Here are some photos of the Duchess of Cambridge and the Countess of Wessex doing an appearance together at Buckingham Palace on Monday. We’re in the midst of London Fashion Week, and Sophie and Kate co-hosted an event highlighting sustainable fashion from commonwealth nations. This was announced several weeks ago, and I thought at the time that it sounded like more of a Sophie thing than a Kate thing. But here was Kate, in a black-and-white Erdem dress, looking somewhat interested as she spoke to Stella McCartney.
Just one day after hitting the red carpet at the BAFTAs, Kate Middleton is attending another fashionable event at Buckingham Palace during London Fashion Week. Alongside Sophie, Countess of Wessex, the stylish royal co-hosted the Commonwealth Fashion Exchange reception at the palace on Monday evening. The exciting fashion initiative saw designers and artisans from all 52 countries of the Commonwealths create one-of-a-kind sustainable outfits, which were showcased at the reception.
Kate opted for a black-and-white lace floral print dress by Erdem, while Sophie wore a black dress with red detailing from Burberry. (Burberry and Stella McCartney are the designers representing the U.K. at the event.) Kate and Sophie are often seen as the most fashionable members of the royal family. With a keen eye for feminine tailoring and elegant formalwear, Sophie’s choices have been compared to Kate‘s. Both are fans of British designers Erdem, Emilia Wickstead and Alexander McQueen as well as the milliner Jane Taylor. And both own those famous L.K. Bennett nude pumps.
“With a keen eye for feminine tailoring and elegant formalwear, Sophie’s choices have been compared to Kate‘s.” Poor Jason, please take it down a notch. We might have to change his name from Poor Jason to Keen Jason. Sophie has been a member of the royal family for nearly a decade longer than Kate. Sophie is reportedly extremely close to the Queen, who is said to rely on her and adore her much like a second daughter. My point? Sophie is dusting some of HER royal magic on Kate, the wayward flasher and chutney-gifter. Sophie is not copying Kate, nor following Kate’s lead. If Kate was smart, she would start following Sophie’s lead.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
I think they both look nice here. Are the outfits the most fashion forward? No. But Sophie looks great in that Burberry dress – I like her style a lot, I think she wears a lot of clean classic lines that work for her figure, but still takes some chances. And Kate looks nice. Finally Erdem didn’t completely fail her.
I think this overall looks like it was an interesting and fun evening.
I agree with everything.
And so fun that Anna Wintour lost a leg!
I’m laughing at that picture…and Anna looks so cheery, despite having only one leg.
@ minx – tee hee
but shame about her dress.
Why is it always Erdem Erdem Erdem…..are there no other designers? Has Kate got some kind of special deal with them that never runs out?
But they all do, surely? Beatrice was at that event, wearing… Erdem. Eugenie’s engagement photo featured her wearing Erdem. Kate has worn several dust ruffle monstrosities, including this one. Even Meghan wore some heinous Erdem to that Jamaica wedding. Do they have some sweet deal, as per RayBan and Range Rover?
I reckon Kate turned up at this event – really, Sophie’s – to clock up some numbers because she will disappear before too long with baby #3, and won’t be back for ages. Just a hunch.
I can’t wrap my head around the fact that this basic dress costs over 3000 US-Dollar.
and it is custom made in order to fit Kate´s current state. How can one splash such amount of money on maternity wear remains out of any world for me. But Kate went full force on designers after George was born.
She is not spending her own money. The Prince Charles works and manages the Duchy. Literally, he earns that money. His offspring and his heir’s wife just spend it unwisely. How can William allow to have his wife under the bus while playing the wonderful family act is beyond my comprehension.
Soulspa: William never stopped the mocking tabloid monikers and articles when they were dating. Why change the habit of a lifetime.
@LAK I hear you and you are right. Just that now she is his wife and most importantly the mother of his children. That should matter to him.
@ SoulSPA – what do you expect Wm to do?
@Spidee!! On the one hand it’s said that Will has always called the shots, and on the other hand Kate’s proved during the Waiting Years she would do anything to land the title. She and her family wanted very much the title, hence their efforts and millions of pounds spent and the strategy for their plan. The balance of power was obvious pre-marriage and Will’s words during the engagement interview showed it clearly: I gave her time (the decade of waiting) to know what she’s getting into and back off if she wanted to.
I’ve read various POV around here and the truth may lie in the middle. William is cold, controlling and petulant. Kate lacks life, world and work experience pre-marriage. It shows. And now they both live in a bubble of luxury and privilege. Both could do more but there are two things: William is controlling but Kate accepts it. The burden is always on the married-in. It shows. Had William cared about his role and her role, he would have decided that ages ago. He wanted a wife, she was the last one standing. She didn’t give a flying fly and was protected and supported by her family in order to get the title. Both are spineless but overall he calls the shots. Always had. He should make sure there is quality and quantity in their work. There isn’t any. Who gets busted? Kate? Nothing’s changed. William allows the status quo but Kate doesn’t push him either.
@SoulSpa…..A lot of what you say is true, but I do think you are being rather harsh. I actually think Kate adores William, she gazes at him with genuine love, but he never seems to look her back lovingly in the eye. Maybe William is trying to be ‘royal’ like his grandparents and not do PDA. Even Charles shows Camilla PDA without touching her. Kate must be a bit envious of Harry’s unabashed desire for his fiancee. Harry when asked are you excited about getting married to Meghan, replied, ” I was excited from the first time I saw her”.
Unfortunately for Kate William is not in love nor has he pretended to be. I don’t know why but he is very chilly toward her like he has checked out and his mind is elsewhere. Like once they are done with an engagement he drives off in his own direction.
Someone said they have separate bedrooms and I can believe it. They are very disconnected. I know everyone excused his not wearing ring, but he didn’t even have one made. It is all the details together that make it obvious he’s not there. Apart they are not much but all together it is odd.
Maybe one day someone will enlighten us why he is that way. I am hard on Kate for her shortcomings, but I really feel for her sometimes. She knew what she was getting, but I don’t think she knew how it would feel seven years later.
It’s a pretty, well-fitting maternity dress….and it’s still not worth a fraction of that cost
Pret a porter movie explains it well. Why is that dress 3000 ? So you can set a goal to buy anything erdem.
I like this dress, it’s out of character for Kate because it’s interesting. I love Sophie and she looks great. I’d love to see these royal ladies form a girl pack (along w Meghan) and do appearances together. I think Sophie and Meghan together can bring Kate’s formerly mildly interesting personality back from the dead.
I am going to be contrarian because I don’t like Sophie’s look. The dress does not flatter her figure, the hose and shoes don’t work, and her up do is way too fussy for such a contemporary dress.
Kate looks like she is wearing curtains from Ikea, but that seems to be her default look.
Same, Sophie looks matronly.
i love sophie’s look but the shoes would have to go, i’d have worn red peeptoes or something with a bit more pizzaz in the accessories dept to balance out the dress
The dress is fine. Jason’s grammar could use some work, though. (I wish I were enough of a scholar to name the error, but “Sophie’s choices” do not have a “keen eye”. Help me out, English majors!)
‘Sophie demonstrates a keen eye for fashion with her clothing choices’ would do in a pinch, I reckon.
Not so much grammar as meaning. Choices don’t have eyes, much less keen ones. People have eyes. Could have been ” Sohpie’s choices show a keen eye.” or likewise, as above would be good too. ‘Sophie demonstrates a keen eye for fashion with her clothing choices’.
In the photo where you can see Kate’s face in the mirror she looks like she did during the gf days.
Thought so too! You can definitely see how much her pregnancy weight is making her more youthful.
It’s the happiness, and just a “zest”, she just actually seems joyful. She’s so much more interested/involved at events, seems to connect more with the people around her… She seems to just be really happy! Pregnancy really does suit her, and I do believe her kids give her immense joy. I only hope she doesn’t diet off all the pregnancy pounds, as it does soften her looks.
Erdem are yet to make a dress that I actually like. Blech.
Is it tone deaf to wear a black-base dress the very next day after wearing green at the BAFTAs? I’m going to tentatively say yes, because it keeps the whole discussion going and really highlights that yes, if she’d wanted to she could have shown her support.
I hate Erdem. I have never seen anything I like.
Yes. Definitely tone deaf.
Agreed with all you said Kaiser, especially that Kate should follow Sophie’s lead.
She looks amazing. Love the dress. The only thing I would do differently is change the color of the hose, but that’s just me. She knows how to dress while pregnant.
Sophie never used to be so stylish but she certainly has more poise and style than Katie Keen.
Sophie is trying very hard to be fashionable and catch the eye of photographers, but with Meghan arriving on the scene I think it will be a fruitless effort.
Gotta catch my breath. Was it Sophie’s event and Keen Kate went along? Their really try to make her look good. LMAO. At this rate she’ll clock in enough events for the rest of the year.
Its 2 things – get the numbers up before she goes on maternity and we won’t see her again till the end of the year (unless its main family events like Harry’s wedding and trooping the colour) and secondly, Meghan. Katie Keen doesn’t want the public to forget about her. She’s not normally this visible at this time of year and at this stage of pregnancy.
And she has still engagements listed – has ist to do with Philips retirement? Has somebody put his foot down and forces her to work? Meghans appearance on the scene?
Yes this latest blitz is definitely about getting her numbers up. It makes me think that someone at Buckingham or Kensington palace has realized that people have figured out how little work she was doing, and they want to give her a boost before she goes on maternity leave – this way they can actually say “maternity leave,” since the past few times it was just kind of like….shes going to work even less for a while!
I’m not sure it’s about getting her numbers up or competition. She seems more relaxed than ever, it’s got to be something else.
The timing says it is Meghan. It is not a coincidence, and she will need to get that sash before Meghan does. That would be humiliating.
She should continue this pace. It is better for her all around.
Princess Beatrice was there too.
They were both at the event on behalf of the queen.
@Anna, there are other scenarios, of course there are: fancy dress event, pregnancy hormones, she feeds herself better since she’s pregnant, she knows she’ll be out of spotlight when Meghan enters the BRF post pregnancy and during the first two years of her issue #3.
So it was event highlighting sustainable fashion and Kate couldn’t be bothered to wear one of the sustainable fashion designers? And that’s just rich anyways, considering she wears most of her clothes one time and then never again. Ridiculous.
I think it was about collaboration. So Stella McCartney made a dress with silk from an Indian company, for example. I imagine Erdem had something on display as well but I’m not positive (Burberry did.)
if none of it was maternity wear, she couldn’t have worn it.
I do wonder a bit if Jason is quietly and passive-aggressivly trolling them with the use of the word keen. Even when I wouldn’t expect this word to appear in their correspondence and announcements, it always turns up. He should have stopped using it years ago. It is a funny joke for us watchers and for the life of me I won’t ever be able to use this word in a non-sarcastic way but from the professional point of view it’s a bit disturbing.
Can’t believe I’m about to day this, but I love Wintour’s dress.
I love that dress too. I wonder who designed it? Beautiful!
Kate’s dress is Meh, as is Sophie’s. The event, however, looks like a wonderfully interesting event!
I love Kate’s dress. It’s a lovely maternity dress.
Her face looks so much better today, more normal. Whatever she did at the baftas was odd, made her look puffier and swollen.
I noticed too. I think it’s A: less makeup (she did her version of ‘nighttime’ makeup, which is twice as heavy as usual, which is heavy to begin with), and B: possibly some late day /evening pregnancy swelling. I know in the latter days of my pregnancies I would balloon up throughout the day, and by evening my legs and ankles were not discernible.
For once, this is an Erdem dress that I like. She looks good in it. The pregnancy weight makes her look so much healthier and glowing. I admire that she can wear such high heels while pregnant. My back gets sore just looking at them. Lol
Sophie looks great. Sometimes her clothes can be a bit fussy but this is a simple, sleek dress and she suits it.
While I think Kate looks lovely here, I’d just like to take a minute to acknowledge Sophie. I mean, hair, makeup, dress & shoes are on point. She knows how to do elegant and appropriate without being boring. I’ve always hoped that Kate would take pointers from her.
Yes, that dress would work for so many occasions. And the shoes. Love, love those shoes.
Me three!!! those shoes are to die for and really give her whole outfit an extra bit of panache!! I’m so glad that she didn’t go the safe and boring route of black pumps, but Sophie has always been one to take a fashion risk from time to time.
I love the unexpected twist of her shoes. I don’t like matchy-matchy. It is boring, but I like Sophie’s look though I would change her hair a bit. It is cute she is the Queen’s favorite.
Kate looks better and happier pregnant. She looks great with this dress.
I have to say Kate looks lovely–comfortable and happy.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Stella McCartney makes Meghan’s wedding dress.
I just realized how horrible she really looks when she starves herself. She’s acutally very pretty. Btw is her name still Kate Middleton?
No, of course not, lol. Everyone just still calls her that.
No 🙂 Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. Her real name is Catherine Elisabeth Middleton. But I think only William use the name Catherine.
I think the whole Duchess of … makes it harder for people. In other royal countries – if you marry a prince or princess you become one: prince Daniel, crown princess Mary …. And people forget your last name.
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge isn’t her name. Written that way denotes a divorced woman. Like Sarah, Duchess of York.
Kate is The Duchess of Cambridge. (Definitive article ‘The’ + title. No first names in the title.)
Mary’s title is The Crown Princess of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat. Her first name is not in her title.
I think she signed her name Catherine Elizabeth, HRH The Duchess of Cambridge in George’s Birth certificate. She could also use the Catherine Montbatten-Windsor name.
@merrit Yes but her name is actually H.K.H. Kronprinsesse Mary Elizabeth (that’s in danish) – the other thing is her titel.
Kate is not Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. She would only be that if she was divorced or if William died and there was another Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. She is Duchess of Cambridge in the same way Diana was Princess of Wales and became Diana, Princess of Wales after the divorce.
So, it’s not The Duchess of Cambridge, Catherine? I can never the get the name stuff right. When she’s at an event, are people supposed to just call her Duchess? What do other family members (like Harry & Megs) call her?
BrandyAlexander: she is HRH The Duchess of Cambridge and would be introduced as such to non-royals.
After introductions, you call her ‘Ma’am’ or ‘Your Highness’
Only her family (and inlaws) may call her Catherine / Kate. Ditto those friends she’s invited to use her given name / nicknames.
I understand the concept of sustainable fashion, but it seemed more Sophie’s push than Kate’s.
Kate and Sophie’s dresses were ok. Sophie’s shoes did not work with her dress.
Kate’s face looked less something???
I think Kate looks absolutely lovely in this dress.
Over $3000 on a dress she might never wear again? Wasteful and out of touch with the ordinary people she allegedly cares for so deeply!
On the flip side, she has re-worn lots of stuff from her previous pregnancies. Considering this was a fashion event it makes sense to wear something designer rather than something from ASOS. Although she did wear a very cheap maternity dress from ASOS during her last pregnancy as well.
What has she reworn from her previous pregnancies aside from one or two dresses and two coats? Everything else has been new and most likely will never be worn again.
She spends too much money on her wardrobe. She doesn’t work enough or stay long enough to warrant the price. Her clothes look much cheaper no matter what she pays so she should pay less. How many samey looks should she need?
+1000!
I just stared at that picture with Anna W. for way too long, trying to figure out why she only had one leg…I need coffee!
Kate’s looking so lovely, I really do admire everything about her. Personally I don’t think someone is behind getting her numbers up, I suspect its for two reasons;
Firstly, she’s been extraordinarily happy (happier than we are used to seeing) throughout this pregnancy and I’m so curious as to what that is, even though we may never know.
Secondly, I suspect she’ll be completely out of sight once the baby is born and she knows it so is just clocking those numbers ahead of time.
These are just my suspicions.
You admire everything about her? Like what for example? I’m genuine curious about “everything”?
I’m fine with you staying curious. And no, you don’t have to mask your curiousity by adding how “genuine” you are.
OOOHH! that escalated quickly.
This was Sophie’s event that Kate was added onto. She’s the President of it. And all the reporters there last night said Kate pretty much followed her around. There are very few pics of her without Sophie, and they all said Sophie took the lead straight away and Kate seemed very unsure of herself. And this is after 7 years on the job!
Poor Sophie. No doubt she doesn’t enjoy the privileges Kate does, works a lot more but Kate tags along in a new dress for a photo op and a boost in numbers.
I guess the new private secretary figured Kate should shadow Sophie to learn something, so Kate said, “OK! I’ll go to the fashion event! I’ll get to meet Anna Wintour! And Stella McCartney!” Then, secretly to herself, “And make Pippa super jealous!”*
*Maybe she didn’t actually think/say this…it’s just how my family (sister/mother) tend to behave…and I see a lot of similarities between Kate’s family behavior and mine.
Sigh. I never see them together so it did seem odd.
I have – there is a pretty funny picture of Kate catching Sophie falling!
Really! I have to look.
Actually they were both at the event on behalf off the queen.
Yes, a lot of people noticed that Sophie was taking the lead but Catherine seemed not to really pay much attention when Sophie was talking to her, and hardly made any eye contact. Sophie definitely knows how to engage.
So Kate does nothing and gets shade. Kate does something and still gets shade? 🤔
Until she does “something” consistently (and by that I mean for months at a time) she’s going to continue to get shade and suspicion. She’s built up these ill feelings over several years. You can’t expect everyone to toss them away that quickly.
You are right. I wasn’t a royal watcher like the knowledgeable ladies like LAK, Nic19, notasugar I know I am missing some, but they are the ones that have been around consistently the longest I think. Others chime in from time to time.
Anyway, I thought she would be different. The Waity years weren’t the best, and I hoped he would move on to someone new since he kept treating her shabbily, but once they got married, I had some doubts and decided to ignore them. I thought it was weird the way they got engaged but whatever. Then the working never happened. The promises. The disaster trip to NYC. I ignored them after that, but every time I happened upon an article, it was boring and same old story.
Then my UK relatives (who don’t care deeply) were lukewarm with opinions. Collective shrugs.
Then once here it has still been the same underwhelming story.
It took a long time to get to my views and they have yet to be proved false.
I don’t understand her so in a way I can’t stop trying.
I notice Sophie wore a (quite lovely) black dress to this event. But Keen Katie couldn’t have worn a black dress to the BAFTAs because that would be breaking protocol? OK, sure.
A black dress bothers you? Black dress does nothing, it is basically the “thoughts and prayers” version of a dress. You should focus on people who are actively *speaking out* not those who are just coasting along to wade off backlash.
Eh. To each their own mindset I guess.
Well said @OOOHH!
Did you purposely misunderstand my comment or are you really that obtuse? Also, you’re on the wrong blog to be a Kate stan.
Kate doesn’t speak out either 😉
No black dress. No speaking out. No support.
@Laura – Anybody is free to comment on this site. It’s a gossip blog that regularly covers a multitude of different celebrities and topics and not a fansite for one particular person. Therefore, you can’t really go around trying to exclude the fan’s of a particular celebrity you don’t like.
Ah…@LAURA I see you’re one of those people who resorts to insult slinging when they get their feelings stirred. Give your adrenals a break. Your comment was very well understand but your shallow thinking keeps you from realising what thoughts fall out of your head and through your keyboard.
To say that I’m on the wrong blog to be a Kate Stan presses on how immature you are. You are going out of your way to find someplace you *think* is exclusively dedicated to Kate bashing….? There has to be something wrong with a mindset like that. You do know that Kate’s life won’t be negatively impacted a single bit regardless of your thoughts on her right?
Her not wearing that black dress gave ammunition to those that are trying to cast sexual harassment as a political issue. Not only did she not help the movement, she hurt it and made it about herself instead of all the survivors from all walks of life.
The movement was to set up a fund for legal aid for women but we didn’t hear about that coz Kate was keen to stand out.
It is willful Laura.
It is same people.
Reasonable people understand what you meant. She doesn’t speak out or supports anything with passion, and it is tone deaf to turn around and wear black so close to the BAFTAs.
She is not deep, she is not keen on working, and that is simply who she is. I don’t care if her fans like her but it is ridiculous when they try to convince us otherwise.
I believe she wore a black, tiered dress to the Baftas before. It’s not protocol that stopped her from wearing black again, she just didn’t care to. Which is her choice to make. I don’t know how informed and involved she cares to be anyway. She does her, and seems content like that.
That is what I think too. She is fine the way she is, and she makes the choices she wants. There are no secret reasons or protocol. Kate doing Kate. I don’t think she is cut out for this role and I think that is where she falls short but I think if she were married to a wealthy man and living on an estate somewhere no one would notice. None of it would matter. It’s the royal expectations that she struggles with the most.
Is Kate wearing a maternity dress? Odd that the skirt is so narrow
No. It was adjusted for her.
Poorly, I might add. Which is consistent with her regular butchering of expensive clothing.
It’s so hard to find stylish maternity and especially breastfeeding-friendly clothes on the high street, and it’s sad to see the high end maternity fashion is just as frumpy.
That photo of Kate, McCartney and Wintour looks like a 1977 elementary school faculty meeting. I hate Kate’s dress the least of the three. Kate is carrying high. I don’t recall my pregnancy superstitions very well but I think that means the baby is a girl? Yes, yes, I know that that carrying high is only indicative of the fact that you’re carrying high. But my grandma swore by this stuff and she was right 50 percent of the time. 🙂
Lol to 50% of the time. Thanks for the laugh. 🙂
Does Kate get world wide respect as a royal?
I am baffled by Sophie’s shoes with that dress. I can’t even concoct an edgy/fashion forward reason for tan&white/cow hide pattern shoes with a black and red dress.
What kind of photoshop mischief was needed in that one picture to end up with Wintour’s leg being erased. Or is it really just the way she is standing and skinny legs ??
Sophie’s shoes are a blush pink velvet. Light reflection is making them appear to be patterned, lighter/ darker in places.
Her shoes in the last two pictures look completely different.
Dear Kate,
you are trying to compete with the ornamental decoration of a palace. And you are losing because the palace is so much more joyful. The black-white pattern of your dress would delight Morticia Adams but on you it is simply a miss.
Luckily for you Sophie got the memo to not upstage the middle-class pretender fashion-wise.
Anna Wintour and that beatles-daughter who claims to be a designer have just agreed to get papped with you because Buckingham Palace insisted. Wintour’s dress is a cooky salute and McCartney expressed her mood in all-black mourning attire and they own it. Next to them your dress looks like morbid curtains. Again Morticia Adams would like it.
Sophie’s shoes are hideous. Red shoes would have looked nicer even the shoes that Kate wore would have worked with that Burberry dress.
I must admit, on certain occasions, I am struck by just how beautifully Sophie has grown into her role. Having a moment of quiet respect over here.
I agree. She looks so regal and together. I like her mature capable air. I never paid much attention to her until LAK pointed her out. I think I like Sophie and she is becoming a favorite. I can see why the Queen adores her.
Sophie looks good.
Sophie’s hair is a little stiff but I like that dress. Kate’s dress looks like something I conked puc up at the mall. And Kate’s hair is falling back into ringlet-ville. Just sayin’.
I think Kate looks good here — she’s finally popped and the pregnancy weight looks healthy on her. The outfit is on point. I love Sophie’s shoes but they don’t match her dress which is very plain.
However, Kate, Sophie and Anna Wintour all look better than Stella McCartney. Her black dress is baggy and resembles a pair of drapes.