January 16 – Visiting The Royal Opera House

This morning, (January 16, 2019) Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visited The Royal Opera House. The Duchess was specifically interested in the Costume Department as her great great grandfather owned a textile mill. Today, The Duchess learned more about the textiles they use to create costumes and the commissioning of fabrics, design and craftsmanship involved. According to Kensington Palace this will be an area she will continue to explore this year: “Over the coming months, The Duchess will be exploring her interest in the use and manufacture of textiles through learning opportunities, visits to places like the Royal Opera House and meetings with industry experts.” During her tour, Fay Fullerton, The Royal Opera House’s Head of Costume, showed The Duchess ballet costumes – which are especially designed to allow dancers to move freely. At the on-site dye shop The Duchess was showed different techniques including hand-painting and staining garments as well as how digital printing is used to reproduce historic fabrics. Catherine then met The Royal Ballet Principal Dancers Lauren Cuthbertson, Laura Morera, Tomas Mock and Vadim Muntagirov, who discussed some of the challenges of dancing in costumes. Afterwards, The Duchess watched the dancers rehearse Frederick Ashton’s ‘The Two Pigeons’.

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Engagements & Tour Photos – 2019 – January 16 | Visiting The Royal Opera House

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