The Duchess of Cambridge and the Queen undertook their first joint engagement outside Buckingham Palace on Tuesday as they paid a visit to King's College London. And as they arrived at the university, photos from inside their car show them both sharing a blanket on their laps. The pair sat next to each other, and were all smiles as they stepped out to open Bush House, the latest education and learning facilities on the college's Strand Campus. Members of the royal family are often spotted with a blanket on their laps while travelling. Both the Queen and Kate have been seen with the blue blanket on their laps on previous trips, doing so in order to keep warm.
Kate and the Queen shared a blanket as they drove to King's College
The royal duo were all smiles during their visit to King's College – which the Queen is patron of. They toured the facilities and met supporters of the development, while the Queen unveiled a plaque to formally open Bush House. The 92-year-old monarch has been to many events with Kate in the past, but this was the first with just the two of them. In 2012 – nearly a year after William and Kate's royal wedding, the pair travelled to Leicester to mark the first date of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee tour of the UK – where Prince Philip also joined them.
READ: The Queen and Kate's close relationship - all the best photos
This was the royal duo's first joint solo engagement
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Kate has always been very respectful of the Queen, and gave only daughter Charlotte the middle name of Elizabeth. The Duchess has previously spoken about her grandmother-in-law during a rare interview in ITV documentary, Our Queen at 90. Kate revealed in it that she didn't know what to give the Queen for Christmas but settled on homemade chutney made from her own grandmother's recipe. "She (the Queen) really cares," Kate said. "I can remember being at Sandringham, for the first time, at Christmas. And I was worried what to give the Queen as her Christmas present. I was thinking, 'Gosh, what should I give her?' I thought back to what I would give my own grandparents. And I thought, 'I'll make her something.' Which could have gone horribly wrong. But I decided to make my granny's recipe of chutney."
The Duchess added: "I was slightly worried about it, but I noticed the next day that it was on the table. I think such a simple gesture went such a long way for me and I've noticed since she's done that on lots of occasions and I think it just shows her thoughtfulness, really, and her care in looking after everybody."
Kate and the Queen arrive at King's College London
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