Princess Kate dazzles in sailor blue as she launches Royal Navy anti-sub frigate HMS Glasgow
SHIPSHAPE Kate proved she had a lotta bottle as she wished good luck to able seaman setting sail on Britain's new state-of-the art warship.
The Princess of Wales, 43, officially named HMS Glasgow by smashing a bottle of local Scottish whisky against its hull.
Joined by her husband, Prince William, she uttered the time-honoured words: "I have the pleasure to name this ship HMS Glasgow, may God bless her and all who sail on her”"
Then flicked up a small red 'launch' button to conduct the traditional naming ritual at the BAE Systems’ shipyard in Scotstoun, on the bank of the River Clyde in Glasgow.
A bottle of exclusive single malt whisky made by the nearby Clydeside Distillery smashed into the hull in the maritime tradition.
Kate has been the ship's sponsor since 2021 and this was her first naming ceremony for a naval vessel.
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Each bottle of the whisky sold will include a donation to HMS Glasgow’s chosen charity, Place2Be, of which the Princess is patron, and which supports children’s mental health in the city.
A bagpiper marked the start of the 25-minute ceremony before a P-8 Poseidon Maritime Patrol Aircraft from 120 Squadron at RAF Lossiemouth performed a flypast.
Sir Simon Lister, managing director of BAE Systems Naval Ships, and Second Sealord Vice Admiral Sir Martin Connell, gave speeches.
Sir Martin Connell thanked the Prince and Princess for their support in reaching the milestone.
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HMS Glasgow weighing in at 8,000 tonnes is the first of eight new Type 26 City-class frigates designed for anti-submarine warfare.
Kate was named the sponsor of the vessel in 2021.
Just a year later, Kate met Royal Navy sailors from HMS Glasgow at Windsor Castle to hear about the ship’s progress and their experiences in the Royal Navy.
After the ceremony, which officially launches the ship, the royal couple boarded the vessel and met with representatives from UK defence manufacturer BAE Systems.
The Prince and Princess visited the BAE Systems’ shipbuilding academy to meet apprentices and graduates and hear about the shipbuilding and maritime training the students received.
The students are taught an incredible range of skills at the academy, which were used to build the boat, including craft trades like fabrication, sheet metal work, welding, and pipe fitting.
The event ended with the future King and Queen meeting a employees from BAE Systems, who have a wide variety of skills, trades and backgrounds before meeting the ship's company and their families.
William and Kate made headlines just days ago when they hosted a lavish garden party in the gardens of Buckingham Palace.
The Princess met with the family of a 17-year-old photographer named Liz Hatton, who had sadly passed away after a battle with cancer.
Kate had met Liz whilst being treated for cancer herself and shared a warm hug with the photographer.
Liz's parents have created a charity called Capture to support those with Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumour, in their daughter's honour.
Speaking about Liz, the princess said: "She really made the most of everything. I loved her creativity all the way through.
"If you need any help fundraising, maybe I can help. Please stay in touch, really."
Kate has opened up about how her own battle with cancer left her struggling to navigate "stormy waters and roads unknown".
Meanwhile, Will was struggling with his own grief surrounding his mother's death while working to support their children.
He revealed it was the "hardest year" of his life.
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A close friend told The Sun: “Last spring and early summer, things were really very tough. Catherine was very ill and William genuinely had to confront the possibility that he could lose his wife and his father [who has also been battling cancer].
“Keeping things as normal as possible for the ‘kiddies’, as Catherine calls them, was paramount. Her mum in particular was a tower of strength and support.”
Inside Kate Middleton’s inseparable bond with ‘pa’ King Charles
By Richard Palmer
THERE was a time when King Charles complained he rarely saw Prince William and his family, but these days he has a special bond with Kate.
Back in early 2015, some friends of the royals were saying that the then Prince Charles was unhappy because his elder son and wife never brought their toddler son Prince George to see him.
The couple, it was alleged, were much closer to Michael and Carole Middleton.
But there is no doubt that the monarch and Queen Camilla are closer to the Prince and Princess of Wales these days.
The family’s rift with Harry and Meghan has helped to bring them closer, according to some insiders, and the King and Kate’s dual cancer diagnosis and treatment at the same time has deepened their bond.
Kate has always been the steely one, holding the family together but has had to find strength during her chemotherapy treatment from the love and support that her husband, children, and other relatives, including notably her father-in-law, have provided.
In January 2024 when they both found themselves in the same hospital, the London Clinic, for operations the King went to see his daughter-in law.
He was in for an enlarged prostate and she was there for planned abdominal surgery.
It was a small gesture, one perhaps not so surprising, but it demonstrated their closeness in a world of royalty where family members worry that visiting sick relatives can be disruptive for the medical staff because everything tends to stop if the monarch comes calling.
When they both discovered they had cancer in the aftermath of surgery, Charles and Kate supported each other, according to well-placed sources.
As The Sun revealed shortly afterwards, when the right time finally came in March, the King went to see her for a heart-to-heart conversation over an “emotional” lunch at Windsor Castle the day before she released a video announcing her cancer diagnosis to the world.
In public, the affection in which Charles holds his daughter-in-law was plain to see when he installed her beside him on the Buckingham Palace balcony for the traditional flypast after Trooping the Colour in June 2024, her first public appearance since her diagnosis.
It is all a world away from the impression that is sometimes given of a cold, austere family hidebound by hierarchy and tradition.
In the warm embrace of their family, both the King and the Princess have found a bond that has sustained them through what has been a dark period in their lives.