While the Princess of Wales wasn’t allowed to attend the diplomatic corps reception this year or last year, Kate did make the royalists happy by attending three state banquets, all held at Windsor Castle. They’re trying so hard to make Prince William and Kate sound like the biggest and keenest international statesmen ever, but really, they were relegated to “airport chauffeurs” and “banquet attendees.” They really can’t handle much more than that. But still, Kate’s fans were thrilled that they got to see her in evening gowns and tiaras. It’s still funny (to me) that Kate’s most recent tiara-wearing was such a bust though – she got to pull the Oriental Circlet Tiara out of storage, but it was too big for her head and she didn’t have the tiara properly secured to her hair/wig/fall. Which meant that in nearly every photo, the tiara was sliding off her head. Still, People Magazine’s current cover story is all about Embiggening Kate, so enjoy:
Nobody wears a state banquet gown quite like Kate Middleton. From her princess-perfect jeweled Jenny Packham ensemble to welcome the German president recently to the majestic silk and Chantilly lace Philippa Lepley gown for U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit, to regal red to welcome the French president in July, the Princess of Wales has mastered three distinctly different state visit looks this year — each a resounding diplomatic triumph.
“I think there is a subtle style evolution. She just seems to be broadening her horizons a little bit, but mostly all three looks were simply a masterclass in sartorial diplomacy,” Bethan Holt, fashion director at The Telegraph, tells PEOPLE. “There’s always a little bit of anticipation, and she ticked all the boxes of diplomacy, glamour and appropriateness.”
There was certainly glamour with the blue ombre-effect sequinned Jenny Packham caped gown Kate wore to welcome the German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and his wife, Elke Budenbender, at a star-studded banquet at Windsor Castle earlier this month.
“I think fashion-wise, it was a safe choice compared to her other state dinner looks this year, but this was a real ‘wow’ princess moment for her. It’s not something she does often, but I think she does recognize that as a princess, the public will want to see her looking like a princess every so often, and for a state banquet, she can really tick that box — and she did,” says Holt, the author of The Duchess of Cambridge: A Decade of Modern Style. Diplomatically, the glitzy look also hit the mark.
“Kate often wears blue for Germany. Maybe Prussian blue is a little easier to wear than orange, red and black, the colors of the German flag, but the piece de resistance was the tiara. It was truly a tiara and a half, practically a crown! It almost felt like her ascending from princess to queen in that one moment,” says Holt. For the occasion, Princess Kate picked a symbolic tiara that hasn’t been seen in two decades. The Oriental Circlet Tiara, one of the oldest pieces created by Garrard for the royal family, was a favorite tiara of the late Queen Mother and was only worn once by the late Queen Elizabeth. “I think because of those emotional family ties and because it was a tiara which had been commissioned by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria,” Holt explains. “It was a very clever historical link and a seamless and brilliantly diplomatic move.”
The fashion nods to diplomacy were once again at the front and centre of Kate’s gold gown, designed by Philippa Lepley, for President Trump’s state visit in September. The bespoke silk and lace dress, which featured hand-embroidered Chantilly lace and gold motifs, was the first time British designer Lepley had been chosen to dress Kate at a state event.
“I think Phillipa did a great job, and the fact that Kate felt confident to try something so different with her was great,” says Holt. “You can really appreciate it on a fashion level, but when you think how she was sitting next to Donald Trump, and you think of his own decorative taste and Mar-a-Lago where everything is gold and ornate, it worked on so many levels,” says the fashion expert. “She can make something classic look exciting; it’s that magic touch she has. It’s the touch that A-list actresses have, that supermodels have and Kate has that too. She has the ability to immediately lift something and make it her own.”
“It is a huge amount of pressure for Kate to always deliver this fashion moment at these big state events, but it’s all part of the package. And as Trump said, this is a royal family like no other, and she knows that,” notes Holt. “It’s a subtle evolution, and she’s definitely still ticking all those boxes that are so integral to who she is as a royal and future queen. Kate knows that the interest in her is going to be there for years to come and that she needs to keep gently moving things on and doing something different, but nothing too surprising that it feels unsettling; it’s a very fine line.”
“…How she was sitting next to Donald Trump, and you think of his own decorative taste and Mar-a-Lago where everything is gold and ornate, it worked on so many levels…” I’ll admit, I was astonished that Kate avoided flag-dressing for the Trump state visit and instead went for “gaudy & gold” for the Trump aesthetic. The Lepley gown really was a perfect choice for sucking up to Trump and looking like a MAGA princess. Now, was it the smart choice long-term? Well. As for the rest of it… “a masterclass in sartorial diplomacy” is a little bit much, but considering that Kate really doesn’t have anything else on her plate, it is what it is.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images and Kensington Palace.
