SO WILLS, WHAT WERE YOU UP TO?
On duty: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in Paris yesterday after his boys’ holiday in the Alps
WHAT she said behind closed doors as her husband returned from a lads’ ski weekend is anybody’s guess.
But the Duchess of Cambridge was smiling and composed as she and Prince William tried to put the furore behind them yesterday.
Appearing in public for the first time since the duke was accused of being workshy for missing a Commonwealth event to party in a Swiss resort, they had a busy day of official events.
First, the couple attended a St Patrick’s Day parade in London at which they drank Guinness, with Kate sipping her pint rather gingerly.
They then flew to Paris – William’s first official visit there since his mother Diana’s death there 20 years ago – where they squeezed in three events including a speech in which William vowed Brexit would not change the friendship between Britain and France.
But if he hoped he could put the embarrassment of his antics last weekend behind him he was mistaken.
The BBC’s News At Six ran mobile phone footage of the prince dancing in a nightclub along with a disparaging report. And the prince must have cringed when children’s group Kids United, performing at a gala dinner in Paris, sang one of the songs he danced to – Happy by Pharrell Williams.
The duke’s visit to Paris has huge political significance as the Royal Family is seen as a key asset in the Government’s effort to woo Europe after the Brexit vote.
After flying in, William and Kate were taken to a private meeting with French president Francois Hollande at the Elysee Palace. Afterwards they posed for photos on the terrace, laughing as William put a hand on his wife’s back.
The duchess was still wearing the green Catherine Walker coat she had worn to the parade, although her hair had now been styled down. But she did have time to change into two more outfits before the night was over.
She dressed up in an elegant black Alexander McQueen dress with a striking pearl necklace and ring for a reception at the British Embassy to launch Les Voisins – The Neighbours – a yearlong celebration of UK-French links, where William made his speech on Brexit.French beforeThe prince, switching who to began‘the lan- in guage of Shakespeare’, said: ‘The connections between our nations run deep ... This friendship, forged in sweat and blood, is one that will endure. This will continue despite Britain’s recent decision to leave the European Union.’ At the dinner afterwards at the residence of British ambassador Lord Llewellyn, for which Kate had changed into an embroidered Jenny Packham dress, William read out a message from the Queen to France saying: ‘I retain an enduring affection for this beautiful country and its people. ‘The ties between our nations will, I am sure, continue to prosper.’