The Duke of Cambridge has returned to royal duties after
celebrating his wife Kate‘s 40th birthday at the weekend.
Prince William hosted an
investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, handing out honours to
fashion designers Sir Paul Smith, Sir Clive Lloyd and Derrick Evans, better
known as Mr Motivator.
Sir Paul, who opened his
first clothes shop in Nottingham in 1970, has been made a member of the Order
of the Companions of Honour.
The Order of the
Companions of Honour is sometimes regarded as the junior honour to the Order of
Merit and is made up of the sovereign, plus no more than 65 members, who may
use the letters CH after their names. Sir Clive Lloyd was knighted for services
to cricket, while TV fitness instructor Derrick Evans was made an MBE for
services to health and fitness.
William wore a military
uniform as he presented honours to recipients at the Queen‘s Berkshire home.
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William knights Sir Clive Lloyd at Windsor Castle |
It comes just days after
the Duchess of Cambridge celebrated her 40th birthday on Sunday. Kate is said
to have spent the day privately with her family, but Kensington Palace
also released three new portraits to mark
the occasion, taken by Paolo Roversi.
According to an Italian
newspaper, Corriere della Sera, who conducted an
interview with the photographer, the black and white close-up shot of the
Duchess wearing a ruffled white one-shoulder Alexander McQueen gown and beaming
at the camera, is William and their children’s favourite image.
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This portrait of the Duchess is said to have been chosen by William |
Paolo also revealed how he
got the Duchess to dance during the photo shoot, but unfortunately, the images are unlikely to be released publicly.
“In the end, I wanted
to take pictures in motion, so with that wonderful wide skirt I made her dance
in front of my lens, a kind of accelerated waltz mixed with a pinch of rock ‘n
roll,” he said.
