The Duchess chatting with members of the press

Earlier this week, the Queen welcomed about 350 journalists and photographers into Buckingham Palace to kick-start her diamond jubilee celebrations.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were also there for the event, as well as Prince Philip, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall.

Kate looked lovely in a green Mulberry shirt dress (currently sold out) and Prince William looked refreshed after hopefully getting some much needed sleep following his rescue of Russian seamen whose vessel sank off the Irish Sea.

In an article published about the event the Mirror called this “her chicest dress to date (Sarah Burton wedding gowns not included).”

Well done Kate!  We’re already anticipating what she’ll wear for the diamond jubilee events in the year to come!

Here at UK we love that Kate is a down-to-Earth royal and the fact that she shops at places we do (such as Zara – in pictures seen this weekend on Popsugar), but apparently not everyone recognizes her in normal clothes.

Kate goes shopping over the weekend at a London Zara store

Over the weekend the Duchess made a surprise visit to an art therapy charity and as you can seen in this picture from the Daily Mail, dressed down for the occasion in jeans and a sweater. Apparently her outfit wasn’t the Cinderella-style the kids were expecting! One youngster said, “She doesn’t look like a Princess. Where’s her dress?”

The Duchess stops for a quick pose before hopping in her car

Dressed down or not, we think she looked as lovely as usual!

The engagement annoucement

It’s hard to believe a year has already passed, but one year ago today, Nov. 16, William and Kate publicly announced their engagement!

Kate stepped out to a flurry of flashbulbs wearing the now-iconic Issa engagement dress and Princess Diana’s sapphire engagement ring.

They later sat down for an interview which was the first time most people had heard Kate speak! If you want to relive the excitement of the day you can watch the full engagement interview here.

What a whirlwind year it’s been for the happy couple!

Kate Stuns the Crowd

Hello, readers! We’ve been busy with work and holiday travel as of late. Alas, we are back and ready to do some royal reporting!

What better time to start than tonight, where Kate shined in a flowing gown as she and Wills hosted a charity dinner at St. James’s Palace for the National Memorial Arboretum Appeal. Will is a patron of the charity fund that intends to raise £12 million to turn the Arboretum, near Lichfield, Staffordshire, which honors those who have sacrificed their lives for their country, into a world-renowned centre for Remembrance.

If Kate was feeling blue after learning that William is due to begin a six-week stint in the Falkland Islands beginning in January, she didn’t let it show. The Duchess of Cambridge shined in a silver satin and chiffon gown that PEOPLE reports was designed by Jenny Packham. Her hubby looked dapper as ever in his trademark tuxedo.

We’re guessing that since Kate chose a flowing dress again that it will do nothing to keep the pregnancy rumors at bay. In our opinion…we’re thinking a no-go on the heir just yet. Your thoughts?