The Princess of Wales recalled her student days as she visited a university in the East Midlands today.
Kate, 41, chatted to students at Nottingham Trent University where she spoke about the importance of young people’s mental health and explained: “I would love to be a student again!”
For the visit, the mother-of-three opted for a £110 cream knit top from one of her favorite brands, Sezane, and a matching £135 skirt – a break from the deluge of suits she has chosen at her recent engagements, when she visited the university campus.
She paired her outfit with camel pumps, chose elegant teardrop-shaped pearl earrings and wore her thick brunette locks tucked behind one ear. She accessorized with her £365 Mini Holly Bag from Tusting.
Kate’s solo visit to the university follows her joint engagement with Prince William in Birmingham yesterday, where the couple hosted a forum on young people’s mental health with BBC Radio 1.
The Princess of Wales broke out of her suiting routine upon her arrival at Nottingham Trent University this morning
While the Princess this morning hears from students how the university is supporting them to maintain healthy mental health, her husband William will tour an emergency center in Milton Keynes to learn how blue light workers are caring for their mental health in the face of difficult and traumatic circumstances Events they experience.
Nottingham Trent University is working with its counterpart, the University of Nottingham, to support its students in caring for their wellbeing through a community-based approach.
As part of her visit, Kate visited a freshers’ fair-style exhibition designed to demonstrate how students’ mental health is cared for.
She also finds out about the universities’ peer-to-peer support system and talks to three students about how the mentoring program works.
It wasn’t long before the princess was chatting with the students on campus, smiling while cracking jokes
The princess’ all-cream knit ensemble marked a change in the weather as unusually warm October temperatures begin to drop
The princess smiled as she chatted with a young woman who was queuing to meet her in the cool weather
After chatting with the royal fan who had gathered for her meeting, Kate happily posed for a selfie
The princess waved to the huge crowds of royal fans who had gathered outside the campus to meet her
One of the royal fans had given the princess a bouquet of flowers that included pink and red buds and eucalyptus leaves
The princess took the hand of one of the well-wishers lining up outside the university to say hello
As Kate stopped to chat with some of the students, people pulled out their phones and tried to take a photo of the royal family
Kate’s stunning bouquet included deep pink roses combined with fuchsia colors and eucalyptus leaves
The royal mother of three carried the flowers and her Tusting Mini Holly bag in one hand as she left campus
As she left the university campus, the Princess of Wales shook hands with John Peace, Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire, who had accompanied her
As she finished her tour of the university, Princess Kate took part in a tour where she met some students
During her visit, Kate spoke to students and talked about her love of sport, which she was able to explore at university
Princess Kate joked that she would like to be a student again as she chatted to other students about her mental health
Speaking to students, Princess Kate joked that she would “love to be a student again” as she reminisced about her St. Andrew’s days
During her meetings with students, the Princess of Wales was presented with teddy bears wearing graduation gowns
Princess Kate took part in a discussion with students, mentors and university staff about how they look after their mental health
The King sat down for a table discussion about how to protect mental health by building a strong support network and learned about the university’s tracking system to monitor how well students are engaging
During the discussion, the Princess heard from other students about their own mental health
Princess Kate chatted to students and student union members about ensuring wellbeing
The discussion is part of a busy morning of activities during which the King will hear how universities are supporting their students
The princess kept her makeup simple for the occasion, choosing a nude lip, a touch of blush and a swipe of eyeliner
The mother of three, who is passionate about improving mental health, listened carefully as students spoke to her about the support they receive
The royal mother-of-three beamed as she met with university students taking part in peer-to-peer mentoring
Students lined up to speak to the Princess about her mental health initiatives and the support they receive from their institutions
As she entered the student union past the large white pillars, the princess looked at the royal fans who had gathered to see her
While speaking to students in a Nottinghamshire Live video about her time at university, Kate revealed how much she loves challenging herself in music, sport and art.
She added that she encourages her own children to “try new things.”
The Princess said: “University for me was the time where I learned to try something out because there is so much to offer there.”
Then she joked, “I’d like to be a student again!” and the room erupted in laughter.
Kate focused on the type of activity she had always been drawn to and noted her love for sports. She told the students, “I love being outside.”
In particular, she mentioned how she tried out hockey and tennis in St. Andrews, where she met her future husband Prince William – but also developed her love of photography at the photography club.
When Princess Kate arrived at the university campus, she was met by a cheering crowd who had gathered to meet her
Princess Kate was led into the student union by university officials
As part of her visit, the Princess of Wales attended a Freshers Fair-style exhibition on mental health
Princess Kate was led around the Nottingham Trent University Students’ Union by its President Anna O’Hara
The 41-year-old Princess of Wales opted for a knitted two-piece in a nude tone, paired with nude pumps and a clutch
The princess looked a little windswept as her thick brunette locks were buffeted by the gusts upon her arrival
As she entered an East Midlands University campus building, students lined up to take photos of the royal family
The princess smiled as she arrived at the university campus, where she will speak to students about her mental health
Princess Kate’s arrival at Nottingham Trent University marks her second consecutive engagement focused on mental health
Kate’s knitted cream co-ord comes from one of her favorite brands, French label Sezane. The top costs £110 and the bottom costs £135
When the Princess of Wales arrived on campus, she broke off her suit streak and slipped into the cream two-piece
Her ribbed sweater with button detailing on the sleeves was seen as Princess Kate waved to fans
Princess Kate wore her thick brunette locks tucked behind one ear and styled into loose, cascading curls
Princess Kate’s knitted two-piece was a departure from the series of suits she has worn in public appearances recently
Princess Kate doesn’t shy away from taking part in group activities and also takes part in Step in Circle – a workshop part of Nottingham Trent’s induction program for new students.
The method is used as part of the university’s welcome workshop for new students. The aim of the workshop is to increase the newcomers’ confidence and inform them about the support networks and tools available to them.
Finally, Her Royal Highness will hear how Nottingham Trent University uses data from student behavior to identify those who may be unwell.
The university created a “dashboard” that uses learning analytics to measure a student’s engagement with their course.
If a student stops engaging, this may indicate issues with their wellbeing and prompts the University to proactively reach out to understand the student’s reason and help them find appropriate support.
The information is also shared directly with students to help them manage their own learning and is used for personalized support and tutorial discussions with teachers.
During a forum on young people’s mental health in Birmingham yesterday, the Princess of Wales gave a rare, stirring speech about how young people should get in touch with their emotions so they can monitor their own wellbeing.
In a touching gesture, the Princess chose to wear a pair of star earrings that had been gifted to her earlier this year by a woman who lost her 17-year-old daughter Issy Renton to suicide.
After meeting Kate earlier this year, Ms Renton said: “My daughter Issy took her own life.” Proceeds from the earrings will go to a charity called Brave Minds, a mental health charity that supports children who use the platforms used by rugby clubs. Mental health is such an important issue.
“She was wonderful, Issy, a real breath of fresh air.” She had wonderful, wonderful friends and surrounded herself with the best people.
“She had her life together, did so well in her A-levels, she wanted to join an elite rugby program, she paid for touch rugby for England and won a gold medal in the summer.”
“But she also struggled with depression. Everything was more difficult than it should be. “We thought she was obviously doing better than she was.”
Ms Renton added that Kate had told her she would wear the earrings in the future.
What was Kate’s life like at St. Andrew’s University?
During her visit to Nottingham Trent University today, the Princess of Wales recalled her own time studying at St Andrews in Edinburgh.
When talking to students, she said: “I would like to be a student again!”
The 41-year-old royal added: “University for me was the time where I learned to have a go because there is so much to offer.”
Kate focused on the type of activity she had always been drawn to and noted her love for sports. She told the students, “I love being outside.”
In particular, she mentioned how she tried out hockey and tennis in St. Andrews, where she met her future husband Prince William – but also developed her love of photography at the photography club.
When she first enrolled at university to study art history, she often bumped into Prince William, having first laid eyes on each other during freshers’ week.
In order to earn some extra money while studying, the hard-working Kate took a part-time job as a waitress.
During the broadcast of the Christmas TV special ‘A Berry Royal Christmas’, the Princess spoke about her experiences working in the hospitality industry with the show’s host, Mary Berry.
As the couple prepared drinks for the first alcohol-free bar, Brink in Liverpool, she said: “Reminds me of my university days when I did a bit of waitressing.”
But when Mary asked if Kate had done a good job, she got a very honest answer: “No, I was terrible!”
As well as being active in several sports teams and holding down a part-time job, Kate also did charity work while studying – with one particular event catching William’s attention.
In 2002, Kate, then 20, attended a fashion show at the five-star Fairmont St Andrews Hotel, showing off on the catwalk in a sheer black and gold silk dress with visible black underwear.
After she and William started dating, Kate moved out of the dorm and into a house with the royals and some other friends – but they didn’t quite live the lifestyle of the average student.
The couple’s Edinburgh apartment had bomb-proof doors, bullet-proof windows and a high-tech laser security system.
Kate was known to enjoy eating out during her college years and is said to have visited the Jahangir curry restaurant with her then-boyfriend. The royal couple were also “regulars” at local takeaway Anstruther Fish Bar.
In her third year of university, Kate moved with Prince William into Balgove House on the private Strathtyrum Estate – an impressive four-bedroom property owned by one of William’s distant cousins.
There, Kate and William hosted dinner parties for their friends – and even had a champagne fridge.