Diamond Jubilee U.K. tour starts with royal visit to Leicester

Photo Credit: XPOSUREPHOTOS.COM via the Daily Mail

The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, and Duchess of Cambridge have officially kicked off the Diamond Jubilee tour of the U.K. in Leicester. Massive crowds appeared today on every step of the tour and there are several reasons for this: First, everyone wants to get a glimpse of the new Duchess of Cambridge—the new “it” girl and world fashion icon— Second, Prince Harry’s Caribbean escapades have truly amped up the press coverage of the Queen’s Jubilee both nationally and internationally.

Here is how the day unfolded: the royals took the 10.15 train to Nottingham and then toured some of Leicester, before heading off to watch some cultural dancing at De Montfort Square. Security was extremely tight, as was to be expected— especially at the train station; a police helicopter was present and officers and patrol cars were all around: “Crowds stood three-deep on pavements surrounding the train station, behind crash barriers, as they waited to try to catch a glimpse of the royal party arriving…” reports the Daily Mail.

Next on the agenda was De Montfort University, where the Queen and Kate watched a student fashion show and the Duke of Edinburgh (less fashion inclined) heard about a school service project. As was the plan, Kate then chose a shoe design from one of six student sketches—the shoes will now be made for Kate to wear—the idea being to give the student a kick start in his or her career. The winner of the contest was Becka Hunt, a student whose shoe design was inspired by the Duchess of Cambridge’s engagement ring.

After the show, it was off to a reception and lunch at the Grand Hall at St Martins House. Here, according to the Mail, Kate and the Duke of Edinburgh met with various outreach officials and the Queen met with various faith leaders as they were right near the cathedral.

The last stop of the day was the Clock Tower in Leicester city center. Here, the royals received a gift from the City.