Duchess of Cambridge joins the British Olympic team for game wearing coral-coloured skinny jeans
The Duchess of Cambridge made a private visit to the Olympic Park in Stratford Thursday morning (March 15) to meet the Team GB women's hockey squad.
She asked to meet them in her role as Team GB and Paralympics GB 2012 Ambassador because of her love for the sport.
Kate has played since junior school and was captain of the 1st 11 at Marlborough College.
Later in the day, Kate swapped her jeans and trainers for a sophisticated grey dress by Orla Kiely for a visit to one of the country's oldest public art galleries in south London to see the creative works of a youth charity.
Duchess of Cambridge, (L) smiling as she plays hockey with British hockey team members at the Riverside Arena during a visit to the Olympic Park in London on March 15, 2012 and the duchess (R) arriving a few hours later for a formal visit to the Prince's Foundation for Children and the Arts at the Dulwich Gallery in South London on March 15, 2012. AFP PHOTO
Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge waves during a visit the Prince's Foundation for Children and the Arts at the Dulwich Gallery in South London on March 15, 2012.
The Duchess of Cambridge joined her father-in-law the Prince of Wales to celebrate their shared love of the arts.
The pair were greeted by hundreds of cheering schoolchildren waving Union flags when they arrived in the bright sunshine at Dulwich Picture Gallery in south London with the Duchess of Cornwall.
It was the first time Kate had joined Charles on a visit to one of his charities.
They chose to see the work of the Prince's Foundation for Children and the Arts at Dulwich because of their mutual interest, a Clarence House spokesman said.
Earlier, Kate was said to be 'very excited' about her visit to the Olympic Park.
Both the women's and men's teams are ranked 4th in the world and have high medal hopes.
Performance director, David Faulkner, who was a member of the 1988 Olympic gold medal squad, said: 'We are six weeks away from team selection and are going into the Olympics in a really strong place.
'We are delighted that the Duchess has asked to visit us. It's a real boost to morale and has caused a real buzz within the squad.'
She first met with the physios and coaches and chatted knowledgeably about training methods.
She said: 'I used to play at school and I remember my muscles at the beginning of the season were agony.
'Do you still get bananas and oranges at half time? I don't know if that was purely a school thing? I was striker so you had to get the timing exactly right, well that was the idea.I played on the left wing. I really enjoyed it and it is great to be here.
'I haven't played since I stopped so I am really nervous now.'
Kate then met the men's team captain, Barry Middleton, and exclaimed:' Well we have something in common!'
He replied: ' Yes I get asked about that a lot, whether we are related.'
She also chatted with the women's team players and said: 'I really hoped to be here, I would love to see you play in the games. Now I have seen the set up and got to see behind the scenes it would be really exciting to come back and see everyone in action. Good luck with everything.
'I was really looking forward to coming here but now I am here and have discovered I have to play. I am not feeling so confident.
'The colour of the pitch is, well, eye-catching. My trousers really clash.'
'I hope you are all feeling fit and well and prepared for the summer.
'The last time I played was 2005, maybe. It feels like I haven't held a stick for ten years. This is going to be so embarrassing. My brain thinks I can do all these wonderful things but my body just doesn't play ball.'
The Duchess then went to get changed, keeping on her jeans but swapping her blazer for a grey GB sweatshirt and Adidas trainers.
As she walked to the pitch, a water based AstroTurf known by the players as 'smurf turf' she looked nervous, particularly when she saw the crowd.
'Oh please don't tell me I have to do it in front of all these people,' she laughed. 'I don't want anyone to watch!'
Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge smiles as she wears the Team GB Official Supporter's Scarf for the London 2012 Olympic Games before meeting the British hockey team
She was handed a stick to keep by the team's sponsor, Adidas, and played a bit of stick and ball. 'Wow, she clearly knows what she is doing,' said one official. 'I am genuinely impressed.'
Afterwards Kate Walsh said; 'Actually she was really good. She told me that she missed playing as part of a team. She also told me that she used to hit the penalty corners and you could see that. She got low and her shots were really sweet.
'We put her too far out to the left on goal but we was determined to keep going until she got one in.
'It takes a bit of getting used to after such a long time away from the game.'
(Daily Mail)
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Lal says:
Mar 17, 2012 at 01:35 amFYI