Prince William’s wife Catherine carried out her last solo public engagement on Thursday before she gives birth next month — although many wellwishers who turned up for a final glimpse of the royal bump were left disappointed.
Catherine launched a new liner in the southern English port of Southampton, sending a 15-litre bottle of champagne smashing into its hull in a time-honoured tradition met with cheers and the sounding of the ship’s horn.
The wind whipped at her black and white printed Hobbs coat and the grey sky threatened rain, but the 31-year-old appeared relaxed as she announced: “I name this ship Royal Princess, may God bless her and all who sail in her.”
The ceremony, conducted under a large grandstand on the quayside in front of nearly 2,000 invited guests, had echoes of a cold day in 1984 when William’s late mother, Diana, officially named the first Royal Princess.
The event was closed to the public, but about 100 well-wishers gathered outside the gates of the docks to catch “just a glimpse” of the duchess of Cambridge, who is expected to give birth in mid-July.