Duchess Kate 'terrified' of motorbike, vows to keep Prince George off
We've seen a lot of Duchess Kate this week but we almost never hear her speak or even find out much about what she really thinks. Until Friday in Scotland, when we learned that she's no fan of motorbikes.
Prince William and his wife (known as the Earl and Countess of Strathearn when they're in Scotland) were in Dundee for a day of engagements focused on mental health and anti-bullying projects, which both young royals have embraced among their charitable causes.
Kate, who stunned in a scarlet Jenny Packham gown at her first Buckingham Palace state banquet on Tuesday night, then stunned again in a plum lace Dolce&Gabbana dress at a cultural event on Wednesday in London, did not disappoint the crowds of fans who greeted her in Dundee:
She stood out in a royal-blue, slim-fitting houndstooth wool tailored coat and houndstooth mini wool kilt by Scottish designer Christopher Kane, paired with a black turtleneck sweater and black sued boots, according to the blogs that track her fashion.
But it was on a walkabout in Dundee, shaking hands and greeting fans, that she revealed a little bit about herself. She reacted with delight to a little girl who had on a mask of grandmother-in-law Queen Elizabeth II, according to the Express' royal reporter on the scene.
"Where did you find that?" she laughed. Then another well-wisher asked her if Will was still riding his motorbike.
"He's still riding it," she said. "It always fills me with horror when he goes out on it. I'm terrified. Hopefully, I'm going to keep George off it."
Good luck with that, Kate.
Besides helping to de-stigmatize discussion of mental health awareness, today's five-event day in Dundee also offered an chance to return to the university city where the two first met as undergrads more than a decade ago: St. Andrews, where the couple spent Thursday night at the Old Course Hotel and enjoyed a romantic meal.
The couple also checked out the Royal Research Ship Discovery, which carried British explorers Robert Falcon Scott and Ernest Shackleton on their first expedition to the Antarctic at the turn of the 20th century. The ship was built in Dundee and now is a tourist attraction in the heart of the city.