Kate Middleton steps out for a surprise visit to the Natural History Museum - best photos


The Duchess became the museum's patron in 2013


kate middletom museum© Photo: PA
Danielle Stacey
Danielle StaceyOnline Royal CorrespondentLondon
Updated: October 9, 2019
Kate Middleton in maroon top and green pants, walking with a man in a suit and tie.© Photo: PA

The Duchess of Cambridge stepped out for a surprise engagement at the Natural History Museum in London on Wednesday morning. Kate, 37, visited the museum's Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity to hear how it is championing and helping to protect UK wildlife.

The Angela Marmont Centre (AMC) is a unique scientific hub located in the Natural History Museum that is dedicated to the study of the UK’s natural world. AMC staff work with colleagues from the museum to carry out a range of scientific research, including analysis of environmental DNA. During her engagement, the Duchess viewed some of the museum's specimens and saw DNA sequencing in action.

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Kate Middleton in a maroon turtleneck and green pants, holding a burgundy purse.© Photo: PA

The mother-of-three nailed her autumnal look, opting for forest green Jigsaw culottes and a Warehouse maroon coloured top. Kate wore her trusty Tod's pumps and accessorised with her Chanel handbag.

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A man and a woman, both in formal attire, walk down steps. The woman wears green pants and burgundy heels.© Photo: Getty Images

The museum visit ties in with Kate's work on childhood development and how nature and the outdoors can have a positive impact on physical and mental well-being. Alongside its national programme of activity, The Natural History Museum aims to inspire its millions of visitors to act for nature.

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Kate Middleton, wearing a maroon top, smiles with wind-blown hair near a blue car.© Photo: Getty Images

The Duchess had her hair styled in her trademark perfect blowdry, which showed off her Asprey Woodland Collection Oak Leaf hoop earrings.

Person in green outfit holding a maroon Chanel bag with gold hardware.© Photo: Getty Images

A closer look at Kate's very chic handbag.

A man and a woman walk up stone steps. The woman wears green pants and burgundy heels.© Photo: Getty Images

The Duchess became patron of the Natural History Museum in 2013, following in the footsteps of Prince William's mother Princess Diana, who held the patronage for four years until 1993.

Three people examining a plant in a clear container. The woman on the right, with long blonde hair, is smiling and pointing at the plant.© Photo: Twitter

The Duchess did a bit of newt spotting as she viewed plant and insect specimens inside the museum. 

Man and woman smiling at a display in a natural history museum setting.© Photo: PA

When Kate unveiled the museum's new blue whale skeleton in 2017, she revealed that her eldest children Prince George, six, and Princess Charlotte, four, love visiting as much as she does. During a speech she said: "I remember visiting the Natural History Museum as a child, and being inspired with a love of nature. And now, as a parent myself, I am experiencing the joy all over again with my own children, who adore coming here – and it is not just to see the T-Rex, mind you."

A man in a suit and a woman in a burgundy top and green pants stand outside a building.© Photo: PA

“I remember seeing the butterfly collection with George,” Kate said, recalling a visit with Prince William and their son to the museum’s Sensational Butterflies exhibition in 2014 just before his first birthday.

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