Pregnant Kate Middleton dresses for the elements in London

Pregnant Kate Middleton dresses for the elements in London



The Duchess of Cambridge roared with laughter as she was shown an eco-friendly version of her future home today: Bug-ingham Palace.



The wooden ‘mansion’ was filled with leaves and sticks and provides a natural home for caterpillars, woodlice, stag beetles and ladybirds - and even a nesting Robin.



Pregnant Kate, still showing the merest hint of her baby bump in skin tight black jeans, knee-high leather boots and a black jumper under a green wax jacket, also showed off her green fingers for the cameras on a visit to Robin Hood Primary School in Rayne's Park, south west London, to celebrate their work with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Campaign for School Gardening.



The Duchess of Cambridge finds her trusty £475 Penelope Chilvers boots so reliable she's been sporting them for more than a decade. Thrifty Kate, who is known for her love of recycling her wardrobe choices, was sporting the same pair of mid-length boots that she wore when she first dated William; the royal was first spotted in the long tassel boots at the Game Fair at Blenheim Palace in August 2004.



The then Kate Middleton had just been thrust into the spotlight as the public got wind of her relationship with Prince William who she met when they were both studying at St Andrew's University, and she's worn them countless times since.



The Duchess, who is expecting her third baby in April, is a keen gardener herself and talked about how she was trying to pass on her love to children George and Charlotte. 





Robin Hood Primary is very proud of the way it encourages children to work in the gardens, growing their own vegetables and flowers.



The RHS Campaign for School Gardening, now marking ten years, inspires and supports schools to provide children with gardening opportunities to enhance their skills and boost their development.



Its work with 34,000 schools and groups has shown benefits for children's physical and mental well-being, and building life skills such as confidence, teamwork and communication.



After a short briefing, Kate joined a small group of youngsters from Reception to Year 2 in the outdoor learning area and sensory garden.



She sat next to chatty little Charlie, six, and Innaya, five, as they planted spring bulbs including tulips and daffodils.



‘Morning, have you got your warm coats and gloves on on now? That’s a good idea,’ she said.



She was handed a pair of leather gloves and knelt on a mat to join the youngsters planting out.



‘Have you grown your own strawberries yet? Did you eat them? Were they yummy? Were they nice and ripe and juicy?



‘Everything that you grow in the garden and eat is all delicious. Do any of your mummies and daddies like gardening? Have you taught them things you have learnt at school?’



Charlie told her that he taught his parents about growing cabbages.



‘And what is the best thing about having a garden at school?’ She asked.



Robin Hood Primary School has developed a whole-school, progressive outdoor learning curriculum with support from the RHS.



Children have access to a range of ‘outdoor classrooms’ in the woodland setting, giving the children an opportunity to explore, consolidate and develop their knowledge and understanding of the ever-changing natural environment.





Kate joined some more of the youngsters who were whittling sticks to be gathered together and made into bug nests.



She put on her own pair of black leather gloves and picked up a potato peeler to have a to herself, asking the children what bugs they had seen in the Palace so far. ‘Woodlouse and wiggily worms?’



‘Lucky bugs to have such a cool place to sleep,’ she said.



Before she left the Duchess gave a short speech in which she talked about her own youngsters.





She said: ‘Thank you so much for having me here today.



‘It's been lovely to meet all of you and thank you so much to all the children who've shown me what they've been doing in their gardens.



‘It's really inspiring and exciting to see what you've all been up to.



‘I've got such fond memories of being in the garden and being outside from my own childhood, and I'm sharing that with my own children, George and Charlotte, at the moment.



‘And I'm really excited about what you're doing here and taking inspiration from that in the school environment as well.



‘What you have created here is really so special. Hopefully you'll have lots of memories of your time here in the garden, looking for insects or planting bulbs.



‘And I really hope you remember these special times for the rest of your lives.



‘But thank you again and good luck and happy gardening for the future.’



Afterwards Lucas, six, who was proudly displaying an ‘eco warrior’ badge, told her:’This is the best day of my life!’