Vogue.Co.Uk — HRH THE DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE is today unveiled as the cover star for Vogue’s centenary issue. Photographed by Josh Olins in the Norfolk countryside, the Duchess appears in a 10-page shoot within the June 2016 issue, the first magazine shoot that she has ever consented to.

“It’s a huge honour and incredibly exciting for us to have HRH The Duchess of Cambridge featuring on the cover of British Vogue and as part of our centenary issue,” Vogue editor-in-chief Alexandra Shulman said today. “For me personally it has been a wonderful experience to have had the opportunity to work with her on this, and I am immensely proud of what we have produced. This special issue of the magazine is very close to my heart as it had to reflect on 100 years of British Vogue, and so I am hugely grateful that we have been able to continue with our tradition of outstanding royal portraiture with these pictures.”

As patron of the National Portrait Gallery, and with a keen personal interest in photography and portraiture, the Duchess has also agreed for two images from the shoot to be installed within the Vogue 100 exhibition at the gallery. She will attend the NPG next week, on Wednesday May 4, to view the portraits in situ. The exhibition will run until May 22 before moving to Manchester, allowing visitors to view the pictures for themselves alongside more than 280 other images from Vogue’s historic archive.

“Josh has captured the Duchess exactly as she is – full of life, with a great sense of humour, thoughtful and intelligent, and in fact, very beautiful,” Nicholas Cullinan, director of the NPG, said today. “Not only do they reflect her love of the countryside, interest in photography and championing of the National Portrait Gallery as our very committed patron, but they also encapsulate what Vogue has always done so brilliantly – to pair the best photographers with the great personalities of the day, in order to reflect broader shifts in culture and society. We had fun in making and choosing these images, and I hope that comes across.”

The images see the Duchess dressed casually, reflecting her love of the countryside and particularly Norfolk, where she lives much of the time with her family. She was involved in selecting pieces for the shoot – from Burberry to Petit Bateau – along with Vogue’s fashion director Lucinda Chambers and editor-in-chief Alexandra Shulman. The resulting images – captured outdoors in January this year – are the most personal and natural royal portraits ever undertaken by Vogue, which has also photographed Diana, Princess of Wales, Princess Margaret, the Queen Mother, and the Queen over the past 100 years.

“It’s a privilege to have been chosen to photograph the Duchess of Cambridge for the centenary issue of British Vogue and an honour that two of those portraits will hang in the National Portrait Gallery,” Olins said. “This was the Duchess’s first sitting for a magazine and she was a joy to work with, a natural. I am extremely grateful to Alexandra Shulman for placing her faith in me for such an important and historic assignment.”

The June 2016 centenary issue of Vogue will be on newsstands nationwide and available to download from Thursday May 5. “Vogue 100: A Century of Style” is at the National Portrait Gallery until May 22, and tickets are still available from Npg.org.uk

http://Telegraph.Co.Uk

Telegraph.Co.Uk — The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry want to “help change the national conversation” on mental health.

They are leading a campaign called Heads Together which will be the biggest single project they have undertaken together.

It will be a partnership with charities with experience in tackling stigma, raising awareness, and providing help for people with mental health challenges.

The campaign will be the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon Charity of the Year, taking the baton from the NSPCC.

A spokesman for William, Kate and Harry said: “Through their work with young people, emergency response, homeless charities, and with veterans, their royal highnesses have seen time and time again that unresolved mental health problems lie at the heart of some of our greatest social challenges.

“They are passionate about tackling the stigma surrounding the issue. Too often, they have seen that people feel afraid to admit that they are struggling with their mental health.

“This fear of prejudice and judgment stops people from getting help and can destroy families and end lives. “They want to help change the national conversation.”

The spokesman said the three are “incredibly grateful to be working with charities who have achieved so much in the fight against the stigma that surrounds the issue”.

He added: “They want the Heads Together campaign to build on the great work that is already being done across the country so that prejudice and fear no longer stand in the way of people getting the help they need.

“They want people to feel much more comfortable with their everyday mental wellbeing and have the practical tools to support their friends and family.”

The team of charity partners working on Heads Together includes Best Beginnings, CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably, Contact (a military mental health coalition), Mind, Place2Be, The Mix and YoungMinds.

Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay in this post! The Duke and Duchess have finally made it to Bhutan on the fifth day of their tour. I wonder if they are as exhausted as I am? Keep reading this post for the latest round up and photos from the day!

Rocky Landing – The Duke and Duchess arrived to Paro airport early Thursday morning . It was reported that the Duke and Duchess chose to sit in the cockpit to watch the landing of the plane. Paro is reported to be one of the hardest airports in the world to land on. Literally, only a handful of pilots can manage the difficult descent because of the surrounding mountains. Once on the ground, for the first time, this whole tour, (I believe?) we were able to watch a live stream of the event curtosey of Bhutan Broadcasting. The Duke and Duchess were greeted by the King’s sister, Her Royal Highness Princess Chimi Yangzom Wangchuck.

Outfit Details: The Duchess is wearing a repeat of her Emilia Wickstead coat dress we first saw in 2012 with an added belt. She accessorized the look with her LK Bennett ‘Fern’ pumps and LK Bennett ‘Natalie’ straw clutch. The ‘Gold Charm’ earrings were confirmed to be by Brora on Twitter.

Royal Hunger Games – Following their arrival The Duke and Duchess received a traditional welcome as they were escorted to the Tashichhodzong to meet the King and Queen of Bhutan. Upon meeting the King and Queen it is reported that the Duke and Duchess bowed and curtsied. The group spent quite a bit of private time with each other in the temple where they received blessings and lighting butter lamps before heading to Thimphu’s Open-Air Archery Venue where they tried their hands at archery and dart throwing. This moment has definitely turned out to be one of the highlights of the entire tour!

Outfit Details: – The Duchess wore a skirt inspired by the Bhutanese kira, which is called a half-kira. The skirt was personally made by Kate’s seamstress. She paired it with a cape from Paul & Joe, lavender earrings from Kiki McDonough, and LK Bennett heels.

Videos: The Duchess Tries Archery

Private Dinner – Later that night The Duke and Duchess were spotted leaving the Taj Tashi hotel as they left for a private dinner with The King and Queen of Bhutan at Lingkana Palace.

Outfit Details: Catherine is wearing a Tory Burch gown, Gianvito Rossi heels, and Gold Charm Brora earrings. The shawl is still unidenified.

Hey guys! I’m in a rush as I have to go to work, but here are the most recent photos from the tour! A more detailed post and more photos will be added tonight, so keep checking back! Enjoy!