Queen joined by Kate in first joint engagement away from palace
The Queen and Duchess of Cambridge met a robot and admired views of London as they teamed up for their first joint engagement outside palace walls.
The pair visited King’s College London to open Bush House, the latest education and learning facilities at the campus on the Strand.
They toured the facilities and met supporters of the development, as well as visiting a roof terrace that boasts panoramic views of the capital.
Kate could be heard describing the cityscape as “impressive”.
They viewed a robotics demonstration, including robotic surgery, and a demo showing how sensors made from textiles can measure useful information about the body.
Shaking a robotic hand, Kate joked: “Very nice to meet you.”
They then visited the King’s virtual trading floor and met students from the Entrepreneurship Institute, which exists to support entrepreneurial thinking, skills and experiences amongst King’s students, staff and alumni.
Kate met entrepreneur Aysha Ingar who has set up an app for Muslim women and Tobi Oredein who has started a media platform for black women in the UK.
Ms Oredein said of Kate: “She was saying that her parents are entrepreneurs so she’s all for it.”
Kate also met Qasim Munye, whose created an app called Shortly that allows people to choose a story that suits how much time they have to read.
He said: “She mentioned that she thinks it would be good for her children before they go to sleep.”
Mr Munye said he is now going to think about adding stories for children to the app.
They ended their visit in the development’s new auditorium, where the Queen, who is patron of the university, unveiled a plaque, formally opening Bush House, before signing the visitors’ book alongside Kate.
Kate was wearing a grey Catherine Walker coat for the engagement.
The Queen was wearing a Stewart Parvin old rose cashmere coat with a silk dress of autumnal woodland in shades of grey, fuchsia and olive, teamed with a matching Rachel Trevor-Morgan hat.