The Duchess of Cambridge enjoyed a magical day out at the Royal Opera House – an engagement that her daughter Princess Charlotte would have loved to take part in. Kate, who is a fan of the theatre and ballet, took Charlotte to watch The Nutcracker at the same London venue last Christmas, but on Wednesday morning the Duchess was invited to go backstage to learn more about the opera house.
Kate began her visit in the costume department where she saw the different materials that are used to make costumes. She was given a tour of the pattern room and the dye shop and met costumiers in the work room. She was then introduced to Royal Ballet principal dancers Lauren Cuthbertson, Laura Morera and Vadim Muntagirov, who spoke about their costumes. Before leaving, Kate sat in on the rehearsals for the romantic ballet, The Two Pigeons.
Take a look at the best photos from Kate's day out…
The Duchess was in high spirits as she arrived at the central London venue. She looked classically elegant in a purple Oscar de la Renta skirt suit and had her hair styled in loose waves. Kate completed her look with black patent £595 heels by Rupert Sanderson that featured a gold buckle, and a small black leather handbag by Aspinal of London.
A closer look at Kate's gorgeous Oscar de la Renta outfit, which was made up of a tailored blazer and a pleated skirt. The royal, who loves to recycle her looks, last wore the suit to a mental health conference in February 2017.
Kate last visited the Royal Opera House over Christmas, when she took her daughter Princess Charlotte to see The Nutcracker.
The costume department makes up to 600 opera and ballet costumes each season. Up to 10,000 costumes are used each year by artists from The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera House.
The department has over 5,000 historical items in their collection – some of which date back to 1861. Many of the costumes are maintained and repaired so they can be used time and again.
Kate visited the pattern room, where she was shown the process of creating new costumes, including sourcing fabrics and samples.
She was then taken to the dye shop where staff use a range of techniques to reproduce fabrics that are no longer available – these include dyeing, hand-painting, staining garments and digital printing. Kate saw first-hand some of the costumiers at work.
Over the coming months, the Duchess will explore her interest in the use and manufacture of textiles.
The Duchess, a fan of the ballet, was introduced to principal dancers Lauren Cuthbertson, Laura Morera and Vadim Muntagirov. The ballet trio spoke about their costumes and explained how different factors – such as lighting and movement – influence the design of their costumes.
Before leaving, Kate was invited to sit in and watch the dancers rehearse for The Two Pigeons ballet.