'Oh no, does my hair REALLY look like that?' Kate horrified by plastic 'lookalike' doll on day two of her tartan tour
- Royals visited Dumfries House, the Ayrshire house Charles bought in 2007
- Duchess shown lookalike doll by a little girl and says, 'oh no, is that me?'
- Kate's tartan tribute is a Strathearn scarf she has carried twice before
By Rebecca English, Royal Correspondent
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It certainly isn't the most regal-looking toy. In fact on closer scrutiny it bears more than a passing resemblance to Cheryl Cole in one of those L'Oreal hair adverts.
And today the Duchess of Cambridge's reaction as she was presented with a 'lookalike' doll of herself said it all.
'No! Oh no, is that me? Is that meant to be me? Does my hair really look like that!' She exclaimed.
Kate came face to face with the plastic Barbie-style model during a visit to Dumfries House in Ayrshire.
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The Duchess of Cambridge wore a red Armani coat and her Strathearn tartan scarf for a visit to the new Tamar Manoukian Outdoor Centre at Dumfries House in Ayrshire today
Royal fan Dayna Miller, 11, from Coylton, showed Kate a doll she received from her mother as a Christmas present. 'Does my hair look like that?' Kate asked
She was visiting the 18th Century pile with her husband and father-in-law, a rare public engagement for the royal trio.
The Duchess, wearing an 'old' red Armani coat - the same one, according to palace sources, that she wore to Prince William's passing out parade at Sandhurst - and black mid calf suede boots, was chatting to members of public, many of whom had been waiting for hours to catch a glimpse of the royal party.
They included Dayna Miller, 11, and her mother, Sharon, from nearby Coylton, who are huge fans of the royal family.
Dayna proudly showed Kate her doll which had been put on her Christmas list and had been ordered by her mother from eBay.
Dayna's mother Sharon bought the Princess Catherine doll for £15 on eBay
Family affair: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge share a joke with the Prince of Wales
The £15 'Princess Catherine' doll was first brought out at the time of the royal wedding and wears a sleeveless 'replica' of Kate's blue Issa engagement dress. It also comes with gold shoes and a pink handbag.
'But your engagement ring is on the wrong finger and is pink not blue,' Dayna pointed out.
Afterwards she said; 'I told her she was much prettier than the doll and her hair was not nearly so big and she laughed and seemed happy. I think she was a bit shocked by the doll though.
'I can't believe how nice she was though. She was just lovely. This has been the best day ever.'
Her mother, who was draped in a Union flag and wearing a plastic crown, added; 'Dayna is a huge fan of the royal family and has written seven or eight letters to them and had replies from all, even the Queen.'
Kate met hundreds of children from local groups who turned out despite the cold
Together: The three senior royals made a rare appearance as a trio on a visit to Dumfries
Prince Charles was pleased to be able to show William and Kate around the grounds of Dumfries House, a Palladian pile he bought in 2007 and had renovated
Visit: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge also inspected the submarine shipyards at BAE Systems
Crowd: Excited locals waited for hours to meet the trio of royals in spite of the freezing weather conditions
It
was something of a family day out for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
this morning as they joined grandpa-to-be Prince Charles on a rare
public engagement.
William
and Kate - who are known as the Earl and Countess of Strathearn when
north of the border - were accompanying Charles - or the Duke of
Rothsay, as he is referred to - on a visit to Dumfries House.
The royal trio were dropping in on the 18th Century architectural gem in rural Ayrshire, which is Charles's pet project north of the border and received a warm welcome from locals.
Charles remarked on the freezing conditions himself, telling the crowd 'many people are probably about to pass out'.
The Duchess of Cambridge, known as the Countess of Strathearn, and The couple joined the Prince of Wales at Dumfries House to view the regeneration project he has been leading since 2007. Hundreds of locals and 600 members of youth groups including the Girl Guides and Scouts turned out for the official opening
He said he was 'enormously grateful'
to the Manoukian Foundation for funding the outdoor centre and its
10-obstacle assault course, but that he would not be attempting it
himself.
'I told them I'm far too old,' he told the guests.
Dumfries House and its adjoining land were bought by a consortium led by Charles and which has overseen major renovation work in the last six years.
The outdoor centre is the latest addition and houses up to 52 young people. Members of the youth services already have the venue booked every weekend until December. Local young people have access to the centre during the week.
It is only the second time the three Royals have conducted an engagement together, the first being a night out at a Gary Barlow-organised concert at the Royal Albert Hall in aid of the Princes Trust.
Charles plainly adores Kate - he often refers to her as his 'darling' daughter-in-law - and the two have secretly dined together and enjoyed trips to the opera.
Sources says he is 'immensely' looking forward to the birth of his first grandchild - although his happiness is tinged with a slight amount of trepidation at the realisation he is getting older.
Kate yesterday revealed that the future third in line to the throne is due mid July and that she and William have a short list of names - both boys and girls - drawn up.
The parents-to-be arrived in Scotland yesterday for two days of engagements.
Built by legendary Adams brothers in the 1750s for the 5th Earl of Dumfries, Dumfries House is one of the finest homes in Scotland.
Six years ago it was placed on the market by its then owner, the 7th Marquess of Bute, former racing driver Johnny Dumfries, who planned to auction its priceless furniture and chattels.
After hearing about the forthcoming sale the prince stepped in to save the Palladian pile and its contents of rare Chippendale furniture without ever having set foot in the house by forming a consortium to buy it for £45 million.
'ONE OF THE FINEST HOMES IN SCOTLAND': THE PALLADIAN PILE ON WHICH CHARLES TOOK A PUNT
Built by legendary Adams brothers in the 1750s for the 5th Earl of Dumfries, Dumfries House is one of the finest homes in Scotland.
Six years ago it was placed on the market by its then owner, the 7th Marquess of Bute, former racing driver Johnny Dumfries, who planned to auction its priceless furniture and chattels.
Dumfries House, which the Prince of Wales, known as the Duke of Rothesay when in Scotland, bought in 2007 despite never having set foot inside
After hearing about the forthcoming sale the prince stepped in to save the Palladian pile and its contents of rare Chippendale furniture without ever having set foot in the house by forming a consortium to buy it for £45 million.
At the time some advisors described the purchase as a 'reckless gamble', not least because it had to be funded by a £20 million loan taken out by his charity foundation.
THE DUCHESS'S TRUSTY STRATHEARN TARTAN SCARF
The Duchess of Cambridge carried the folded
Strathearn tartan scarf during the Jubilee flotilla last summer, and in
an identical manner later in 2012 when she made her first appearance in
Scotland as Countess of Strathearn
At the time some advisors described
the purchase as a 'reckless gamble', not least because it had to be
funded by a £20 million loan taken out by his charity foundation.
The loan was finally paid off in January this year.
He then put his controversial former valet, Michael Fawcett in charge of making the project profitable.
Dubbed
Fawcett The Fence, he was reluctantly forced to leave the prince's
employ ten years ago after being caught up in the 'gifts for cash
scandal' which saw the prince publicly rapped for flogging off unwanted
official presents - but immediately landed the lucrative contract to
organise Charles's entertaining.
Although
latest accounts show the house made a loss last year after forking out
almost £100,000 in administrative expenses, hopes are high of the
house turning a profit thanks to a new upmarket B&B venture.
Today
Charles proudly showed his son and daughter-in-law around the house and
grounds, which is now open to the public for the first time in 250
years thanks to his gamble, to publicise a new outdoor centre providing
accommodation and team activities for young people.
The
Tamar Manoukian Outdoor Centre can host up to 52 young people and six
adults and will be open to youngsters from the uniformed youth services
such as the Scouts, Guides and Army Cadet Force and schools from across Scotland.
To mark the occasion children are set to compete in an obstacle race followed by a fly past of three Typhoons of 6 Squadron RAF Leuchars.
MEANWHILE... THE QUEEN AND THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH GET LESSONS IN CHOCOLATE MAKING ON A VISIT TO THE MARS FACTORY IN SLOUGH
The Queen came face to face with a sight today that would make any chocoholic groan - thousands of Maltesers destined for the scrap heap.
The sweet treats piled up in an enormous plastic bin were not up to the exacting standards of the world famous chocolate manufacturer Mars and will be melted down to be reused.
At the firm's UK headquarters in Slough, Berkshire, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh were given a tour of the plant where the Mars bar was first produced and Maltesers invented.
Chocolatiers: The Queen meets some of the workers at the Mars chocolate factory in Slough
Happy: The Queen looked radiant in a striking purple coat as she received flowers from well-wishers outside
The royal couple learned about the technology and skill used to turn raw cocoa beans into the finished product.
Talented chocolatiers from the facility founded by Forrest E Mars Snr in 1932 also showed off their skills by creating a carriage for the Queen.
Fiona Dawson, president of Mars Chocolate UK, took the Queen on the tour of the headquarters and said after the visit: 'We were absolutely delighted to host Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh at Mars Chocolate UK.
'We have been manufacturing chocolate in Slough for over 80 years and it was a real privilege to have the opportunity to share our UK manufacturing heritage with our guests and introduce some of our fantastic associates.
'We have over 1,000 associates working on the site and everyone was thrilled to be part of the visit. It has been one of the most exciting days at Mars Chocolate UK since we first opened the factory in 1932.'
Healthy: The Duke of Edinburgh, who accompanied his wife, was on resplendent form
Guide: The Queen was shown around the factory by Fiona Dawson, president of Mars Chocolate UK
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- where am i 1. , watford, United Kingdom, 05/4/2013 16:10
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