Kate and bump are cream of the crop
SEVEN months pregnant and dressed in a cream coat showing off her burgeoning bump, the Duchess of Cambridge braved a potentially messy painting session yesterday.
Her belted wool £ 580 Max Mara coat survived unscathed as she put the finishing touches to a mural depicting Portsmouth’s rich maritime history.
Kate, who was visiting the Naval port in Hampshire to see the construction site for Sir Ben Ainslie’s new America’s Cup yacht racing headquarters, has a passion for art.
She revealed yesterday that her 18- month- old son, Prince George, also loves to paint with her.
The Duchess, 33, painted in five crewmen, including four- times Olympic gold medallist Sir Ben, on a picture of a racing yacht, concentrating on depicting their bottoms hanging over the side.
“Make it accurate,” Sir Ben told her, as she painted in his bottom.
Reveal
Art teacher James Waterfield from Park Community School in Leigh Park, Havant, stood watching anxiously after shaking hands with her despite having paint on his fingers.
He said: “I was so worried about getting paint on her fantastic cream coat.
“She told me she was painting yesterday with George and she should have brought him down because he loves doing all of this.”
Kate, a keen sailor in her youth, is backing Sir Ben’s bid to win the America’s Cup for Britain for the first time since the yacht race began in 1851.
Sir Ben hopes to employ up to 100 people and pump £ 60million into the economy in Portsmouth, which will become the base for his attempt to win the 35th America’s Cup in 2017.
Later, at the city’s landmark Spinnaker Tower, Kate took off her coat to reveal a £ 99 Alice Temperley Somerset dress before watching a demonstration of indoor sailing.