal role in helping children grow up to become happy, healthy adults,” Kate said in a statement announcing her support for Backyard Nature, a U.K.-wide campaign started by a group of children from Liverpool. “The great outdoors provides an open playground for children to have fun and learn lifelong skills — from balance and coordination to empathy and creativity — with their friends, their parents, their carers, or their family members. I hope the Backyard Nature campaign inspires children, families and communities to get outside and engage with nature, wherever they live.”
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Kate, who become the museum’s patron in 2013, has previously said that both Prince George and Princess Charlotte love going to the Natural History Museum — especially to see the dinosaur exhibit.
“Like many of you here tonight, I remember visiting the Natural History Museum as a child, and being inspired with a love of nature,” she said during a July 2017 visit. “And now, as a parent myself, I am experiencing the joy all over again with my own children, who adore coming here, and it is not just to see the T-Rex mind you.”
