Royal Watch News

Duchess Catherine undertakes solo royal engagement

Feb 9, 2012, 13:01 GMT

Duchess Catherine at the National Portrait Gallery

Duchess Catherine undertook a solo royal engagement yesterday (08.02.12).

The British royal - who has a degree in the History of Art from St Andrews University - attended a preview of a new Lucian Freud exhibition on display at the National Portrait Gallery in central London, of which she is a patron.

The Duchess of Cambridge met dignitaries and inspected the paintings and was accompanied around the gallery by gallery director Sandy Nairne and exhibition curator Sarah Howgate.

She was also greeted by Freud's daughter, Esther, and Sir Paul McCartney's photographer daughter Mary, who is a trustee of the gallery

For the visit Catherine wore a double-breasted, 1950s-style dress from high street label Jesire.

A spokesman for the duchess said: 'It's an honour for the duchess to be patron of such a distinguished body and having spent the last few months preparing for the role she has been looking forward very much to this.'

Her tour took an hour in which she took in all of the 100 paintings on show.

Duchess Catherine completed her first solo engagement last October when she was called upon at short notice to attend a charity dinner at Clarence House on behalf of her father-in-law Prince Charles after he flew to Saudi Arabia following the death of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud.