It Definitely Looks Like Kate Middleton and Prince William Had Two Secret Engagements Yesterday

Yesterday, with the big reveal of Meghan Markle's friends sweetly coming to her defense over wild rumors and family drama, it looks like we totally missed the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge going about their royal duties like it's no big thing.

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(Image credit: Karwai Tang)

Yesterday, with the big reveal of Meghan Markle's friends sweetly coming to her defense over wild rumors and family drama (which I loved, btw), it looks like we totally missed the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge going about their royal duties like it's no big thing. I absolutely love it when the royals make secret (a.k.a. unannounced) visits, because even though it deprives me of some gorgeous outfit of Kate that gives me outfit envy, it's nice to envision the royals busily doing their job even when the cameras aren't rolling.

So first to William's. His is more straightforward, based on the Twitter account Gert's Royals. He visited Mental Health Innovations at Phoenix Brewery. We know the brothers love a good pint at the local pub, so this must have been a fun one for William. We do know this week is #ChildrensMentalHealthWeek, and the Fab Four and particularly the Cambridges are focused on mental health as a special focus.

At least we know something about William's engagement, because we know barely anything about Kate's. All we know is that Kate had a solo engagement at Buckingham Palace:

So we just know that Kate hosted a dinner, but we don't know with whom or why. What could it have been?? What food did she serve?? I MUST KNOW.

Kate earlier this week made an official visit to Lavendar Primary School in support of Place2Be in a gorgeous neon green dress. Kensington Palace just tweeted Place2Be's mission this week, which is to help "children, young people and adults to look after their bodies and their minds."

As a matter of fact, today is apparently #TimeToTalk day, where everyone is encouraged to have a conversation about mental health. So could it have been something around this particular issue? Honestly, at this point I've just put on my tin foil hat and am speculating wildly, and we may never know what the meeting was about. But I love the vision of Kate hosting a fabulous, flawless party at the palace regardless, and in my mind she's wearing my favorite dress of hers—that teal Jenny Packham.

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Katherine J. Igoe
Contributing Editor

Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York TimesParentsInStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLEHarper’s BazaarSeventeenGood Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award. 

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeanshow sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.