Orchids for Kate - and Diana: Floral tributes get Far East tour off to emotional start
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Naming an orchid after you is one of the greatest honours the people of Singapore can bestow. So it was a thoughtful touch for the Duchess of Cambridge to return the gesture yesterday, with her stunning hand-painted silk dress.
Arriving at the island’s Botanical Gardens, where she and her husband were to see the newly created ‘Vanda William Catherine’ for the first time, all eyes were drawn to Kate and her exquisite pastel-pink kimono-style dress.
The dress, made for her by British designer Jenny Packham, was covered with tiny orchids which, the Mail can reveal, took a team of skilled artists at Chelsea firm De Gournay eight weeks to complete. ‘She looked beautiful and we are all very proud,’ the team at Packham declared.
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They will spend three days in Singapore before flying to Kuala Lumpur in Malysia, then Borneo before going on by private jet to the Solomon and Islands and remote Tuvalu, both of which still proudly boast the Queen as head of state.
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There, the Duke and Duchess were shown a white orchid named after William’s late mother. Diana, Princess of Wales had been delighted to have the flower named in her honour, but she died in a Paris car crash just two weeks before she was due to fly out to see it.
‘It’s beautiful,’ William murmured. ‘Did she ever come to Singapore?’
When Poon Hong Yuen, CEO of the garden, explained the tragic story, the prince replied: ‘It’s a shame . . . it’s beautiful.’
But he couldn’t resist cracking a joke when he saw his own orchid — a free-flowering hybrid whose white petals are dotted with leopard-print purple spots — saying it matched his wife’s dress.
In the evening there were more flowers for Kate as she donned another floral dress, in white and lilac, for a state dinner at the Istana — or palace — as a guest of the country’s president.
At the palace, William gave his first speech of the tour in which he praised the Queen’s ‘exceptional dedication’ over the past 60 years
‘My grandmother told me how much we would enjoy seeing Singapore, and meeting Singaporeans. How right she was,’ he added.
Founded in 1859 as a pleasure park, the breath-taking 74-hectare park now is now one of Singapore’s most famous attractions and home to the National Orchid Garden which houses more than 60,000 plants.
The couple also met a number of gardeners and scientists who help design the orchids.
Manager Alan Tan Chye Soon, 42, had been involved in preparations to welcome Diana before tragedy struck in 1997.
'I told him Singapore was a city in a garden. Kate said they had noticed on the way. William added that 'it's a bit different from the M4.'
Describing the couple's reaction to the Diana orchid, Mr Poon added: 'They were impressed. He commented about the colour, saying it was a nice colour. I told them she did not have the chance to see it.
'He then commented that it seemed very well co-ordinated with Catherine's dress.'
Despite crowds of onlookers pouring with sweat, suited William and Kate showed no sign of suffering in the heat.
The couple only arrived in the country at Singapore's Changi airport at 2.50pm - half an hour later than expected, and headed straight to the gardens.
Despite her long 14-hour flight Kate looked perfectly groomed in the kimono-style pink dress with her hair styled by her personal hairdresser, hired by Prince Charles at a cost of £300 a day for the duration of the tour.
Following their visit to the Botanic Gardens, the couple arrived at Raffles Hotel where they will be staying for the duration of their three nights in Singapore. A crowd of around 200 people gathered outside the hotel to cheer their arrival.
The Duchess was presented with a bunch of yellow, white and pink orchids by Lynn Choy, the daughter of Mrs Annie Choy, the hotel's director of marketing. 'They are beautiful, thank you,' said the Duchess, laughing along with the female staff in the greeting line-up who commented on the matching orchids on her dress.
The Duke of Cambridge told the welcome line up that it had been 'a very long flight, but we're so happy to be here'.
The hotel does not have a 'royal suite' and hotel staff would not comment on the couple's accommodation, though it is believed they will be staying in one of Raffles' palatial suites.
Raffles opened in 1887 and was named after Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of Singapore. Previous guests include Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner and Rudyard Kipling.
After a brief rest at Raffles for a shower and change, the couple headed off to The Istana, the official residence of the President of the Republic of Singapore, originally built by the British Colonial Government to house its governors.
The designer, who was raised in Nepal, has a long list of celebrity clients including Michelle Obama and Sarah Jessica Parker.
The Spring/Summer 2012 dress worn by Kate is currently reduced from £1,770 to £710 and is described as 'largely purple and cream Rorschach floral printed wool-silk dress from Prabal Gurung.
'Bateau neck. V-back leads into a concealed zip. Three-quarter-length sleeves. Full silk lining'.
The Duchess was also wearing a diamond bracelet that she had been given as a wedding present.
William, who was still in a lounge suit stood and watched a Guard of Honour clad in pristine white pressed uniforms and red caps before inspecting the troops.
On a side table in the West Drawing Room were a set of signed photographs of the Prince of Wales (dated 1979), separate ones of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh (from 2005) and the Queen, Philip and Anne from 1972.
The couple will add to that collection as they are leaving a signed portrait of themselves as official gifts for the President and the Prime Minister.
After spending about 15 minutes with the President, the couple signed the visitors book and moved across to the East Drawing Room for a meeting with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his wife Ho Ching.
As they posed for pictures, and photographers asked for them to repeat the shaking hands, Kate allowed herself a short giggle.
To the Prime Minister's left his wife shot broad smiles across at Kate, while behind them, aides took notes of the conversation.
The meeting lasted about 20 minutes, when the couple and president and Mrs Tan then descended the stairs and entered the chandelier-bedecked Reception Room for a pre-dinner drinks.
At the palace William gave his first speech of the tour in which he praised the Queen’s ‘exceptional dedication’ over 50 years
‘Before we left London, my Grandmother told me how very warmly she remembers her three State Visits to this remarkable Country in 1972, 1989 and 2006; and she told me how much we would enjoy seeing Singapore, and meeting Singaporeans.
The prince also praised 2012 as being a landmark year for the United Kingdom, not just because of the Diamond Jubilee but also the London Olympic and Paralympic Games.
‘These have provided us with wonderful sporting events. They have also reminded us of the shared excitement and pleasure we can all feel when the nations of an often divided World come together to celebrate extraordinary feats of human achievement,’ he said.
‘The Tour will comprise a mixture of formal and informal moments which reflect these aims and The Duke and Duchess’s characters and interests specifically.’
Intriguingly, given the constant speculation about the couple’s plans to start a family, the Duchess twice made toasts during the state banquet by drinking out of a water goblet instead of the wine glass that had been placed in front of her.
In contrast her husband, William, was seen to take a sip of his glass of red.
The couple dined on a seven course Chinese meal in the Banquet Hall including smoked duck with sliced mango, chicken consommé with herbs, spices and wolfberries and steamed fillet of marble Goby with crispy bean crumbs in soya sauce.
Desert was chilled jelly served with mango, sago and pomelo and sliced baked mooncakes.
Wines were a white burgundy Faiveley Puligny Montracht ler Cru Garennes (2008) and a red Bordeaux Alter Ego de Palmer.
Singapore gained independence from Britain in 1963 and joined the Federation of Malaysia, but became a separate nation two years later.
Now one of south-east Asia’s most hi-tech, wealthy city-states – crammed with skyscrapers and shopping malls - it is also known for its strict social controls.
Offences including ‘outrage of modesty’ and over-staying of a travel visa can still be punished by lashes using a rattan cane.
On Thursday they will fly onto Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, another former colony, before taking in Borneo and two realms in the South Pacific where the British monarch is still head of state, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.
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