Royals

Duchess Catherine shines on first solo trip overseas

Crowds in the Netherlands couldn’t help but be charmed by the Duchess of Cambridge.
Duchess Catherine

Duchess Catherine just nailed her first solo overseas trip on royal business without Prince William, Prince George or Princess Charlotte by her side.

The Duchess of Cambridge took a British Airways flight to the Netherlands for the engagement, where she spent a day visiting Rotterdam and The Hague.

Kate was said to be channeling Princess Diana in her gorgeous powder-blue Catherine Walker suit, one of Di’s signature colours.

The Duchess’s first appearance was at a meet and greet with Dutch King Willem-Alexander at Villa Eikenhorst.

See Catherine in action, charming crowds in the Netherlands in the video below. Post continues…

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A perfect tribute to Lady Di from Catherine.

The King officially welcomed the visiting royal over lunch.

“Welcome, welcome, very nice to see you,” The King beamed as he greeted the Duchess.

The mother-of-two then took a trip to the Mauritshuis museum to view the At Home in Holland: Vermeer and his Contemporaries exhibition.

The Duchess and the King had lunch together to begin her trip.

Kate took in the wonders of the museum.

The collection of artworks belongs to the British Royal Collection and would definitely have been a highlight of former art student Kate’s trip.

Catherine was delighted to also take a peek at the gallery’s permanent collection, before meeting with an in-house learning program, and shaking hands with museum supporters.

She’s the girl with the pearl earring!

Kate looked every inch the royal ambassador without Wills by her side.

Next it was onward to the British Ambassador’s residence in The Hague, where she took part in an activity on a subject very close to her heart.

Kate, who just yesterday stepped out with Princes William and Harry for World Mental Health Day, took part in a round-table discussion on addiction, intervention, mental health and family support.

And she was thrilled to meet and greet with the public.

And naturally the Duchess saved the best for last on her busy day out.

She visited Bouwkeet, a brand new community focused initiative in neighbouring city Rotterdam.

The initiative aims to assist those in an economically deprived district.

Duchess Catherine couldn’t believe some of the projects children were working on.

Time for craft class!

Local residents can use community facilities and “pay” for their part by sharing their skills with others, mentoring others and providing education to the wider group.

Bouwkeet also works with local schools to provide workshops for youths to learn to design and build various projects.

WATCH: Duchess Catherine discusses her mental health fears for little Princess Charlotte and Prince George in the video below.

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