Year in Review: 2014!

We're back from holiday celebrations with our annual Year in Review post looking back at the Duchess of Cambridge's year. From engagements and holidays to overseas trips, news stories and fashion, we look forward to taking a step back and discussing 2014 before we ring in 2015!

January

As usual, January was an incredibly quite month without sightings, photographs or public engagements. At the end of the month Kate and Prince George joined the Middleton family for their annual holiday on the Caribbean island of Mustique, making it George's first overseas trip.

Hello! Magazine
February

Prince William, who normally accompanies the family on their vacation, remained in the UK in order to complete an agriculture course at Cambridge University. The year got off to a rather controversial start for the second-in-line when he was photographed on a hunting weekend in Spain. It was described as "horrendous timing" given his role in an illegal wildlife trade conference just a week later.

The Sun
Journalists including the Express's royal correspondent Richard Palmer weighed in at the time.

Richard Palmer Twitter Feed
Fresh from her holiday, Kate was spotted by members of the public walking Prince George and Lupo at Kensington Gardens.

Katharina
Interestingly, Kate turned her talents to writing and penned a foreword for a publication about life as an RAF wife - Living in the Slipstream. The Duchess touched on her time in Anglesey and her concern for William in his role:

'I loved my time in Anglesey, but I can't pretend I didn't feel anxious when William was flying in challenging conditions. He loved it and I felt incredibly proud of him.'

Looking tanned and relaxed, Kate began official engagements for 2014 on 11 February when she attended The Portrait Gala at the National Portrait Gallery in London. Her Royal Highness

made a short but endearing speech in which she praised the work of the gallery.

The Duchess wore her much-loved Jenny Packham silk tulle gown with a dazzling necklace on loan from the Queen. The priceless piece was given to Her Majesty as a wedding gift in 1947 from the Nizam of Hyderabad then ruler of a state in India. The Nizam was the owner of one of the most celebrated and largest private jewellery collections in the world.

NPG/ARJ
Kate spent Valentine's Day at Norfolk High School to officially open the ICAP Art Room in the striking L.K. Bennett 'Detroit' dress. A few days later she teamed up with Her Majesty for a star-studded Dramatic Arts reception at Buckingham Palace in her recycled red Alexander McQueen dress. A clever move on Kate's part not to debut a new piece when joining the Queen, ensuring the focus was not on her sartorial choices.

The Duchess rounded up the month by becoming a godmother to Oliver and Mel Baker's five-month-old son Henry at an intimate christening at St Barnabas Church in Mayland, Chelmsford. Of course, William and Kate chose university pal Oliver as one of George's godparents so it was nice to see the couple returning the favour.

Wikipedia
March
March 2014 proved one of the most divisive months for royal fans we've ever seen on the blog. In fact, upon reflection I would say it was the most divisive. News broke confirming the couple had travelled to the Maldives for a week-long holiday while Prince George settled in with his new nanny Maria Teresa back in London.
Given the fact Kate had only recently returned from Mustique and William from Spain - and they were just weeks away from a three-week tour of New Zealand and Australia - it was very much viewed as a bad move due to the small number of engagements they had carried out in the months beforehand. Our two posts on the holiday - The Cambridges Holiday in Mustique and About That Holiday - were two of our most read and commented on yet. Almost a year on, have your initial feelings on the holiday changed?
We next saw William and Kate on St Patrick's Day for the parade at Aldershot where the Duchess presented shamrock in a gorgeous green Hobbs coat.

To mark Mother's Day, a new portrait of Prince George taken by Jason Bell was released to the Sunday papers. Taken at a window of Apartment 1A, Kensington Palace the photo shows George with his parents and Lupo.

The Mail
William, Kate and Harry attended the wedding of friends Lucy Meade and Charlie Budgett in Marshfield, Gloucestershire. Kate wore her M Missoni tweed coat, Whistles Bella dress and her Lock & Co 'Fairy Tale' hat.

It was a lovely, understated look for a wedding. So much so, another guest had the same idea :)

April

April was the month of the royal tour and what a memorable one it was. From the moment the Cambridges left London media and royal fans were waiting to see William and Kate arrive with Prince George - one of the few glimpses of the young Prince we had seen at that time.

The highly-anticipated tour offered a wide array of engagements over a three-week period which saw William and Kate meet as many people and take in as much of both countries as their schedule allowed, whilst spending as much time as possible with George. The little prince stole the show at each appearance he was involved in.

When the couple brought Prince George to a play date with families from Plunket, New Zealand - George's first official engagement - little did photographer Simon Woolf know he would take Kate's favourite photo of the royal tour.

Governor-General of New Zealand
More from People:

'Woolf was the official New Zealand government photographer allowed at every event that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended during their nine-day tour of the country. And it was his picture of little George cuddling into his mum's shoulder that has been reproduced so many times. Woolf was told that Kate called this her favourite photo of the tour and gave her a black and white copy.'

Prince George particularly enjoyed himself at Taronga Zoo where he was introduced to a bilby. These informal family shots proved to be the highlight of the tour for many including myself.

There were plenty of light-hearted moments during the tour.

The cricket game was particularly memorable.

Director Peter Jackson took a snap of a smiling Duchess.

View image | gettyimages.com
Experiencing the Shotover jet.

We also spotted a romantic moment...

Or two.

The couple visited landmarks including Uluru and Sydney Opera House.

Supporting causes close to their hearts was also on the agenda. When Kate visited Bear Cottage Hospice with William she said, "to be here together as a family has been very special and we will always remember it with fond and happy memories".

Bear Cottage
In terms of fashion, we saw the Duchess choose favourite brands including Alexander McQueen.

The Duchess worked with one of her go-to designers, Jenny Packham, to create a bespoke black dress with an embroidered fern. Symbolism is very important and shows the level of thought that goes into clothing choices for tours.

Her go-to casual ensemble of jeans and wedges paired with a casual sweater or navy blazer featured several times.

Most notably we saw the Duchess wear four U.S. designers: Tory Burch, DVF, Lela Rose and Michael Kors.

It was a wonderful tour and tremendous fun to cover with all of you. We've heard whispers the next joint tour may take place in Autumn 2015...

May

We didn't see Kate again until 29 May when she and William carried out engagements in Scotland in a pretty coat by Scottish designer Jonathan Saunders.

During a visit to a popular local distillery the Duchess enjoyed several sips of a 58.8% whiskey which left her eyes watering. 'That's... err... delicious,' she said.

June

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined thousands of people, including the Queen and other members of the Royal family to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France. They met with veterans and Kate sat down and said to them, "You've got lots of stories to tell". Veteran Arthur Jones asked her, "Is it OK to kiss a Princess?" Laughing, she replied, "Of course it is." Mr Jones described the Duchess as "very sweet, very lovely and down to earth".

Also in June, Kate supported Britain's America's Cup bid at a breakfast reception in Greenwich with Ben Ainslie, The Duchess was elegant in bespoke McQueen for the Queen's Garden Party and looked regal in an icy-blue suit by the designer for Trooping the Colour.

Kate brought George to support William on Father's Day at a polo match at Cirencester Polo Club. George was crawling around and incredibly excited.

The busy month continued with an appearance at Order of the Garter in a shiny Christopher Kane coat.

PA
Kate had the opportunity to explore a family connection at Bletchley Park.

View image | gettyimages.com
Kate's paternal grandmother Valerie Glassborow worked as a "duty officer" at Bletchley with her twin sister Mary during the war. Records show Ms. Glassborow worked in Hut 6 as a civilian member of staff. As with so many people who worked in British Signals Intelligence during the war very little is known about their work. Valerie's records were among many destroyed after the war.

Clarence House Twitter Feed
Kate also paid a private visit to East Anglia's Children's Hospices in support of Children's Hospice Week.

EACH
July
In July, Kate made a Place2Be school visit and officially launched the Tour de France at Harewood House with William and Harry, wearing her colourful green Erdem 'Allie' Coat.

Avid tennis fan Kate went to Wimbledon twice to support Andy Murray.

The Palace released adorable portraits to mark Prince George's first birthday, showing the little prince with his parents at the Natural History Museum's 'Sensational Butterflies' exhibition.

PA
William, Kate and Harry travelled to Glasgow at the end of July to support the Commonwealth Games. The royal trio were ambassadors for London 2012 and given their personal sporting interests they had a wonderful time at various events.

August
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry travelled to Belgium to commemorate the First World War. They were received by King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium.

Upon their return the trio visited the emotive poppy installation in Tower of London's moat.

In August, the Palace confirmed, following his transitional "gap year", Prince William had decided to return to flying with the East Anglian Air Ambulance. Regarding Kate they stated: 'She will continue with her small portfolio of work and focus on being a mother. No rise in duties.'
The couple laid low in August spending time with the Middletons in Bucklebury and enjoyed a date out in Norfolk near their country home Anmer Hall. Of course, we now know they may have been celebrating...

Daily Star Sunday
September
September came with a very special announcement.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Official Website
Once again, the couple were forced to make the announcement early because Kate was suffering with Hyperemesis gravidarum. The Duchess was unable to attend several engagements including a trip to Malta and felt poorly for quite some time. The Palace confirmed the baby is due in April!
October
We didn't see Kate again until the 17 October when she and William were photographed leaving an appointment with Dr. Alan Farthing for the first trimester scan after dark.

NY Daily News
Kate returned to engagements with her first official state visit role - greeting President Tony Tan Keng Yam of Singapore and his wife Mary Chee Bee Kiang at the start of a four-day state visit to Britain.

The Duchess looked stunning and healthy at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards in a beautiful Jenny Packham wrap dress featuring a split to the waist and a modesty skirt underneath. It was perhaps Kate's red carpet highlight of the year and a nice departure to see her experimenting with her style.

Kate's Temperley London dress at Action on Addiction's Autumn Gala was considered one of her misses during the year.

The Cambridges wrapped up the month with a trip to Scotland.
November
William and Kate enjoyed an away day in Wales where they visited the Valero Pembroke Refinery and took in a rugby match. Kate's Matthew Williamson opal blue coat proved a great success and she looked very happy and well.

Kate was sombre in McQueen for Remembrance Day. The Duchess also opted for darker colours at a SportsAid workshop (Interestingly, I had forgotten this engagement, which is unusual given it was relatively recent).

For the Royal Variety Performance Kate dazzled in an elegant black DVF 'Zarita' gown. The entire look was perfect for the event and the Duchess was in her element.

Kate mixed high street and designer for the Place2Be awards at Kensington Palace, when she paired a Hobbs peplum top with a Jenny Packham skirt. For a visit to her patronage East Anglia's Children's Hospices Kate chose a simpler look: a stylish red Katherine Hooker dress.

December
The final month of the year will be remembered for William and Kate's trip to New York, marking the first time either of them had visited the city. Upon arrival at The Carlyle Hotel, they turned to pose for pool media, something of a first for the Cambridges and a sign of goodwill on William's behalf.

The Duchess selected garments from maternity brand Séraphine for the trip, unlike her first pregnancy when she relied on bespoke designs.

The Duchess undertook a variety of engagements including a visit to Northside Child Development Centre, and receptions where she met everyone from Sir Ben Kingsley to Hillary and Chelsea Clinton.

The Cambridges attended their first NBA game where they met Beyoncé and Jay Z. Kate gave a nod to her host country in the Tory Burch metallic tweed 'Bettina' coat and J Crew black skinny jeans.

The cerise Mulberry coat Kate wore for a visit to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum provoked heated debate and divided opinions across the board. Many felt the bright hue was wholly inappropriate for a visit to a memorial of such magnitude. Others suggested there is no imperative here and the coat was fine for the nature of the day - which included a quick visit to the One World Trade Center.

The trip concluded on a fitting note - with the glamorous St Andrews' 600th Anniversary dinner at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The glowing Duchess repeated her much-loved Jenny Packham gown. However, the talking point of the night was the sparkling emerald and diamond jewels she debuted. The Palace revealed they were "a private gift". They are simply incredible.

The Palace released three new photos of the little Prince to mark Christmas and to show gratitude that he is not photographed going about his daily life.

TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
Looking effortlessly stylish in a Scouts hoodie, Kate made a surprise visit at a Beaver Scout meeting in London. The evening was excellent fun and HRH participated in a number of activities including learning sign language and eating blindfolded.

Scouts
The Royal family gathered at Buckingham Palace for the Queen's pre-Christmas luncheon.

The Cambridges celebrated Christmas at Anmer Hall with the Middletons and the group made the walk to St Mary Magdalene Church with the royals ensuring time was spent with both families. One expects it may mark the beginning of a tradition for the Middleton clan, spending the holidays in Norfolk. Kate chose British labels for the day: a Moloh coat and a scarf by Really Wild.

As always, as the year draws to a close, a survey of annual royal duties revealed which royals carried out the most royal duties. What astounded me in terms of the figures is the number of appearances made by the Queen and Prince Philip, carrying out 375 and 200 respectively. I feel we cannot give the pair enough credit for their dedication and determination. Out of the fifteen royals surveyed, Kate had the least number of engagements with 76 (while William carried out 111). Aides have stressed Kate wants to focus on life as a wife and mother and according to various reporters has the Queen's backing on this. You can read Rebecca English's article in its entirety here.

Mail Online
Which events, engagements and looks were your favourites from 2014? We look forward to following Kate with you in 2015 and want to thank each one of you for reading and commenting throughout the year. There's a wonderful community here and it's a joy to see it continue to grow. Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!

We'll be back with our polls next!