Princess Adeline, Duchess of Clarence

Chapter Sixteen: Chinese State Visit

19th of October 2015 - Heathrow Airport

Taking a deep breath, Simon clasped his hands in front of him as they waited for the Air China aircraft to come to a complete stop; the weather was rather dismal but the sun was trying to break through the clouds.

It had come as a surprise when the Queen had asked them to welcome Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan to the country when they arrived for their state visit.

She had insisted that it was perfect for the couple and a way to stick them back in the spotlight after the maternity leave.

It was unreal to think that Daphne was now nearly eight months old, she still wasn't crawling yet but she made sounds when they talked to her and could sit unassisted; she was even starting to pull herself up to stand by herself.

She was such a sweet child and had really enjoyed the time that the family had spent in Scotland, the trip to Balmoral had certainly been the first time that the royal extended family had been able to interact with her.

"You look nervous," Adeline teased softly, peering at her husband with a small smile; she didn't blame him for being so nervous especially when their every move was being watched.

No doubt the cameras were focused on them as they waited for the President and his wife to arrive; the plane had landed and now they just waited for them to disembark the plane.

"Can you blame me? I don't think I speak a word of Chinese," Simon mumbled with a shake of his head, he glanced behind him towards where the media were stationed.

It was hard to believe that there was so much interest in what he was doing, he understood when it came to Adeline; he knew how people saw her and wanted to know what she was doing but he didn't know why they were interested in him.

Adeline laughed softly at that, she smiled at her husband and nudged his shoulder as the stairs were pulled up to the plane and the door finally opened.

Smoothing out her green dress, Adeline couldn't help but smile knowing how much Simon liked her in this call; people had started talking about Clarence Green and Cambridge Blue as if there was a competition between the two.

It was then that Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan made their appearance, they waved to the crowds that had gathered to welcome them to the UK before they descended the steps.

Simon hung back as Xi Jinping stepped towards Adeline and shook her hand, the two conversing for a moment before Xi Jinping moved on to shake Simon's hand and his wife greeted Adeline; the cool autumn wind doing nothing to speed them along in what they were doing.

Once the greetings had been made, the foursome moved towards the photo point so that the media could get their snaps; the President and First Lady were on the left while Adeline and Simon were on the right.

Smiles all round as pictures were taking, the photo call lasting only a couple of minutes before they made their way over to the cars that were waiting to whisk them away to Buckingham Palace where the meeting with the Queen would take place.

It was the start of a four day visit for the Chinese President, there was so much packed in to the trip and it would also see the first time that The Duke and Duchess of Clarence would appear at a state dinner.

Adeline climbed into the car and let out a sigh of relief, she smiled at Simon as he joined her in the back of the car before they started to make their way out of the airport.

Everything had been organised and Adeline wouldn't deny that she was a little bit nervous about attending her first state dinner; her outfit had been carefully chosen and she had opted for the Munster Tiara to wear for the occasion.