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The Princess of Wales appeared typically elegant in a blue vintage Chanel jacket as she joined Prince William at a Boston Celtics basketball game during their first day in the US.
Kate, 40, looked perfectly polished in the Chanel 1995 trimmed double-breasted garment, which featured CC-logo embossed buttons, when stepping out at the TD Garden stadium.
The royal mother-of-three first wore the blazer in October this year, when visiting a former London 2012 venue at the Olympic Park to celebrate the 10th anniversary of sports charity Coach Core.
She teamed the vibrant jacket with wide leg trousers on that occasion – but decided to opt for slim fitting black trousers and matching black heels for yesterday’s ensemble.
The Prince and Princess joined 20,000 basketball fanatics to cheer on the Boston Celtics and promote the Earthshot Prize awards on day one in the city – but their first trip to the US in eight years has been overshadowed by a racism scandal rocking Buckingham Palace.
William and Kate arrived in Boston just hours after the Prince’s own godmother, Lady Susan Hussey, a former lady-in-waiting to the late Queen, was accused of making racist remarks at a reception hosted by Queen Consort Camilla.
The Princess of Wales appeared typically elegant in a blue vintage Chanel jacket as she joined Prince William at a Boston Celtics basketball game during their first day in the US
Kate, 40, looked perfectly polished in the Chanel 1995 trimmed double-breasted garment, which featured CC-logo embossed buttons, when stepping out at the TD Garden stadium
Kate teamed the vibrant jacket with wide leg trousers on that occasion – but decided to opt for slim fitting black trousers and matching black heels for yesterday’s ensemble
The royal mother-of-three first wore the blazer in October this year (pictured), when visiting a former London 2012 venue at the Olympic Park to celebrate the 10th anniversary of sports charity Coach Core
For her most recent outing, a radiant Kate added to her Chanel jacket with a touch of glitz, in the form of a chunky golden chain.
She complemented her outfit with loose curly hair, and added a smattering of glamorous makeup to her features.
Meanwhile, William – who set up Earthshot in 2020 as a contest to champion innovative environmental solutions – appeared equally smart in a navy blazer and matching trousers, paired with a denim shirt.
William and Kate were brought into the TD Garden stadium to sit courtside and watch the action alongside the Celtics owners Wyc Grousbeck and Emilia Faszalari alongside Governor-elect Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.
Kate and William stood for the United States national anthem The Star Spangled Banner which was belted out by a semi-finalist of season 10 of the reality TV series The Voice.
Taking part! William and Kate wound up with a basketball in their hands as the team warmed up before the game
The Prince of Wales looked to be having a fun-filled evening as he cheered on the Boston Celtics, with his wife flashing him a smile at one point during the game
The couple had the best seats in the house for the game, which sees the Boston Celtics going up against the Miami Heat
But later the royal couple were subject to small pockets of boos around the arena when they were introduced by a stadium announcer and shown on the big screen.
The Boston Celtics’ name was inspired by the Original Celtics, a well-known basketball team that had been created by Irish immigrants in New York earlier in the 20th century, before folding in 1930.
Other fans in the crowd could be heard loudly cheering ‘USA, USA’ when the Prince and Princess appeared on the screens in the centre above the court.
But the royal couple kept smiling and took photos with fans while cheering on the high-scoring game as the packed crowd ramped up the atmosphere as the 17-time World Champions took on the Miami Heat in downtown Boston.
Before the game started the royals met members of the ‘Celtics family’, including representatives of the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, which provides grassroots programming and strategic funding to local organizations serving at-risk or at-need populations.
Around the arena, digital advertising boards were lit up green to promote the Earthshot Awards while spectators were treated to a promotional video about the event ahead of the game.
The royal couple snap a picture as they sit court-side at the Celtics game in Boston on Wednesday
The royal couple take photos with fans during the Boston Celtics game on Wednesday night
After the second quarter with the game tied 47 all, William and Kate watched as the Celtics honoured their long- standing tradition of recognizing a ‘Hero Among Us,’ heralding individuals working to positively impact the community.
Ollie Perrault, a 15-year-old climate activist from Easthampton, Massachusetts, got to meet the royal pair after being cheered by the local crowd for her work as a leading member of the Youth Climate Leadership Program since she was 11.
She is now the founder and director of Youth Climate Action Now, committed to fighting for environmental justice, advocating for an intersectional system change, and working to get more young people involved in direct climate action.
Royal aides suggested William and Kate would depart after the third quarter of the game but they decided to stay until the end, shaking hands with fans as they left.
No doubt William and Kate were hoping the evening’s event – the second in their official list of engagements during their whirlwind three-day trip to Boston – would go off without a hitch, given the awkward moment that took place during the Earthshot launch just hours before the game.
William and Kate appear on the jumbotron at TD Garden and wave to the crowd
William and Kate talk as they walk down the side of the court at the Celtics game Wednesday
Prince William and Kate meet 13-year-old Ollie Perrault after she received her award at the Celtics game Wednesday
William and Kate watch as the Miami Heat take on the Boston Celtics in Boston on Wednesday
As the Prince and Princess Wales watched on from the wings at the event, Reverend Hammond, who founded a youth organization focused on ‘teaching the history of the Civil Rights Movement’, said: ‘On this day, I invite us all to consider the legacy of colonialism and racism.’
She continued: ‘The ways it has impacted people across the world and its connection, its deep connection to the degradation of land and our planet that we are all seeking to reverse. The stories lost, the species made extinct, but also the persistence of people in the face of oppression and the fundamental dignity of all of our relations.’
Although no mention was made about Lady Susan Hussey – former lady-in-waiting to the Queen and William’s own godmother – who was accused of making racist comments to black domestic abuse campaigner Ngozi Fulani at a Buckingham Palace event on Tuesday night, few could fail to connect the controversy with Reverend White-Hammond’s remarks.
Having started her speech by ‘acknowledging the ancestral lands we stand on today’, the Reverend went on to express gratitude to William and Kate for choosing to host this year’s Earthshot Prize in Boston.
‘Now you all know, we are a city of many firsts. We are honoured to be the first American city and the first city outside of the United Kingdom to host the Earthshot Prize,’ she continued.
The Princess of Wales, 40, and Duke of Cambridge, also 40, were photographed stepping off a British Airways flight in Boston, Massachusetts, ahead of their three-day whirlwind visit to the States
Kate wore a midnight blue suit made by the British luxury fashion house Alexander McQueen – the same label that designed her wedding dress in 2011
She put on an incredibly elegant display in the $2,190 blazer and $890 boot-cut trousers. Underneath the jacket, she wore a knitted turtleneck in a matching colour
Her comments about colonialism came just months after another of William and Kate’s international engagements – a March tour to the Caribbean to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee – was shrouded in controversy over accusations that elements of it smacked of ‘colonialism.’
Ambassador Caroline Kennedy and Secretary John Kerry were both scheduled to attend the Earthshot event, only to no-show at the last minute.
Kerry, the presidential envoy for climate, informed the Prince and Princess earlier today that he would ‘sadly no longer be able to attend,’ but did not clarify why.
Kennedy, the daughter of President John F. Kennedy who is currently serving as the US Ambassador to Australia, said she experienced ‘disrupted travel plans’ due to the harsh weather lashing the east coast.
That weather, however, appeared to have led to very few cancellations at airports in Boston and in New York, according to FlightAware.
This week Prince William will also visit the John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
He and his wife will learn about the work that local organisations are doing to mitigate the risk of rising sea levels in Boston and they will also tour Greentown Labs, in the nearby town of Somerville, to get an insight into the development of innovative green technologies.
William and Kate at the Earthshot Prize opening ceremony on Wednesday evening
William and Kate visiting Boston City Hall on Wednesday evening during the Earthshot Prize ceremony
There are also plans for the royal couple to meet President Joe Biden on Friday, who will be in Boston on a separate trip.
Kate and William’s trip to America came amid a furious race row in the Monarchy back home, which was sparked by the Prince’s own godmother, Lady Susan Hussey.
Lady Hussey, 83, resigned from the royal household yesterday, just hours before the Prince and Princess of Wales touched down in the US, after she was accused of racism at a Buckingham Palace reception set up by Queen Consort Camilla.
The former lady-in-waiting to the late Queen allegedly refused to believe a black domestic abuse campaigner, Ngozi Fulani, was British and asked her: ‘What part of Africa are you from?’ as they spoke at the event.
William’s spokesperson spoke out to condemn Lady Hussey’s ‘unacceptable’ comments hours before the Prince and Princess of Wales arrived in the US, saying: ‘I want to address the story relating to a guest attending a reception at Buckingham Palace last night.
‘This is a matter for Buckingham Palace but as the Prince of Wales’ spokesperson, I appreciate you’re all here and understand you’ll want to ask about it. So let me address it head-on.
‘I was really disappointed to hear about the guest’s experience at Buckingham Palace last night. Obviously, I wasn’t there, but racism has no place in our society. The comments were unacceptable, and it is right that the individual has stepped aside with immediate effect.’
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