Tv star Declan Donnelly suffered a royal blunder as he introduced the Duchess of Cambridge as Her Majesty instead of Her Royal Highness at a charity event yesterday.
Kate Middleton, 39, donned a £845 pleated scarlet midi skirt from Christopher Kane and a matching fitted turtleneck for the engagement at the BAFTA headquarters in Piccadilly, accessorising with towering Ralph Lauren point toe pumps and a £295 micro-handbag from DeMellier.
Presenters Ant and Dec introduced the Duchess ahead of her keynote speech at the event for the drug and alcohol dependency charity the Forward Trust.
However Dec stumbled as he called Kate ‘Her Majesty’, before the audience erupted with laughter, with the TV host adding: ‘I’ve just promoted you there, rather prematurely.’
Tv star Declan Donnelly suffered a royal blunder as he introduced the Duchess of Cambridge as Her Majesty instead of Her Royal Highness at a charity event yesterday
Kate Middleton, 39, donned a £845 pleated scarlet midi skirt from Christopher Kane and a matching fitted turtleneck for the engagement at the BAFTA headquarters in Piccadilly
Dec opened the event telling guests: ‘Shortly we’ll be hearing from Her Majesty… Her Royal Highness rather.’
Stumbling over his words, he chuckled: ‘I’ve just promoted you there, rather prematurely.’
As the audience joined the presenter in his laughter, Ant, standing beside him at the podium, joked: ‘That must happen all the time.’
Dec responded: ‘It doesn’t happen to me. We’ll be hearing from Her Royal Highness, rather, very shortly.
Presenters Ant and Dec introduced the Duchess ahead of her keynote speech at the event for the drug and alcohol dependency charity the Forward Trust
‘Then we’ll watch a very powerful short film that challenges the perception of addictions.’
Earlier in the day, Kate shared a laugh with Ant and Dec after she was surprised by the presenting duo at the event.
As the royal arrived, she was whisked into a room and rounded the corner to bump into the TV presenters and singer Tom Walker, confessing: ‘I wasn’t expecting that!’
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While Ant and Dec laughed, confessing they felt as though they were ‘hiding at a surprise birthday party’, the Duchess clutched her hand to her chest, adding: ‘I felt like I was walking into a Bushtucker trial!’
Important message: The event, held for drug and alcohol dependence charity the Forward Trust, saw the Duchess deliver a landmark speech (pictured) in which she said ‘anyone’ can become an addict
Kate went on to speak to Ant about his addiction battle at the charity event in London.
Ant, 45, who struggled with drug and alcohol dependency before entering rehab following a 2018 drink drive crash, told the Duchess he was in a ‘bad’ place by the time he sought help. ‘But as soon as you open up to people, problems have got to disappear,’ he said. ‘It gets better and help is there.’
The Duchess delivered the keynote address at the event for drug and alcohol dependency charity the Forward Trust, of which she is patron.
The mother-of-three looked radiant in a £845 red Christopher Kane skirt and towering Ralph Lauren heels
Kate, who was radiant in a pleated red skirt and matching jumper, spoke movingly about how ‘anyone’ can become an addict and called for greater understanding of those battling addiction.
‘Addiction is not a choice. No one chooses to become an addict. But it can happen to any one of us. None of us are immune,’ Kate said, launching the Forward Trust ‘Taking Action on Addiction’ campaign.
‘Yet it’s all too rarely discussed as a serious mental health condition. And seldom do we take the time to uncover and fully understand its fundamental root causes.’
The Duchess spoke to families of recovered addicts and heard more about the services offered by Forward Start.
During the event yesterday in Piccadilly, she also heard how Ant was in a ‘bad’ place by the time he sought help for his drug and alcohol issues
In her keynote address, which coincides with the start of Addiction Awareness Week, Kate said: ‘The journey towards addiction is often multi-layered and complex. But, by recognising what lies beneath addiction, we can help remove the taboo and shame that sadly surrounds it.
‘As a society, we need to start from a position of compassion and empathy. Where we nurture those around us, understand their journey, and what has come before them.
‘We need to value and prioritise care and support, helping to restore and connect individuals who are clearly suffering, to the people around them.’
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