So much of what the Princess of Wales does is documented, either in photos taken on the day, or video clips or articles. Yet she can go relatively under the radar when she wants to and it turns out she’s just undertaken a solo visit to Winchester. Unlike some royal engagements which are heavily publicised, this one was a quiet trip to The Arc to see The Beauty of The Earth exhibition.
Posting a short video on 31st January, Kate described this as a “powerful reminder” of the “connection between nature, creativity and craft”. We saw only a few clips of her exploring the William Morris-focused exhibition.
The actual visit is believed to have taken place days earlier and despite how busy she is juggling royal life and parenthood, she’s always made time to “nourish her inner life” with creativity. Kate apparently used to love making secret early morning trips to galleries to get her art “fix”.
In her book, The Palace Papers, royal author Tina Brown claimed that the Princess of Wales visited some of London’s best-known galleries and museums around 8am. This approach allowed her to fit these trips into her busy schedule and also avoid huge amounts of attention.
Once, when she was recognised by a member of the public at a David Hockney exhibition at the Royal Academy, Kate allegedly responded, “I miss my history of art. It’s what I do to get my fix.”
The future Queen has a degree in History of Art from the University of St Andrews and although we tend to think of her sporting skills first when we consider her talents, her artistic abilities have also been showcased over the years. When Kate and Prince William went on a week-long visit to Scotland in 2021 they posted one of her sketches of St Andrews.
It depicted the skyline of the town looking incredibly atmospheric and it was revealed that the Princess had created this back in 2002 when she was studying there. Last February, she once again displayed a piece of her artwork – this time alongside her children’s efforts.
The royals drew portraits of each other as an activity that ties in with Kate’s Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood’s Shaping Us framework. The mum-of-three believes drawing with children “can provide a moment of connection” and her sketch of Louis was adorable.
Clearly, she’s passing on her love of drawing and art to him, Charlotte and George, so it’s not just Kate who’s nourishing her “inner life”. It makes sense that she enjoys a solo exhibition trip, though, as it gives the Princess of Wales a moment to herself too.
The Beauty of The Earth exhibition is running until 4th February and shows how William Morris shared his passion for gardens and green spaces with his wife Jane and daughter May. It includes wallpaper, decorated books and oil paintings, and also features works by May Morris, Dante Gabriel Rossetti and John Ruskin.
It’s completely understandable that the Princess didn’t want to miss checking out the exhibition no matter how busy she is, as Kate’s not only a fan of art, but of green spaces. The importance of nature to her life has only increased in recent years and in January she broke with tradition and dedicated her birthday post to mother nature.
“There is so much we can learn from mother nature, as we look to build a happier, healthier world,” she declared.
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