The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge flew from Canberra on a three and a half hour flight to Uluru, touching down just after 1pm local time.
They were greeted by dignitaries including the Administrator of the Northern Territory, Sally Thomas, her husband Duncan McNeill, Northern Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles and his wife Tamara, and traditional owners Daisy Walkabout and Vincent Nipper who are from one of the most respected Aboriginal families in the local Anangu community.
The Anangu are the traditional owners of the land that includes Uluru. They jointly manage the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park with Australia’s federal parks agency. Aborigines have looked after the land for 10,000 years but only won back the title to it in 1985.
First on the agenda was a visit to the National Indigenous Training Academy which trains local people to work in the tourism industry. The couple presented students with graduation certificates. Each of the 100 people who graduate each year are guaranteed work at the Ayers Rock Resort or other hotel complexes.
After the certificate presentation, the couple mingled with the crowd and then met Northern Territory school students at an afternoon tea.
Kate chose a bespoke, taupe cap-sleeved, double-crepe dress by Roksanda Ilincic, with a pale grey belt. It features a ruched neckline and front detail. The frock is similar to the off-the-rack Roksanda Ilincic ‘Lovina’ dress.
We have seen Kate wear a similar Roksanda frock before – first on the royal tour in 2011 and then later at the UK’s Creative Industries Reception in July 2012.
Completing her outfit, the Duchess wore her LK Bennett nude sledges, her Alexander McQueen bespoke clutch, her Catherine Zoraida ‘Double Leaf’ earrings and her three-charm ‘Woodland’ necklace from Asprey London.
Next, the Duke and Duchess visited Uluru itself. They walked up to it along one of the marked out routes for tourists that avoided the most sacred parts of the rock.
Kate made a quick change into her, previously seen 50s-inspired white and grey Hobbs ‘Check Wessex’ dress. She previously wore it to an event at Bacon’s College which she attended with both William and Harry in July 2012.
To complete her look, Kate added a white woven Hobbs ‘Neston’ belt and low beige Pied-a-Terre sling back wedges.
On a side note, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were photographed in almost the identical spot to the one chosen by Prince Charles and Princess Diana 31 years earlier – when William was roughly the age his son George is now.
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