Prince William has been the BAFTA president since 2010. He was named president just days after the 2010 BAFTAs (which he attended), so really he would have been expected to attend the BAFTAs in 2011 and every year since. That’s just, like, the most basic requirement of the job. But Work-Shy Will only attended the BAFTAs once since becoming president. He attended in 2014. He skipped the last two years, and after skipping last year, it became a thing. It set off a series of stories about his laziness and general ill-temper. So of course William had to make a big deal about how he was going to attend this year, but only if he could bring Kate, because that would be so controversial, right? Kate might steal someone’s thunder!
In the end, no thunder was stolen. Kate attended her first-ever BAFTAs and all was well. Kate wore this Alexander McQueen gown (McQueen by Sarah Burton) and everything was… okay. I’m not going to fuss too much because A) yay, at least we’re seeing a new gown, B) yay, it’s not a lace doily, C) it’s actually interesting. The fabric seems to black satin/silk with a design of bouquets of white flowers. This is actually a “bespoke” version of the “Violet Jacquard Dress” that Burton sent down the runway. The bespoke version edited out the sweetheart neckline and changed the spaghetti straps to an off-the-shoulder look. Kate also wore enormous statement earrings – she’s apparently worn these once before, in 2011, although I don’t know anything else about them.
There are some additional stories about the Cambridges out this weekend too. Did you know that William and Kate couldn’t be bothered to go the Kensington Palace pre-BAFTA reception? The Kensington Palace reception is an annual thing that happens the night before the BAFTAs. Generally, BAFTA nominees are invited, plus some big-name British celebrities. There are cocktails and food, I would guess. And Prince William, the president of BAFTA, never attends. It’s literally just a short walk from his apartment, and he still doesn’t attend. Even an outlet like the Hollywood Reporter finds it weird – they noted in their coverage: “BAFTA president Prince William didn’t attend the party, despite it being so close to home…” BAFTA needs a new president.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mail dropped another insider-y gossip piece about William and Kate’s move back to London, which still hasn’t happened yet. They keep pushing it back – nowadays, they’re saying they’ll move to London full-time by September, I guess. Apparently, even after spending millions on refurbishments, Will and Kate are still looking to get more sh-t done to KP now that they’re really moving in. According to the DM, “William has taken charge of new alterations within the palace — adding to the extensive previous £4.5 million refit.” To be fair, Will and Kate will probably be living at KP for years to come, because the DM says Prince Charles has no desire to give up the spacious and comfortable Clarence House, even when he becomes king.
What else? Royal courtiers expect Prince Harry to announce his engagement by the end of the year, and “one observer” claims that the Middletons aren’t going to be pissy about or to Meghan Markle at all: “Funnily enough, I don’t think they’ll care. Carole is very confident as grandmother of the future king — Kate goes to the family home at Bucklebury in Berkshire a lot and Carole has a close bond with Prince George. So they are secure. And William has said he wants his wife to be seen less as a clothes-horse, more a workhorse — so there’s room for both. The two women will get on very well.” And of course, if Kate needs to pull focus from Meghan, all she has to do is get pregnant, which she reportedly wants to do soon.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I think that dress is gorgeous. She looks great.
I totally agree-she looks beautiful.
Yes, she looks nice here. And she showed up for a work event (*gasps, faints*)!
Stunning
ITA! My first thought was “I would totally wear that if I had her figure.” I really like the pattern, but it would need to be a cut totally different for a petite, curvy frame. (I use “petite” in the original definition, which means short).
I agree. Best she has looked in a while.
It reminds me of a dress I wore to the seventh grade dance in 1978.
LOL! i thought the same. It’s the flounces at the bottom. I had a similiar dress with spaghetti straps and the flounces once. For my middle school graduation. In 1978.
Other photos show how really emaciated she looks as well as showing the gigantic 1950s hairdo (Ugh!) According to the RD, they also apparently didn’t stay to mingle at the after-party. Last to arrive and first to leave. Pathetic.
I feel like they should just rename the Alexander McQueen fashion house. Just call it “Sarah Burton’s House of Sartorial Horrors” and be done with it. This dress that Kate has picked is liable to give small children nightmares. Busy print, *with* flounces? How about no?
And WTH with the hair bump? Did we time travel to 1968 and someone forgot to tell me to pack my Time Lord Passport? :rubs neck to ease the TARDIS whiplash:
Her Maj has at times been derided as a real vanilla biscuit by some in the fashion world, but in her heyday she managed far more elegance and sophistication than this.
I’m wondering why they didn’t stay for the after party? Are they worried about being teased for being no-shows for years? Did his combover lose its starch? Did she take too many Xanax in order to survive being out of Anmer to be coherent?
LOL! You’re killing it tonight, WMT. Maybe her bump was due to deflate and his comb-over was due to blow away at midnight so they had to leave.
I like the dress. Nice that they finally showed up.
I like it too, it’s a bit different to the usual evening gown. I wish her updo was more modern, but overall it’s a good look on her.
IKR? I just don’t get why they wouldn’t be thrilled to attend this event. Kate, anyway. Doesn’t she love hob-nobbing with celebs? I can’t believe it was ever her choice not to attend. But she’s not exactly free to do as she pleases, either.
The dress is lovely and fits her well, and her hair, makeup and earrings are very pretty. They both need to stand up straighter, though.
Makeup’s good except the eyelashes: they’re falsies and not blended very well. I saw a closeup on another site. Kate kate kate…
Do you ever think she does those little things on purpose? sometimes i wonder……
First thing I noticed was her hands, and the odd way she is clutching them. You can see all her tension in her hands.
Good dress. Old lady hair. Word to William. Bald looks good on some men, not you. You are RICH dude, go get a hair transplant.
Almost every aspect of her style is so dated.
“She’s very confident as the grandmother of the future king.”
Tells you all you need to know really.
I dislike this dress. She looks sooo skinny oh my goodness. How does NO ONE in her circle notice this? Or do they not care? They apparently arrived late.
Apparently, the red carpet had to be cleared out for them (and BAFTA CEO Amanda Berry) to walk. So they weren’t late, it was on purpose.
But I saw a video of them walking and they both have bad posture and she looks sooo skinny.
Overall, it’s a good look for her, the makeup, hair, jewelry and dress are good
Looked for a video, and yeah, that side profile is certainly telling for a 35 year old mother of two. Yes, some people are very naturally slender, even after a couple of pregnancies, but we already know Kate wasn’t super-skinny in her college years, so I suppose she’s extreme-dieting at this point. I guess that’s normal for aristos/socialites, though.
He really is slouching.
Oh def – it also indirectly confirms that a) Middleton feathers were/are ruffled by Meghan and b) Carole will NOT let Kate or William walk away from the throne. Neither want to be in this position – both are being pushed by their families. Will all the pushing going on something will break – question is who or what? Kate or their marriage? Either way i’m still convinced he will never be King and that it will pass to Harry.
As the Queen is alleged to have said when they got back together in 2007 – it will all end in tears.
What was the source for that alleged quote from Her Maj? I mean, it’s believable, given what a hot mess this couple have been in terms of adhering to duty… but I’m curious who reported that?
I think Ma Middleton must be doing her nut about the Markle coverage. If her pweshus spawn aren’t the media darlings, that’s usually when the slam pieces against Harry come out…
I didn’t like the dress much. And I would give my right arm (well, almost…) to go to the pre-BAFTA party, and they can’t be ars@ed going down the hall…
Her shoulders are the widest part of her body and the straps only emphasize that. She would have looked better with the original spaghetti strap placement. These photos don’t show it as much but viewed directly from the front her proportions seem off in this dress.
She needs to lay off the blush. She wears it old lady style and it highlights the fillers in her cheeks. She looks older than her 35 years here and has done better in the past.
As for the extra money for renos…. how many millions need to be spent? They already redid the kitchen twice so what else is the problem? They sit forever on renovating BP but KP gets changed every time W and K pretend they are going to live there full time? This is beyond wasteful.
Aren’t shoulders the widest part of most women’s bodies?
On me, they certainly are. I’ve always had broad shoulders.
Some women have wider hips than shoulders. Kate has an inverted triangle shape, emphasized by her extreme dieting. Other women have a pear shaped body, with wider hips than shoulders. Many different body types and women need to learn how to dress for them. Kate has access to all the help in the world and still can’t get that straight.
Most men too. I have bigger hips. Sometimes people’s gut is the biggest
I have broad shoulders and a thin body. Nothing pear shaped about me. Is that a bad thing ?
No, a lot of models have that exact shape.
I really agree about the blush. She always seems to overdo it and forget the lip colour. She would have looked less clownish with less blush and a bolder lipcolour in this case IMO. Her makeup always seems to be off.
For once, I think her styling is “on”. She looks great (although a bit thin). IMO, I think if the skirt of the gown was a bit fuller it would’ve balanced her shoulders. Glad she didn’t over-do with a necklace as well.
But it just boggles the mind that they wouldn’t attend the BAFTA party the night before. It was literally STEPS within their own home! How much effort would that take? AND Kate could’ve debuted another gown (always a plus for her). Sigh… seems they always seem to fall short of the mark.
I’m thinking that the BAFTA party might not have counted as an “engagement”, so they couldn’t be bothered.
This dress reminds me of a Little House on the Prairie party dress … or something you’d find in the 1970’s at a Prom.
She almost always misses the mark … and by “almost” I mean 99.8% of the time.
With that slim, tall body, there is so much potential to be a fashion plate (sp?) with British Designers but she always look like “meh.”
And, her face is not aging well. She needs to stop with any sunning and smoking, already. Sunblock, baby, sunblock will be your friend …
Kate wore a dress with a similar bottom to the hedge fund women’s dinner a year ago. That dress was a tragic 1970’s throwback with a floral print as well.
Laura Ashley all the way
I’m not loving the tiered skirt but the dress is still gorgeous and she looks great in it. I like the updo, too. This is a winning look imo.
She looks good here. She’s covered over the highlights she had early 2016. The dress is a little twee but not too bad. William, as usual, even in a tux, looks like he was ordered off the KP Barca lounger and is counting the minutes until he can return and consume a large snack in front of the big screen TV.
Carol(e) probably has cheese toast waiting back at the palace. Along with a six pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon. Nothing’ but the best for Normal Bill.
It’s a pity that the two of them can muster up big beaming smiles for red carpets and sporting events, but not for their charity work. They only look like they actually want to be at an event when there are celebrities involved.
I think it is a weird choice: of all the dresses in all the world she picks a gathered tierd floral off-the-shoulder for London, mid-winter!!?? I don’t think it fits the occassion and she could have looked much more sophisticated. Minus all that blusher of course. And how lazy is William not to go to the pre-Bafta dinner the night before. This is the easiest patronage EVER – just watch some movies for goodness sake!!
Her hair is full of secrets. And what’s with the velvet smoking slippers, Will?!
Mean girls!!! hahahaha
Will’s slippers! Can’t decide if they are wonderful or hideous!!!! Haha
William looks like he is wearing Prince Albert slippers which are technically an acceptable formal wear with a tuxedo, although a bit foppish for my taste
William is such a plain dresser I can’t get my head around him choosing to wear velvet slippers. I too find them a tad foppish.
Am I the only one freaked out by her face? I don’t even know how to describe it. Like her cheeks are full then the rest of her lower face seems almost sunken in.
Her face looks off to me. I can’t pinpoint what it is – but it looks weird.
I noticed that too. When she’s smiling very broadly, you can see that she’s got too much filler in her cheeks.
And her hair?!!!! She’s 35 years old not 85!!!!
It’s a shame she hunches her shoulders upward. Ruins it entirely.
She’s hunching her shoulders because she has no body to hold the front of her dress up. You see this all the time in young girls who want to go strapless and then fear the front of the dress is going to fall down. I think she’s way too thin to carry off a dress like this. It just emphasizes how bony she is. This dress would look good on someone with more of a female shape. She has none.
I also think the shoulder straps are stupid. Why have them at all? Looks like bra straps that fell down!
Bethany, exactly – think about how someone like Catherine Zeta Jones would wear this dress.
(I still wouldn’t like it, but at least it would fit!)
This dress should be worn by someone with some boobage to hold it up IMO. And her posture is horrid – so indicative of her attitude, I guess.
Not feeling her hair though.
From the BAFTA dresses I’ve seen so far, Kate appears to be the best dressed. Wow, she is so thin these days, though. The DM has some up-close pictures of Kate and she looks extremely fresh-faced, almost as if she’s done something to reverse the aging process!
Viola Davis is wearing a gorgeous gown.
Viola has been giving great red carpet this year. I loved her look at the SAG awards.
Best of the night! She looks beautiful. Emma Stone killed it as well.
Emma’s hair and makeup are to die for but for some reason the dress seems not be well tailored in the sleeves.
Think waity lamebridge looks sooo rail thin in fact her bones are visible when she walks along her shoulder blades are visible ugh….. they are both beyond arrogant arriving late as usual …. why they have him as President god only knows they should get somebody better …
her dress with bunches of flowers is so aged looking ..and she is now looking aged for 35…
both are a waste of our taxpayers money…
They weren’t late… but the red carpet did have to be cleared for their arrival. Still a waste of money.
Hideous!
It immediately reminded me of Scarlett O’Hara’s dress made out of drapes.
hah! It looks like an old dust ruffle.
“I saw it in the window, and I just haaad to have it!”
Carole Burnett forever ruined Gone With The Wind for me. In the best way.
But yeah, this dress looks like it was made from some child goth princess’ canopy bed canopy.
RUFFLES. RUFFLES EVERYWHERE
Uh, no. Not feeling this neckline on her and the tiered skirt is so dated.
She looks very pretty and giving me some 60s vibe! I thought it was Erdem.
Way too thin and the lower part of the dress is hideous.
Totally agree TP. A woman that thin shouldn’t wear that type of dress. Her bones are sticking out. Her hair looks lovely, away from her face suits her better.
Best she has ever looked, Royal jewels, hair swept up, long dress with no fly ups, great eyeliner for once, pink cheeks not streaks of too-dark blush, beautiful dress, I think she looks gorgeous. but she absolutely should have insisted William take her to the pre-event (so lazy! and I’m a total apologist both of them both)
I don’t think it’s that weird that Will doesn’t attend the pre-ceremony party. You can host any kind of event at KP, from a regional sales conference to a family wedding: http://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/hire-a-venue/#gs.eli0afI. It’s not like Royals are expected to show up at any of those! My guess is that it’s just a coincidence that Will is BAFTA president and their big party happens to be held at KP. His BAFTA role seems to be purely ceremonial, so I don’t know that either side has anything to gain from him shmoozing at a private industry event.
That said, yes, it’s ridiculous that he skips the award ceremony so often.
Kate looks okay I guess, however I’m too distracted by William’s comb-over.
What has she done to her face? She looks a bit different…
She starts to look like Carole.
Also- as far as the new make-up bs story from DM, I think the following is more accurate:
It looks like Kate had a brow lift, eye job and quite probably a chin implant. Her jawline looks different ie- stronger and it’s not weight loss. I’m not an expert on this so it would be nice to hear from the professionals. The new make-up story is a cover. And the worst thing about Kate getting some work done? The taxpayers likely paid for it.
@Citresse, after reading this comment I went back and looked at a close-up and I think you are absolutely right, especially about the chin implant.
Yes Lorelei, I googled recovery time and surgeons who specialize with chin implants consider it minor surgery (I didn’t know that) and most people are back at work within 5 days. Also- I notice the tip of Kate’s nose looks different.
The silhouette begs for a necklace, but the pattern is so busy that I’m not sure it would have worked. I like her hair color, the whole look together has a Spanish flair. Like it or not, this is classic Kate!
Diamonds, or pearls, go with everything. Even busy prints. Willy is a cheapskate though, so not likely to see much bling on her.
Horrible dress, her shoulder looks wider than hips, and the waist looks very long and low
… and the color does nothing for her, she does seem to cheapen everything she wears for some reason
Totally agree with you. It just emphasises her extreme thinness and the neck line and low waist do nothing for her.
Yeah, I keep trying to figure out why people are praising this. The whole thing reminds me of a ruffled country apron, and her shoulders look so wide they’re almost mannish — especially since there’s no necklace to bring attention to the centre of her body.
+1000!
+2000, and that bouffant is not helping. Looks like she got dressed up for the Grand Ole Opry.
Olenna – perfect reference, Grand Ole Opry, late 70s?
She probably has limited options for an updo with all the extensions in.
God it’s hideous. So expensive, the original cost over £7000 and there’s a load of alterations on it. It makes her look so frail. Her bad posture is gonna cause her so much pain in the future.
The earrings are gorgeous. It’s the only good thing I have to say about it.
The boring black clutch cost over £1700. Obscene amounts of money.
So the dress and clutch alone cost over £8700???? That amount would easily clothe me for years, and you can be sure I’d never ONCE look like a satin pioneer bonnet.
I like her style. Love this dress.
This is a great dress.
BUT THE HAIR. She looks like a 65 year old mother of the bride. Can’t she afford a decent hair stylist?
Exactly. I can’t decide if I love the skirt but let’s run with it, the top part of the dress is beautiful. The hair though? This is not 1964. What is with the dated hairstyles???
This is the best I’ve ever seen her look. The makeup is much improved and the dress really suits her figure. She looks better than she did on her wedding day. Bravo.
I think that this is one of the best outfits I’ve ever seen Kate wear. That’s not saying much as most of her attempts are misses. So I label this as progress.
As noted above, what is up with Will’s velvet loafers???????
And his combover!
Awwwww, she can do so much better than this. Hair is wrong, dress is wrong, and if she is not going to get her act together, just stay home.
Well, they showed up – she’s at least looking very pleased to be there. And are we surprised they didn’t attend the gala in their own home? Nope. That sort of thing would interfere with their private family time. They are still determined to do the bare min.
As for the dress – I like it but not on her. She isn’t able to carry the tier look at the bottom half. She’s worn dresses like this before (that Erdem one) and its not a silhouette that suits her. It it had been fitted or straight it would have looked so much better. Also she needs to stop wearing McQueen as she can’t carry the designs off – even the boring/bland ones.
As for Willy’s comment about him not wanting her to be seen as a clothes horse – well maybe she should start working on making sure that we talk about her for the good ‘work’ she does for her patronages. Her appearance is all she has to sell to us, as its the only thing that she cares about.
Will’s comment about the clothes horse – good gods. Further proof that he’s out of touch?
Pro-tip, Workshy: if you don’t want your wife to be ridiculed as a vapid clothes horse, stop enabling each other’s laziness, and get a grip on your damn selves. The media are reporting endlessly on her wardrobe, because there’s literally no *there* there. Nothing substantive has ever been said or done by her. Or you, Workshy Willie. If you want your reporting to be more complimentary kids, y’all need to buck your ideas up.
i liked the dress, i think sometimes she dresses like she is younger, and I think this is a bold choice!
This is a nice one, and her dark hair looks great. I’m no expert but it seems maybe the blush is a bit wrong.
It’s not bad. I don’t want to use a flame-thrower on it.
Kri: 😂😂
Kate looks fantastic.
Am I the only one who isn’t feeling it? Idk It looks like something Diana wore in the 80s. Meh. Her hair and makeup are on point though!
It’s not just you. I’m abit surprised so many people like it. I think it’s really ugly. I was expecting her to wear something “true” McQueen but I guess she could never pull that sort of interesting couture pieces off. Sarah Burton has made the McQueen fashion line look so boring, predictable and dowdy. The patterns on the dress are just repeats of a bouquet of flowers. I don’t know…it just looks tacky.
The dress looks interesting for once, but I’m not sure that it’s a shape that suits her body. I like the earrings as well. But somehow she never gets it right. The clutch, the make up and gosh this grandma updo are a big no. And she is way too thin, doesn’t look healthy.
hahahaah.
This is a “Love it or Hate it” dress.
Seems to be split down the middle.
FOr myself, I liked the dress. Particularly the pattern and the fit.
Didn’t notice what Wills was wearing at all.
I like the hair and jewelry. The original dress is great and edgy but Kate has messed it up with her alterations.
I can’t believe they don’t attend the awards every year as well as the preawards parties. I would think Kate would love attending.
Willy’s hair looks awful.
Still no word on the earrings, except that they don’t belong to the queen. The diamond bracelet does though–it was Philip’s Wedding gift to the queen and like her engagement ring, were from a tiara belonging to his mother. The queen has worn it frequently but this isn’t the first time she’s lent it to kate.
I think the earrings look like costume jewelry (are they clip-ons?) and don’t go with the dress.
She looks stunning! I love the hair, dress, and makeup. Plus she showed up so bonus points.
I took a second look, she looks like a Christmas tree
I think the dress is gorgeous.
Her hair though? Just no. She is just so mediocre in every sense and yet overrated when it comes to the media. Queen Laetizia of Spain would have slayed in that dress. Kate? Not so much.
I’m more curious about Will’s shoes…who the hell is trying to make Him fashionable???
I actually like this. I like the off the shoulder look more than the spaghetti straps. But as usual her posture kills it.
Oh my gosh she looks stunning!! Thunder stolen for sure
I think Kate looks great, lovely dress, nice styling. Why would they not attend the other events though – isn’t it fun to dress up pretty and go to a fancy party? It’s not like they are tight on money that would go into the preparation for these things
The new fashion on makeup is top eyelid with false eyelash with black eyeliner with a tick upwards to emphasise the top lash which she seems to have adopted. The material on the dress is lovely but if it was spaghetti straps originally she should have stayed with that. Those flat tiny straps look ridiculous and over emphasises she has no cleavage. It’s like an expanse of flatness thinness and your looking for a hint of a boob. Wills is wearing his soft suede loafers, It’s the fashion for carpet work. I did smile when Steven Fry the host called him Prince Bill.
Honestly, I think the addendum “but only if he could bring Kate” actually means “only if it would be accounted for hours worked to Mrs. DooLittle too”.
Kate seems to be channeling Mrs. Santa Claus with those pink chubby cheeks.
I’ve started referring to them as her “Lee Press-On Cheeks”. Because from a distance, they look like padding that’s stuck on – like a fake butt or boob pads. They don’t look part of her.
If she wants to know what damage fillers can do to one’s face, she should look at aging Hollywood stars – or Ivana Trump.
I love the way she looks here.
‘And William has said he wants his wife to be seen less as a clothes-horse, more a workhorse”
O Will, you jest
After watching The Crown and seeing how seriously the Queen takes her role, this royal family can be shutdown after Charles. Turn the palaces into museums and schools.
i think the proportions of the dress are a bit off – so much skin showing at the top as the bodice sits so low and the strap things are so low in the shoulder/arm area. Very sleek bodice but the skirt is completely out of control with all that gathering and flowers a la ‘little house on the prairie/laura ashley/grand old oprey’ style – as others have mentioned. The silhouette is just not good and the flouncy skirt appears to have a mind of its own.
I dont usually comment on Kate’s looks and think she does look nice in practically all of her classic clothes BUT I do not like this look. Absolutely loathe the neckline – just detest it. Rest of dress fine but more suitable for private dinner in country in July. Earrings much too big and grand for dress. Hair too formal for dress – should be down. Kate’s face looks weird.