William and Kate's Anniversary Trip to Scotland

And why Kate's fashion choices were right one point.

William and Kate completed a two-day trip to Scotland’s Inner Hebrides yesterday as they marked fourteen years of marriage. In the run-up to this visit, it was widely reported that the couple had never visited this part of Scotland, but that apparently was not the case. The Daily Mail ran an exclusive on Tuesday with background on the couple’s first visit to the island in 2005:

In fact the couple stayed on the island in the Inner Hebrides in 2005 following their final exams at St Andrew's University, where they first met and fell in love.

Along with a group of friends they rented Victoria Cottage on Breadalbane Street in Tobermory, famous as the brightly-coloured town of Balamory in the children's television series featuring Josie Jump and PC Plum.

William, 22, Kate, 23, and their group enjoyed a four-day, self-catering stay at their holiday let overlooking the harbour before they returned to university for their gradation that June.

Among other details, the Mail also reported:

Discussing their visit this week, a source told the Mail yesterday: 'William and Kate were here previously. They were open to the public, just a normal couple enjoying a break away.

'They had fun with the local neighbours with a water bomb match and had a BBQ with them too.

'They were just very normal people, without any royal airs and graces. It was really nice to see.'

Another said: 'There was a whole gang on them just having a break, all very chilled. There was no fuss or fanfare and because William acted so low-key and normal, all the people around here did too.'

They added: 'The funny thing was that Princess Anne was also visiting the island at the same time and they both ended up in the Co-op together.

'What at the chances of having two members of the Royal Family here at the same time - and in the same shop?

'Anne comes here a lot when she stops off on her boat, but it was very funny to see them both queuing together - William was standing behind her.

The Palace had said the two had been wanting to visit for a while, and perhaps this background gives even more meaning to their return 20 years later.

I was interested to see that there was a bit of a fuss about Kate’s clothes. A number of people expressed disappointment and the feeling that she has abandoned fashion. All my regular readers know that I am keen for Kate to maintain a healthy eye for fashion and to give that part of her job the attention it deserves.

But I thought that Kate did a perfectly fine job in the fashion department for this trip. One look at the preview of events suggested that Kate’s wardrobe would be casual. Despite that, she debuted a number of pieces to make her casual ensembles pop.

On her first day—her anniversary—Kate debuted a beautiful herringbone double-breasted blazer from Holland Cooper and a lovely chambray blouse from Boden that had me thinking of adding more chambray to my closet. She paired these pieces with trousers and shoes we are all familiar with, but the introduction of the blouse and blazer were sufficient to make it a new look.

Kate also debuted new Kiki McDonough earrings, which absolutely delighted me! I love to see Kate in Kiki.

On Wednesday, the Princess again debuted new primary pieces. Kate wore a new Ralph Lauren soft blazer over another new Boden blouse and a new sweater from Johnstons of Elgin. I wonder if the sweater was a Christmas present from Charles, since multiple members of the BRF were spotted in a scarf made by Johnstons of Elgin as part of a collaboration between Highgrove and the King’s Foundation, and which it was reported Charles had gifted to family members this past Christmas.

Whether Charles gave it to her or not, it was a lovely piece and new to her collection. In short, Kate wore new and varied looks on both days. Kate’s fashion has never been avant-garde. For Kate, her focus on fashion is expressed by continually curating a tasteful, flattering, and event-appropriate wardrobe that looks beautiful on her and makes other women stop and think, how lovely. Although Kate is very good at repeating, introducing new pieces is an important part of adding interest and excitement, and she didn’t flinch from that in the least this week.

Both her ensembles were appropriate for the casual, country nature of the trip while also providing royal fans lots of new and lovely pieces to consider and enjoy. Her looks were classic but also fresh.

I thought this visit was a wonderful, and it was so good to see William and Kate out on a mini-tour enjoying each other, the locals, and their royals duties. The Princess looked relaxed and beautiful with a lighter tint to her hair, and, as I say, I loved her casual fashion choices.

As many of you know, Meghan Markle recently used HRH in a card to a friend. I saw it, and I will be sharing my thoughts in the next newsletter.