Kate Middleton brushes off Prince Harry’s attacks in first solo appearance since bombshell biography
Princess of Wales beams with joy as she brushes off Prince Harry’s attacks during visit to Bedfordshire nursery in her first solo appearance since his bombshell biography – after Duke was dragged into a row over British-Iranian’s execution
- Princess of Wales attended the Foxcubs nursery in Luton for a visit as part of early years development work
- The mother-of-three will discuss the importance of early years with staff and the children’s parents
- It is her first solo appearance since Harry was dragged into a diplomatic row over British-Iranian’s execution
- Kate, 41, looked radiant in recycled £349 Massimo Dutti coat and red outfit as she brushed off the controversy
A visit to a nursery was child’s play for the Princess of Wales as she high-fived children as they made face masks and dug in the sand together.
Kate, 41, looked radiant as she met with pupils and teachers in her first public appearance since Prince Harry was dragged into a diplomatic row over Iran’s hanging of a British-Iranian national.
The Prince and Princess of Wales were heavily criticised in the Duke of Sussex’s memoir Spare, with Harry claiming that they both fell out with his wife the Duchess of Sussex. Harry also said William described Meghan as ‘difficult’.
And tensions have been rising as the Iranian regime has used Harry’s claim that he killed 25 Taliban fighters to justify its execution of Alireza Akbari on January 14.
But friends have set Kate is ‘too busy’ with her duties to concern herself over Harry’s book for long – and this was evident today as she met pre-school children and their teachers in Luton, Bedfordshire, as part of her ongoing work on early years development of children.
She was wearing a fitted turtleneck dress from Gabriela Hearst, which costs £1,600, and a £349 Massimo Dutti cashmere camel coat which she first wore in 2020. She completed her outfit with knee-high black boots and her hair was curled.
Peek-a-boo! The Princess of Wales, 41, playfully holds up a mask at the Foxcubs Nursery in Luton this morning
Kate, a mother of three, visited the nursery as part on her ongoing work on early years development
It was Kate’s first appearance since backlash against the Duke of Sussex mounted after the Iranian regime used his admission that he killed 25 Taliban fighters to justify its execution of British-Iranian national Alireza Akbari, 61.
Iran’s foreign ministry posted on Twitter that the UK was ‘in no position to preach’ on human rights after Harry’s comments.
Iran murdered Alireza Akbari after he was accused of being an MI6 spy.
And the Duke of Sussex has now been described as a ‘stupid boy’ for his comments in Spare, in which he also described those he killed as ‘chess pieces’.
Colonel Richard Kemp, a former UK military commander in Afghanistan, said: ‘Harry should take full responsibility for giving ammunition to the murderous Iranian regime’s propaganda machine.
‘While all decent people will reject Iran’s lies, many of their supporters will be strengthened by the ayatollahs’ exploitation of the duke’s ill-judged comments.’
But Kate, who has a passion for early years development and set up the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood in 2021, refused to be drawn into the drama as she continued with her royal duties this morning.
As she arrived at the nursery, Kate thanked the staff members for hosting her and commented on the chilly but bright weather.
She spoke of the ‘cold mornings’ the UK has been having during the cold spell but also said ‘it’s such a beautiful day’ as she shook the hands of staff at the nursery.
A royal upstaging! Ezaan, aged three, shows off his toys and construction hat as Kate some meets other children
Remind you of anyone, Kate? She bursts into laughter as she watches three-year-old Ezaan steal the limelight – similar to Prince Louis’s antics at the Queen’s Jubilee
One girl at the nursery looked the part for Kate’s visit as she wore a Snow White outfit while she played in the sandpit
The Princess of Wales chatted to the girl as she also joined in to play in the sandpit at the nursery
The children laughed as Kate smiled behind a bunny mask which had been created in an arts and crafts session
Who’s behind the mask? The Princess of Wales could barely contain her laughter as she held the bunny mask up to her face
After a chat with the staff at the nursery, Kate sat down for an arts and crafts session with the children – and she even played a game of peek-a-boo with some of their bunny masks.
The princess was captured on camera trying not to break into laughter as she hid her face behind a bunny mask, which had been decorated by the children at the nursery.
Kate’s professional demeanour comes after a source close to Kate told The Mirror she was ‘too busy’ with her duties to pay much heed to the allegations made by Harry in Spare and in the various TV interviews he has done to promote it.
The newspaper reported that while the Princess of Wales had been left ‘baffled’ by Prince Harry’s claims in ‘Spare’, she had ‘already moved on’ as she prepares to launch a programme for early years development for children between the ages of three and five.
Today the Princess of Wales proved her commitment to early years studies and development on her visit to Foxcubs, which has been rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted.
The nursery is run by the Early Years Alliance, and offers 70 places for local children aged between two and five years old – Kate’s main area of focus.
Peek-a-boo! While the Princess began doing arts and crafts with one of the children at the nursery, a cheeky tot put her bunny mask up to her face
Hello there! After realising the cheeky tot next to her was larking about with her mask, the Princess gave her a wave and a smile
Hello again! Kate beamed as she played along with the children’s game of messing around with the bunny masks, which they did not tire of
The mask slips! The adorable tot revealed her identity as she briefly pulled the mask down from her face, looking sweet with her ringlet bunches
Kate’s new little friend looked eager to get in on the action at the other side of the desk as she gestured towards something she wanted to take a look at
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Get Kate’s cosy co-ord by Gabriela Hearst
The Princess of Wales kept the cold at bay during a trip to Foxcubs nursery in Luton this cold and frosty January morning.
Kate wrapped up against the chill in this rib knit co-ord by Gabriela Hearst under her Massimo Dutti coat.
The ‘Peppe’ turtleneck sweater is worn with the ‘Epper’ high-rise midi skirt to create a chic winter look you can also team with boots like Kate’s. Or why not wear as separates: team the turtleneck with denim or style the skirt with a bodysuit.
With endless options, the price tag will soon pay for itself. The good news is the co-ord has landed in the sale and with 40% is even more affordable.
Inspired by Kate’s look, we’ve rounded up knitted co-ords and jumpers so you can see out winter like a royal.
Hard at work! The concentration on this young pupil’s face is immeasurable as the Princess of Wales helps her with a task
The Princess of Wales crouched down to the children’s table as she chatted to them after arriving at the nursery, while one of the little girls showed off her snazzy Nike trainers
Mother-of-three Kate was pictured chatting to the staff at the nursery as she proved her royal duties come first amid growing backlash against her brother-in-law Prince Harry
Regal as ever! Kate, 41, stunned in a Massimo Dutti camel coat and a top and skirt combination from Gabriela Hearst as she arrived at the nursery
The mother-of-three looked radiant in her orange/red turtleneck and camel coat on arrival at the nursery
Children at the nursery are encouraged to learn through play, and places are offered to children of families who are eligible for free childcare.
During her visit, the Princess will meet early childhood teachers and will discuss the role these settings play in shaping a child’s development.
She will also meet the parents whose children attend the nursery and discuss the support they are provided with every day, as well as long term social and emotional development for their children.
This weekend, the royal rift deepened even further after the Duke of Sussex sent a message to his family in an interview with the Telegraph, demanding they apologise to the Duchess of Sussex.
He said: ‘You know what you did, and I now know why you did it. And you’ve been caught out, so just come clean.’
The Duke did not specify what he was referring to, but elsewhere in the interview he revealed more details of what he claims happened behind closed doors before he and Meghan stepped down as senior royals.
He said: ‘It was all so avoidable. But they just couldn’t help themselves.’
He also claimed that ‘if people had listened’ to his concerns earlier, the gulf between he and Meghan and the rest of the royals would not have grown so wide.
Despite the accusations levelled at the royals by the Duke of Sussex, the Princess of Wales seems more popular than ever among royal fans, demonstrated by the enormous crowds of people who queued up to meet her and Prince William, 40, last week.
As the couple visited the Royal Liverpool University Hospital in Merseyside, the Princess was pictured taking selfies with members of the public.
She joked: ‘I’ll get told off by William’ as she posed for snaps -hinting to the Prince of Wales’s dislike of selfies.