Tuesday 18 July 2017

The Kate Effect in Gdansk


The Kate Effect has hit Gdansk. I'm not talking about how quickly copies of her clothes have sold out in the Polish city. No, this is all about the impact that the Duchess of Cambridge had there during her afternoon stop on day two of Royal Visit Poland. Quite possibly some of the huge crowds had come to see William, too. But, let's face it, Gdansk on Tuesday was all about Kate.




 


Yep, that's the sight that greeted the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as they arrived in the centre of Gdansk on July 18th to carry out an afternoon of engagements following their earlier visit to the site of the Stutthof concentration camp (there is a separate post on that solemn event).



The royal couple started off with a tour of the market square where they were offered some local favourites including pierogi and Goldwasser liqueur. Gdansk is also famous for its amber and William and Kate were given a processing demonstration.


The crowds really were big for this part of the visit which meant plenty of chances for a walkabout or two or three as everyone in Gdansk tried to say hello to William and Kate.  


There was a chance for a chat with the Light Dragoon Guards before some more waving at the crowds which had gathered just about everywhere Kate and William went.
The royal couple also popped into the Shakespeare Theatre in Gdansk where they got a chance to meet some of the performers.


The final part of the royal visit to Gdansk was spent at the European Solidarity Centre where they toured the museum. Gdansk, for a whole generation and beyond, is best known for its role in the Solidarity Movement and Kate and William also got the chance to meet the man who led it and who went on to be President of Poland, Lech Walesa. He accompanied them as they lay roses at the Monument to the Fallen Shipyard Workers as their day in Gdansk came to an end.
Gdansk was the final stop on the Cambridges brief tour of Poland. They headed back to Warsaw and on Wednesday July 19th 2017 they will fly from there to Berlin to begin a three day tour of Germany with Prince George and Princess Charlotte at their side. If this European charm offensive tour is all about smiles and crowds, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are definitely winning. Just look at the effect Kate had on Gdansk.

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