The Duchess of Cambridge spoke of how her code-breaker grandmother felt unable to tell her about the vital work she did at Bletchley Park before she died, as she told other veterans: ‘You were so very important.’
Kate, 37, who was shown a new memorial of bricks containing the name of her grandmother and great-aunt when she visited the legendary Second World War headquarters today, said her said her granny – like so many others – had been ‘so sworn to secrecy that she never felt able to tell us’ about what she did.
The royal re-wore a £1,750 frock by A-list favourite Alessandra Rich for the outing to Bletchley Park, near Milton Keynes, this afternoon.
She was on hand to view a special exhibition celebrating the role Bletchley Park codebreakers played in D-Day ahead of the 75th anniversary of the landings next month.
Bletchley Park holds a special personal significance to the Duchess as her paternal grandmother, Valerie Glassborow, was among those who worked to decipher the secrets of the German Enigma machine at the site.
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The Duchess of Cambridge looked elegant in a polka dot dress for the outing to Bletchley Park this afternoon, pictured
Kate, 37, re-wore an £1,750 Alessandra Rich frock she donned for Prince Charles ‘ official 70th birthday portraits for the outing this afternoon
The Duchess of Cambridge knelt down to receive a posy from a smartly-dressed little boy as she left the estate
Bletchley Park holds a special personal significance to the Duchess, left today, as her grandmother, Valerie Glassborow, right, was among those who worked to decipher the secrets of the German Enigma machine at the site
Crowds turned out to greet the Duchess of Cambridge with flags as she arrived for the visit to the wartime exhibition
Kate looked ready for spring in her flattering mid-length dress, which she previously wore for Prince Charles’ official 70th birthday portraits last year.
The frock features pretty white buttons and a vintage-inspired contrast collar and cuffs.
Meeting four women who had worked as codebreakers, and are now in their 90s, she told them they must be ‘so proud’ of their achievements, and shared her hopes that a new generation would celebrate them.
It was a return visit for the Duchess, who went to Bletchley in 2014 to retrace the footsteps of her paternal grandmother, Valerie Glassborow and her twin sister Mary.
The Duchess of Cambridge put an affectionate hand on Lawson Bischoff after he handed her a beautiful posy at the event
Both Miss Glassborows worked as duty officers, employed as Foreign Office Civilians in the Cover Management Y section in 1944.
They are known to have been formally employed by the ‘Government Code and Cypher School’ at Bletchley and worked in Hut 16, now restored as Hut 6 and open to the public.
Kate, who was wearing her late grandmother’s brooch in honour of her memory, was shown their names carved into bricks alongside dozens of others on the new codebreakers wall.
Meeting schoolchildren who were learning to code using enigma machines, she emphasised the lifesaving work of Bletchley staff during the war and encouraged them to learn more.
The colours in the Duchess’ bouquet contrasted beautifully with the blue and white of her designer frock
‘At the time, they couldn’t talk about it could they?’ she told year six pupils at Akeley Wood Primary School.
‘My granny and her sister worked here. It’s very cool. When she was alive sadly she could never talk about it.
‘She was so sworn to secrecy that she never felt able to tell us.’
The Duchess also spent time with four women, who had worked at Bletchley at the same time as her relatives: Rena Stewart, who worked in Hut 3; Georgina Rose, a Teleprinter Operator and Morse Code Slip Reader in Block E; Elizabeth Diacon, a Teleprinter Room Supervisor, serving Hut 3, Hut 6 and Hut 8; and Audrey Mather, a Teleprinter Operator who was based in Block E.
The Duchess of Cambridge smiled as she left Bletchley Park following the afternoon engagement today
Mrs Mather told her: ‘We haven’t got together like this before. We don’t know each other even though we were here at the same time.’
The Duchess, referring to the element of secrecy, said: ‘My grandmother, for my childhood, never spoke about her work. Are you able to share your stories now?’
Told yes, she added: ‘I was just speaking to the children next door and they were saying this [codebreaking task] is really complicated.
‘They have got a real appreciation of what you were doing.’
The Duchess of Cambridge was surprised with two bricks dedicated to her grandmother Valerie Glassborow and her great-aunt Mary Glassborow on the Codebreakers’ Wall at Bletchley Park
‘You were very important. Your families must be very proud.
‘It’s a real honour to meet you.’
Mrs Rose offered her ‘congratulations on your beautiful family’, to which Kate revealed that little Louis, one, was already running amok.
‘Thank you so much. Louis is keeping us on our toes,’ she said.
The Duchess of Cambridge waved to excited crowds as she made her way into the newly restored Teleprinter Building
Schoolchildren were among those who were on hand to welcome Kate to Bletchley Park this afternoon, pictured
‘I turned around the other day and he was at the top of the slide – I had no idea!’
Given four cuddly toys by the primary school codebreakers: a squirrel, fox, owl and rabbit for George, Charlotte, Louis and baby Archie, she said: ‘They love wild animals. They will look after these.’
Following one of her favourite trends, Kate plumped for head-to-toe blue and paired the frock with a pair of £425 suede court shoes by Emmy London and a £450 navy Panama Purse by Smythson.
She finished the look with her signature bouncy blow-dry and a pair of delicate pearl drop earrings.
The dress is a favourite of celebrities including Sarah Jessica Parker and Christie Brinkley and was notably seen on Meghan’s friend and former Suits co-star Abigail Spencer at the Sussexes’ wedding in May last year.
The Duchess of Cambridge is on hand to visit the immersive film and audio display, D-Day: Interception, Intelligence, Invasion, which celebrates the role played by codebreakers in the landings.
Codebreakers fed crucial information to Allied forces in the days and weeks leading up to the largest sea invasion in history in 1944.
The Duchess of Cambridge was typically elegant as she arrived at Bletchley, waving to well-wishers at the site
Kate wore the polka dot dress with a pair of blue suede heels and a navy leather clutch bag for the outing this afternoon
The royal kept her jewellery simple, plumping for a pair of pearl drop earrings that complimented her ensemble
Youngsters took out their phones to snap a picture of Kate as she made her way into the exhibition this afternoon
The royal mother-of-three smiled broadly as she arrived for the engagement near Milton Keynes
Young royal supporters gazed in admiration at the Duchess as she spent time speaking to them on her way into the exhibition
The Duchess of Cambridge wore a subtly dark eye make-up look for the engagement this afternoon, as seen left and right
The Duchess of Cambridge looks at bricks dedicated to her grandmother Valerie Glassborow and aunt Mary Glassborow who both worked at Bletchley Park, during a visit to view a special D- Day exhibition in the newly restored Teleprinter Building
The Duchess of Cambridge uses a German Enigma machine and talks to students during her visit to Bletchley Park to view a D-Day Exhibition in Milton Keynes
Kate Middleton got to grips with a German Enigma machine captured during WWII during her visit to Bletchley Park
Kate got to grips with a German Enigma machine and talked to students during her visit to Bletchley Park to in Milton Keynes