Today’s Monday Memory is a good one. We are looking back to June 10, 2018. Kate was at the Beaufort Polo Club with George and Charlotte in tow to watch William play in the Maserati Royal Charity Polo Trophy. She was less than two months postpartum, but baby Louis was not along for the day in the sunshine.
The then-Duchess of Cambridge was wearing an easy breezy cotton dress by Zara with a button front—a necessity for nursing moms, as I found out last year. (For some reason, I thought I’d be able to “get by” without button fronts. Lunacy. Three-quarters of my closet was benched postpartum.) Anyway, Kate paired her pretty dress with Russell & Bromley Espadrilles and Ray-Ban sunglasses.
She was carrying a Victoria Beckham white tote, which appeared to have treats and toys for George and Charlotte in it.
In contrast to the glitzier match William now plays annually in Windsor, these matches back in the day were a real mix of public and private, and at this one, certainly, the public got to peek into the private lives of the royals as they casually gathered, their children playing in the grass, and enjoyed a festive afternoon together.
The photos from this day are still some of my favorites from Kate’s time as a mother. She was just glowing and natural during the afternoon out surrounded by family and close friends. I also loved how confident and relaxed she was approximately a month and a half from giving birth. Although I think Kate bounced back very quickly, she did not look like she was killing herself to get there (nor did she hide from public appearances before she was back to her usual size), and I appreciate that more relaxed and self-confident approach to the healing time.
She was the picture of radiant motherhood.
Back to the present…today, we are also celebrating Prince George’s 11th birthday. The Palace released a black and white picture of the young prince looking very dapper and grown up! It was taken at Windsor by the Princess of Wales sometime earlier this month.
I also loved this at the time and still do! I’m 8 weeks postpartum myself currently and definitely finding new reliance on those shirt dresses! I’m 10 years older than Kate was here (I’m currently 46, she was 36 at that time), but even so, it’s impressive to see a newly postpartum mama sprinting down that hill!
That picture truly *is* the picture of radiant motherhood, it's true. I loved this appearance and watching Catherine interact with her children and the children interact with the other children. Such a fun event. And that one button popping undone always makes me smile - such a normal, new mum moment.