Looking relaxed and on good form, the Duchess of Cambridge got back to work on Thursday after taking a brief maternity leave. The Duchess, née Kate Middleton, was showing off her much talked about new hairstyle, which features a fringe and wearing a chic houndstooth-print dress by Ralph Lauren.
Kate visiting the Anna Freud Centre on Thursday
On her first solo engagment since the birth of Princess Charlotte, the young mother had decided to visit the Anna Freud Centre, which promotes mental health in children, a cause close to her heart. She greeted chairman of the trustees Michael Samuel with a warm kiss – he is the husband of Princess Diana's friend Julia Samuel, who is Prince George's godmother.
The centre is named after the daughter of Sigmund Freud, who was also a psychologist and specialised in children's mental health. In 1952 she founded The Hampstead Clinic, the first child psychoanalytic centre for observational research, teaching and learning and it was renamed in her honour when she died.
Chairman of the trustees Michael Samuel is a family friend of the Cambridges
The Duchess will tour the site of its planned Community Campus near King’s Cross station, which will bring mental health professionals together to exchange ideas and provide training opportunities.
Kate has kept a low profile for the last four months only venturing out to attend the America's Cup World Series in Portsmouth in July, where she appeared in high spirits. She is now keen to get back to public life with a limit programme of engagments.
The 33-year-old has spent the summer at her and Prince William's country retreat Anmer Hall while adjusting to life as a mother-of-two with Charlotte and George.
However, the Cambridges did travel to Balmoral to help the Queen celebrate her achievement in becoming Britain's longest reigning monarch.
It is thought that the Queen gave her grandson's wife a special honour in recognition of all she has contributed to the royal family thus far. Kate is thought to have been awarded the Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II – a personal gift of the monarch.