Here are some photos of the Duchess of Cambridge arriving and leaving Buckingham Palace on Wednesday for the Queen’s annual pre-Christmas lunch in London. I think it’s kind of cool that the Queen does this – it’s like a pre-holiday meal without the stress and without the heavy, no-fun Germanic Christmas tradition. Kate arrived at BP with Prince Harry and Prince George, and she left without Harry (but presumably with George). Kate loves to theme-dress, so she repeated a red Luisa Spagnoli suit with black buttons, a suit that we’ve seen many times before. I remembered that Kate wore this suit in April 2014, during her “Down Under Tour.”

So, something funny happened at the Christmas lunch. Kate arrived with George and Harry and all of the royals were assembled and they were probably just sitting down to eat some ham or whatever… and Kate was suddenly forced into “work.” Seriously, the Queen and Prince Philip decided that Kate needs to take over Philip’s position with the Air Cadet Organization and this new job was seemingly just thrust on her at the Christmas lunch. The Queen even bum-rushed Kate with a photo-op with Philip and some air cadets.

The Duke of Edinburgh passed his @AirCadets patronage to The Duchess of Cambridge during an audience with @ComdtAC pic.twitter.com/TJEMlzzzoF

— BritishMonarchy (@BritishMonarchy) December 16, 2015

I hope the Air Cadets like hair-tossing and awkward speeches, because that’s what they’re going to get. Apparently, at the age of 94, Philip has been quietly editing down his extensive portfolio of charitable commitments, patronages and military positions, and he’s passing some of this stuff down to his children, grandchildren and their spouses. Personally, if I was in charge of the Air Cadet Organization, I would have been rooting for the Countess of Wessex to take over this one. Or Princess Anne.

Anyway, this will be Kate’s “first role with an official link to the military.” That’s very common in the royal family, by the way. Even the royal women get honorary military ranks and they’re meant to “support” their divisions. What’s surprising is that it took Kate this long to get some kind of formal connection to the British military. You can read People’s write-up of Kate’s new patronage here. It really does not sound like it was her choice at all, which is still funny to me. People Mag also notes that the Air Cadet Organization is now Kate’s 11th organization with which she is affiliated. Eleven organizations… and she’s been a member of the royal family for nearly five years.

Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News.

Duchess Kate was assigned her first-ever military patronage during Christmas lunch

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Duchess Kate was assigned her first-ever military patronage during Christmas lunch

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