The Duchess of Cambridge has marked Valentine's Day with a solo engagement in Liverpool with her husband almost 8,000 miles away.
The Duchess of Cambridge arrives at The Brink, an alcohol free bar, in Liverpool (PA)
While her husband, Prince William, continues a six-week tour of duty in the Falklands as an RAF search and rescue pilot, the Duchess is utilising her spare time by developing her fledgling career as a working royal.
Her visits to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and an Action on Addiction project, the non-alcoholic Brink bar in Liverpool, are her second major solo public appearance.
The Duchess of Cambridge arrives at The Brink, an alcohol free bar, in Liverpool (PA)
Fans gathered outside The Brink to get a glimpse of the duchess and applauded when she arrived, braced agaisnt the cold in a long burgundy coat.
As well as the woollen coat by Hobbs, which was just below the knee, the Duchess wore black high-heeled shoes, black tights, and held a black handbag.
Looking relaxed, she shook hands with staff and met community leaders.
She was serenaded by the resident choir at The Brink - made up of recovering addicts called the Raucous Caucus Recovery Chorus - singing a traditional native American Indian song titled, Wings Of A Dove.
Michael Edwards, 32, from Kensington, Liverpool, and a member of the choir, said: "It's a song about hope and happiness.
"I got involved in the choir because I'm in recovery from drugs and alcohol.
"Doing this, it's built my confidence, it's risen up. I didn't have any before.
"It's a bit scary with a royal audience but this is what the choir has done for me, to give me the confidence to sing in front of people.
"Everybody has been excited here for weeks because of the royal visit, that something this good is happening here."
Grandmother Kathleen Cummins, 65, from Liverpool city centre, said of the visit: "It is a boost for the city and especially this bar here helping people.
"I used to work in care in the community myself and people look at drug addicts and people with drink problems and they just think they are nobodies, but they're all somebody's son and they need help.
"It is one of the Princess's charities and I'm just really pleased that she is coming."
Asked whether she thought Kate would be missing William on Valentine's Day, Mrs Cummins said: "She will most probably have a big bouquet waiting for her, won't she?
"He will make up for it when he comes home."
The duchess will be presented with a Valentine's Day card and roses today - by an eight-year-old boy.
Jacquie Johnston-Lynch, head of service for the charity Action on Addiction in Liverpool, was welcoming Kate to The Brink - a dry bar for recovering alcoholics - in the city.
Her son Jaqson Johnston-Lynch, aged eight, was chosen to present the Duchess with a bouquet of red roses, a cupcake and a Valentine's Day card.
Speaking shortly before the Royal's arrival, he said: "I have wrote in the card 'Dear Kate, Happy Valentine's Day, I love you, from Jaqson'.
"I'm also giving her some flowers, red roses, and little cupcake.
Jaqson, who attends St Vincent de Paul School in Liverpool, said he had a little speech prepared.
"I'm going to say 'Happy Valentine's Day, your Royal Highness. I'm sorry Prince William can't be here'."
The duchess will also help make a non-alcoholic drink, a smoothie named The Duchess in her honour.
It comprises almonds, honey, a dash of cream and banana.
She is to meet Aimee Haswell, a seven-year-old girl suffering from a rare heart condition.
Aimee, who was diagnosed with a rare type of congenital heart disease, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, when she was just nine days old.
Her mother, Lisa, said she had almost died several times and that they owed their lives to the medical team at Alder Hey.
She said: “Aimee is a miracle! We call her "our little star" and when we received the phone call on Tuesday to say she had been nominated to greet the Duchess, words cannot describe our feelings.
“Aimee is really excited and is already rehearsing her curtsy. She couldn’t wait to get into school and tell everyone the exciting news! Aimee deserves this more than anyone I can think of. She’s a very strong, brave, happy little girl who has been through so much in her short life.”
Aimee Haswell
The Duchess, who carried out her first solo public engagement last week when she visited the National Portrait Gallery in London for a preview of a Lucian Freud show, will be given a tour of Alder Hey’s burns and oncology units and will also visit Ronald McDonald House, which provides free accommodation for the families of some of the hospital’s sickest children, as well as The Brink bar.
She paid a secret visit to the headquarters of Action on Addiction, one of the four charities of which she is patron, earlier this month.
Source:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/kate-middleton/9081418/Duchess-of-Cambridge-visits-Liverpool-on-Valentines-Day.html
She was serenaded by the resident choir at The Brink - made up of recovering addicts called the Raucous Caucus Recovery Chorus - singing a traditional native American Indian song titled, Wings Of A Dove.
Michael Edwards, 32, from Kensington, Liverpool, and a member of the choir, said: "It's a song about hope and happiness.
"I got involved in the choir because I'm in recovery from drugs and alcohol.
"Doing this, it's built my confidence, it's risen up. I didn't have any before.
"It's a bit scary with a royal audience but this is what the choir has done for me, to give me the confidence to sing in front of people.
"Everybody has been excited here for weeks because of the royal visit, that something this good is happening here."
Grandmother Kathleen Cummins, 65, from Liverpool city centre, said of the visit: "It is a boost for the city and especially this bar here helping people.
"I used to work in care in the community myself and people look at drug addicts and people with drink problems and they just think they are nobodies, but they're all somebody's son and they need help.
"It is one of the Princess's charities and I'm just really pleased that she is coming."
Asked whether she thought Kate would be missing William on Valentine's Day, Mrs Cummins said: "She will most probably have a big bouquet waiting for her, won't she?
"He will make up for it when he comes home."
The duchess will be presented with a Valentine's Day card and roses today - by an eight-year-old boy.
Jacquie Johnston-Lynch, head of service for the charity Action on Addiction in Liverpool, was welcoming Kate to The Brink - a dry bar for recovering alcoholics - in the city.
Her son Jaqson Johnston-Lynch, aged eight, was chosen to present the Duchess with a bouquet of red roses, a cupcake and a Valentine's Day card.
Speaking shortly before the Royal's arrival, he said: "I have wrote in the card 'Dear Kate, Happy Valentine's Day, I love you, from Jaqson'.
"I'm also giving her some flowers, red roses, and little cupcake.
Jaqson, who attends St Vincent de Paul School in Liverpool, said he had a little speech prepared.
"I'm going to say 'Happy Valentine's Day, your Royal Highness. I'm sorry Prince William can't be here'."
The duchess will also help make a non-alcoholic drink, a smoothie named The Duchess in her honour.
It comprises almonds, honey, a dash of cream and banana.
She is to meet Aimee Haswell, a seven-year-old girl suffering from a rare heart condition.
Aimee, who was diagnosed with a rare type of congenital heart disease, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, when she was just nine days old.
Her mother, Lisa, said she had almost died several times and that they owed their lives to the medical team at Alder Hey.
She said: “Aimee is a miracle! We call her "our little star" and when we received the phone call on Tuesday to say she had been nominated to greet the Duchess, words cannot describe our feelings.
“Aimee is really excited and is already rehearsing her curtsy. She couldn’t wait to get into school and tell everyone the exciting news! Aimee deserves this more than anyone I can think of. She’s a very strong, brave, happy little girl who has been through so much in her short life.”
Aimee Haswell
She paid a secret visit to the headquarters of Action on Addiction, one of the four charities of which she is patron, earlier this month.
Source:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/kate-middleton/9081418/Duchess-of-Cambridge-visits-Liverpool-on-Valentines-Day.html
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