Kate Middleton Wore Blue Silk to Celebrate the Birthday of the National Health Service

Kate Middleton and Prince William visited the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, Norfolk Sunday, in order to celebrate the 72nd birthday of the NHS.

norfolk, united kingdom july 05 catherine, duchess of cambridge visits queen elizabeth hospital in kings lynn as part of the nhs birthday celebrations on july 5, 2020 in norfolk, england sunday marks the 72nd anniversary of the formation of the national health service nhs the uk has hailed its nhs for the work they have done during the covid 19 pandemic photo by joe giddens wpa poolgetty images
(Image credit: WPA Pool)
  • Kate Middleton and Prince William carried out their first joint in-person engagement since the start of lockdown Sunday, visiting the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England to celebrate the 72nd birthday of the NHS (the U.K.'s National Health Service).
  • The Cambridges met with frontline workers tackling the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Kate wore a blue silk printed dress from one of her favorite brands, Beulah London.

The Cambridges are officially out of lockdown! On Sunday, Kate Middleton and Prince William carried out their first joint in-person engagement since quarantine began, visiting the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, Norfolk (near their country home, Anmer Hall) in order to celebrate the 72nd birthday of the U.K.'s National Health Service. "The NHS is a fantastic organization," Willam said at the event.

Frontline workers at Queen Elizabeth Hospital were also celebrating its 40th birthday, and Kate and William joined them for a tea party. They talked with married nurses Sam Jude and Blessy George, as the Evening Standard and ITV report. "I told them the hospital were like my family as my real family were 6,000 miles away in India," Jude, who returned to work after recovering from COVID-19, told ITV of his conversation with the royals. "They checked in on me all the time and I told them that and they were impressed."

The Cambridges also spoke to operating department practitioner Suzie Vaughan and her daughters, Hettie and Bella. Vaughan spent nine weeks away from her daughters to protect them as she worked through the pandemic. "You did a really good job. It’s amazing how everybody pulled together," Kate told her.

Kate wore a printed silk midi dress in blue—the color of the NHS—for Sunday's event. The Shalini Micro Geo dress was designed by Beulah London, one of Kate's favorite designers, and is still available online for £525 (about $650), though unfortunately the brand's website is currently down for maintenance.

Middleton style trackers What Kate Wore tracked down her gold drop earrings: the Ocean Tides Milky Quartz earrings from Patrick Mavros, which are also shoppable online. Kate finished the look with her trusty Rupert Sanderson Malory pumps in navy suede; while the navy's sold out, you can still buy the heels in black or gray. 

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(Image credit: The Royal Family)
Emily Dixon
Morning Editor

Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.