Yesterday was the second Buckingham Palace garden of the season – yes, there’s a garden party season – and unlike the first palace garden party, the Queen attended this one. The first palace garden party was last week, and Prince Charles acted as host in his mother’s absence. Just one of the small and big ways in which the Queen continues to hand over more and more responsibility to Charles. But this week, the Queen wanted to (garden) party. And she invited the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to show them how to properly garden party.
To be fair, this is not the first time William and Kate have attended one of the Buckingham Palace garden parties. They generally turn up to at least one a year, maybe every other year in Kate’s case, since the garden parties often interfere with her maternity leaves (as the garden party season interferes with Meghan’s maternity leave currently). Still, Will and Kate’s attendance seems especially notable at the moment, given the year-long campaign to Embiggen Kate and assure everyone (especially Kate) that Kate Is Not Meghan and Kate Is The Future Queen. Camilla laughs.
As for the fashion… the Queen wore Stewart Parvin, a soft blue coat, a gorgeous diamond brooch and a matching hat. I saw some sites talking about the Queen’s sunglasses, but I’m almost positive that the Queen has Transitions lens – normal glasses which darken in sunlight. She’s also had eye issues in recent years, and she had cataract surgery last year. Bright sunlight probably hurts her eyes.
As for Kate, she wore a pink Alexander McQueen coatdress with buttons and strange pleats. The look was conservative and “royal,” although I’m not 100% sure it should fit this way. It’s a customized piece and I imagine Sarah Burton was like “wait, you want double-breasted buttons, pocket flaps AND side pleats?” It just could have been a cleaner design overall. Kate’s hat is Juliette Botterill and it’s really cute. Her earrings are pearl drops which once belonged to Princess Diana.
Here are some clips from the garden party. Around the 2:30 mark, it looks like Kate interrupts William and he gets a weird look on his face. To be fair, I hate being interrupted too.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
The hat is cute, the dress is yikes, the nude shoes are back…
She always looks like she’s in a period piece. She is just so dated, which is odd, as she’s still young.
I think she always looks like she has borrowed something from Camilla, except that Camilla likes cleaner lines than Kate.
Color me crazy, but I think she looks pretty good. While I prefer her in jewel tones, this pink looks pretty on her. I’d’ve gone differently shoe/purse-wise (a pattern or pop of color would be great!), Kate’s not one to take big fashion risks, esp. with TQ nearby.
I always get this Mary Poppins vibe from Kate in these outfits, like all she needs is a flying umbrella! The color is very pretty on her, but it just looks like one of her coat dresses again. I guess the idea is to look “classic and timeless” but it comes off as really old-fashioned.
She always looks like an actress on the ”Father Brown” film set
Ha! She’s the murderer.
Or “Call the Midwife”!
Meh, I think it’s typical VIR2B (Very Important Royal-to-be)-type dressing, especially for this kind of event. As a future king’s wife (if The Firm hasn’t gone into liquidation by then), she is expected to, and has to be seen as, being conservative, and behaving and dressing conservatively; rather “mumsy”, or “Ma’am-sy”. They should just go ahead and employ a team of royal dressmakers again, who could make similar outfits over and over again, with the addition of some extra buttons here and there. It would be easier on the Royal pursestrings, given what these ladies spend. Or, shockhorror, actually wear an outfit more than two or three times, but I guess it’s all about the illusion of royalty, too. God, I’d hate to be in her (ugly) shoes, and have to tart up every day (a chore and a bore in itself) , and then be scrutinised on every aspect of my appearance… yeah, no thanks. And the endless procession of silly hats…
No problem with conservative yet couldn’t conservative be done a whole lot better? Why not a sleek and better fitted look? Lose the buttons. pleated skirt and most importantly the double breast. That what makes it look frumpy and dated to me.
Or even just sew the buttons on a bit better so they don’t droop in every different direction.
Cute hat is peach-y pink. Pretty dress is cool toned blue-ish pink. They should either match or contrast.
@tuille – I also feel like the dress and hat don’t match. Plus I hate beige (aka “nude”).
After yesterday’s prairie dress fiasco, I think this coat dress is a success.
I honestly do like it, I like coat dresses. I like coats, maybe that’s why. She needs better shoes, though.
William always looks like he’s trying to be taken seriously. “Maybe if I scowl they’ll think I’m a deep thinker”
Queenie looks so cute!
I adore her hat as well.
I want that handbag of hers!
She looks badass in her sunglasses!
Agree! Love her sunglasses 🙂
Classic Kate outfit.
Perfectly fine for a garden party and nicely adds some shape to her figure.
I like the colour. It does look ultra conservative and old fashioned but I guess people would complain if it were anything else
Kate cant please everyone.
I don’t usually comment on clothing, not being a fashionista but I thought that her coat style dress and colour was beautiful, the cut was absolutely perfect. The only problem was the back view where her two shoulder blades were poking out. To me she is too thin, and I think she suffers with anxiety issues.
Her love of 80’s secretary chic is baffling.
It’s not! I used to think I’d go to work dresssed like Jane Fonda in 9 to 5 😂 nice to see someone repping the 80’s secretary.
they both look like easter eggs.
BUTTONS!!!!!!!!!
Its fine but not sure it needed the all the buttons with the pockets and side pleats. Plus I’d fire whoever tailored it as you can see the hemline at the bottom – either the material is too thin or its not lined. For something she likely paid 3 figures for I would not expect to see the hemline esp as McQueen was famous for the quality of tailoring. Sarah Burton was the wrong choice to take over the label.
Three figures?? Try five! Custom McQueen starts at £10k. 5 figures of Fug.
Ah – it was a typo, I meant to have put 4 but 5 is also spot on.
The coat dress really does not bother me. I think the idea behind the design is that is looks, at least to me, as a jacket and pleated skirt but stitched together to make a dress. The shoes are what really bother me. I know she is walking on grass and pink shoes would have been black or grass stained by the end of the day, however, I think navy shoes in the same court-pump style would have been a better choice to add some contrast.
The shoes with this colour don’t bother me and they are kinda growing on me (they are quite popular – am seeing them all over London now that the weather is picking up here). At least she’s not wearing the wedges of doom – I like wedges but not a fan of the style she likes.
My bug bear is the tailoring – I have a relative who was a dressmaker and I can hear her in my head going off on one about the hemline showing. She always says a good tailor never shows their work, as in you can’t/shouldn’t see it. There has been a few of these bespoke McQueen’s where the tailoring has shown.
I don’t mind the nude shoes sometimes because I feel like – what else would she wear? If she wore pink shoes we would have torn her apart for that lol.
But to go with her love of theme dressing, shoes in a pretty floral pattern would have been a nice break from the same nude shoes all the time.
The dress is poorly made. You can see the buttons aren’t evenly lined up and they are placed weirdly along the seam at the waist. It’s amazing how something so expensive and bespoke looks so cheap.
I have a theory. Put on Tinfoil Hat. Set dial to low setting.
I think this pink coat dress has probably been hanging in her closet for a good year. She pulled this dress out last week to try it on and it was two sizes to big due to all the weight she has lost. Therefore, Cathy had to have the dress altered and sized down. Having a piece altered to fit you is not the same thing as having a bespoke piece custom tailored for you. Also, the design of this piece would make it very hard to alter and look right….i.e. the misaligned buttons.
Or maybe the people at McQueen hate making these awful designs for her and are lowkey trolling her with the poor workmanship. I think Emilia Wickstead dresses she wears also show errors in construction. I would be embarrassed. There is an extra row of buttons and way too many pleats. I can’t imagine anyone thought this was an Alexander McQueen by looking at it.
I think the buttons are fine, it’s just that one set (on her left) are ‘working’ buttons & so are held in place, while the others (on her right) are simply decoration & so hang loose. The buttons should have been different types of buttons, so that they fit flat to the fabric.
And, didn’t she wear something like this for trooping the color? Only it was in white, I seem to recall.
BeanieBean – you’re absolutely right about the buttons, the non-working buttons look daft flopping about like that. Poorly thought out and constructed – but surely Kate tries these things on before purchasing and would spot this flaw?
My guess is that she gets these “bespoke” coatdresses for cheap on the understanding that they are going to be whipped up quickly by a junior apprentice. No lining, wonky buttons, visible hems, etc. She only wears them once after all, it would be a wicked shame if they actually did the proper amount of work only for it to moulder in a closet after its one (1) wearing.
I’ve always thought that this is why she often has multiple colours of the same or very similar bespoke dresses. One pattern, multiple dresses = less $$.
I could *swear* I read somewhere that she (her PA, obviously!) takes some of her clothes that she will not wear again, to consignment shops to sell, or gives them to charity shops. Which would be a great idea, in the sense they are a total waste otherwise (rot away in a trunk/closet somewhere). What else *could* be done? Otherwise, with all the royal women keeping clothes, the palace walls would burst out after all these years, and all the women!
Diana did this: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/people/we-found-it-in-a-posh-second-hand-shop-a-rare-dress-princess-dia/
@LNG, I think you are on to something with your theory. When doing bespoke, the major cost is in the designing of the original pattern due to the amount of highly skilled labor involved. Once you have the pattern cut, the only major cost for the second piece is the price of the material. This also goes for bespoke Savile Row suits for men.
Or it could be that she gets the pattern from the designer and gets her cheap tailor to whip one up for her, would explain the sh!t work that is obvs when u actually look at the outfit. Hemline showing, wonky buttons, bad fit…. I struggle to believe that McQueen would let something that dodgy leave their studio.
Plus she shares her wardrobe with her mother and sister, they’ve turned up wearing her outfits a few times for the Boxing Day pap walk with TQ. Carole has been spotted wearing coats that Kate has worn.
Kate and Carol are not even remotely the same size.
Now I can see her sharing with Pippa as they have the same build, but Carol? Nah
Fire whoever did the buttons too, because one of the bottom ones is sewn below the seam and the other is sewn above the seam, and all the buttons on the left are sagging/drooping.
I know that these events are planned way in advance, but it seems like we’re seeing SO much of the Cambridges lately. Is some of it damage control for the affair leaks?
I’d say it’s probably because Charles is preparing to be the Monarch, therefore William is preparing to be the Prince of Wales. Its a big step up duties wise.
Being Prince of Wales is not an automatic thing. William does not become PoW as soon as Charles becomes king. Charles has to confer the title on him. Charles probably will but who knows …
I think it’s a campaign to push them more into the spotlight.
To be honest I think we’re seeing them more because of the ‘transition’ – Charles taking in a larger role and therefore William also having take on a larger role.
As you say, these things are planned ages in advance, I don’t think these are in response to the affair rumours. I mean if this was a pap stroll in the Kensington Palace gardens or whatever then, sure.
Rose who?
@Clare, Agree with all you say about the “transition” but the optics off all this PR speaks clearly to, or tries to speak clearly to, the rumors that all is not well with the Cambridge marriage by presenting them as a close couple.
They’ve been ‘transitioning’ for quite a while now as Charles started taking on more duties in 2012 after TQ’s Diamond Jubilee where it was said she was going to start taking a step back. They’ve only really started doing more in the past year or 2, William esp has done more – Kate not so much.
Lets see if this level of engagements/visibility continues, esp from her as for a senior royal she has always had the lowest numbers.
To be fair, if I remember correctly, years ago, even before the children, there were many reports that has made it clear that Charles and William knew these obligations were coming and wanted to give him as much as a normal life as possible before the role took over. I think that hiding out until it was his “turn” was always the plan.
Fanty
Yes, I remember it being said quite a few times over the years that The Queen knew the havoc royal duties and being in the public eye could wreak on a marriage, so she wanted to let William and Kate keep their marriage and children private as much/as long as possible. Now, of course, all you hear is that William and Kate are workshy and only trying to one-up the Sussexes, but I thought this gradual increase was always the plan.
@Dot & T.Fanty, I remember the exact thing too.
Now the dirt: IMHO, QEII was concerned due to problems that developed in her own marriage by coming to the throne earlier than expected at the age of 25 and the problems that developed with pushing Diana out into public life too early before she had settled into marriage with the Royal Family. I believe QEII wanted to give Bill & Cathy plenty of private time to settle into their marriage. The Queens choices dovetailed perfectly with Kate’s desire to be the non-working wife of a wealthy well connected man and full time stay-at-home mother.
I think that theory about their lack of work is pretty much fan fiction at this point, to be honest. If they had wanted to work more, they could have. As it was, they got their two years in Wales, and I think the assumption was that after that, they would start working full time – hence Anmer Hall, the huge place at KP, etc. but it has taken a few years since then for William to start anything like full time work (and no, he was not working full time as a helicopter pilot, especially after they left Wales), and Kate is still barely working.
By all accounts the royals set their own schedules, so whatever anyone is working, its by their own choice.
Honestly, this is the problem with Kate’s work schedule. We will go literally a month without seeing her, and then we see her in a few different events over the course of a week or so, and it seems like there must be something behind it, but really its probably just because Kate has decided to make a few appearances. I imagine after this little flurry of activity we wont see her until around the Trooping, then we will see her a few times in July, a few staged pics in August at Balmoral, and then not really again until September, which will probably coincide with Meghan returning full time and then we can all speculate again as to what is “behind” kate’s flurry of appearances at that point.
That’s just kind of been the pattern with her, and so its easy to attribute her working more to “something going on” but really its probably just that she has decided to do a spat of appearances before taking a break. It’s her MO.
Yes that is the pattern with her – we don’t see her for a while and then there are periods of a few weeks where we see her almost every day. The inconsistency is one of the reasons she get criticised but its pretty much the same time of year every year.
I agree that after this week we prolly won’t see her until the Trump state visit in 2 weeks – she will be at the state banquet.
@DU – oh I had forgotten about that lol. So we will see her then, Trooping, maybe one or two other random events in June, a few random events in July (but very few), and then the regatta in August (which I had also forgotten about, I imagine there will be a few events and then the actual regatta), and then I imagine we don’t see her until September.
I predict 15 events for her from now until September.
Don’t forget Wimbledon everyone. That’s the one thing she’s attended every year mat leave or not.
Is attending Wimbledon considered work???!!
@Becks1, Cathy will be at Ascot & Wimbledon.
And in September, we’ll get the pregnancy announcement and that will be that for the next year.
You say that like it’s a bad thing though. It’s an efficient way to get her #s up. Do a bunch in a row while she’s in London, then back to Amner to be a SAHM again.
@violet – no, I’m saying that in response to the various comments about how this recent spat of appearances must be caused by something. This has always been her MO. But, that said, its not really an efficient way to get her numbers up, since they aren’t up, lol.
All of the garden show events and this garden party don’t actually count as work. It’s not in the court circular so it won’t go to her yearly total of events. Which I find the most interesting is that she worked this hard and doesn’t get “credit” for it. Very un-Cambridge.
Still think the Rumours were true.
William certainly is behaving like a man who is having an affair.
It’s a typical Kate coat dress. We’ve seen it several times in different colors. That’s all I can say about the outfit.
I saw this and I thought she looked beautiful. I love that colour and it screams garden party to me.
Agree.
I agree.
It’s definitely an improvement over some of the other outfits I’ve seen lately…
I wasnt crazy about it in the stills but having seen it in motion, I like it well enough. She does look a touch costumey in these getups though.
The dress is basically everything wrong with Kate’s fashion sense. It doesn’t fit right, first off – it seems like it is supposed to be more slim fitting, but it ends up looking boxy. And for a dress that seems like it is supposed to have clean lines, there is a lot going on – buttons, pleats, pocket flaps. She also has a number of dresses already that are really similar to this so getting another custom made pink coatdress just feels excessive, but what do I know?
I like the hat and her hair looks nice.
I thought the video of her interrupting William was kind of funny, but I’m not going to read as much into it as some people on twitter lol.
I liked kate’s hat. I really think if she had some extra curves clothes would look better on her. Thinner is not always better. And while I get some people have a naturally thin frame, I dare to say she does this to herself.
I think Kate looked best during the Waity years. She still looked amazing in everything she wore, but she appeared more athletic and strong looking and the few extra pounds looked fantastic on her.
@L84tea, I so agree. She looked strong and amazing. I could see why Will found her so attractive. This that we see now is sad.
Agreed (looking amazing in her Uni days). She also looked amazing in the first month or so after giving birth to her kids, esp. after Louis. Those last 5-10 lbs. make SUCH a difference on her!!
I’m always so intrigued by the hats. I’m not someone who wears hats of any kind – and I can’t think of a scenario in which I’d ever want to wear these. But at the same time, I kind of dig them? I guess I like the artistry that goes behind them more than their actual function.
I get so jealous of the hats, Erinn. Works of art, and the “fascinators” and/or “falling-forward” hats just touch the hair a bit at the anchor point, it seems. No “hat hair”!
I think it’s fine, its event appropriate. It’s her typical style.
I know Will has stepped back a lot this week for Kate, and the pictures have been adorable but he seems so pained anytime he is near Kate now. But she is gamely playing the game. Smiling ear to ear and giving no hint that all is not well. She doesnt have to and neither does the press. Will is giving everything away in his face.
I agree. It’s one of those things where once we’ve all seen it, we can’t unsee it. Something feels very off these days with the Cambridges.
I agree.
Yes. He’s a schmuck and everyone knows it.
He may want to bolt from Kate but then he’d have to give up Carole lol! I would be shocked if he did because it would be such a massive scandal. Kate is more popular than he is and people would really turn on him. Plus the three children. Better stay put Bill
He won’t make a move while the Queen is still living. He wouldn’t want to incur her wrath.
What is the Queen’s wrath? She seems to simply put her head in the sand, or perhaps have someone send a letter. This family is so dysfunctional.
I think she would be pretty mad and disappointed is William and Kate split. I don’t think William would cross her tbh.
I don’t believe we will ever see W&K divorce. Ever. But I don’t doubt for a minute that Willy will continue to have mistresses in the future.
Here’s hoping Kate learns the rules so she can play William’s game too.
The Queen’s hat and dress are a garden party!
Love the brooch!
THANK YOU!! The broach is a gift from us – via the Canadian Government to celebrate her 65 years on the throne (I think it was?) …. the gems are from Baffin Island 🙂
The flaps plus the buttons are too much, and walking on grass in heels seems dangerous. That being said, the look is appropriate, which is the most important thing.
Oh Kate, yet another McQueen coat-dress with pleats and buttons…It would be one thing if these things a few hundred pounds but custom McQueen is $$$$$…and that’s alot of money to spend on fugly clothes.
Meghan’s outfit was conservative but different
https://www.hawtcelebs.com/meghan-markle-at-a-garden-party-at-buckingham-palace-in-london-05-22-2018/
I wish Kate would switch it up.
There’s too much going on with it. But I do like the clear clean light pink, as opposed to all the dusty pinks we see.
Pleats, flaps and buttons, oh my!
Actually I like this shade of pink on Kate, it makes her skin pop.
The cut of the dress gives Kate some curves and is flattering on Kate.
This style of hat works for her.
Those darn muted shoes are back…
Oh, oh, William looked annoyed when Kate interrupted him…William runs the show!!!
Does she always look at him like that. Reminds men of H& M
I know she’s a future queen and has to dress conservative-but when you compare her style to the other major royal women in Europe (Letizia, Maxima, Victoria, Mary etc) she just comes off as so old fashioned and boring. I wish we could have a queen/crown princess summit so she could take some notes.
It’s a dress she has in a similar style in multiple colors. Boring.
Everyone you just named are the royal women I wish we heard more about on CB. All of them have amazing fashion sense. Mary of Denmark is my personal favorite.
I love Letizia’s style…so modern
I know someone who saw the Spanish royals in person during their recent visit to the UK and she said that they are the most beautiful couple in person. Felipe is apparently gorgeous in the flesh and she commented that Letizia would look fabulous in an Ikea bin bag.
Do not forget Sofia, Duchess of Varmland. Sofia has made quite the transition from pin-up girl to royal Swedish Duchess. Carl Philip, her husband, is one of the best looking royals of all time IMHO.
@Digital Unicorn, they are probably right. Felipe is devastatingly handsome in my opinion and Letizia is just stunning.
@BayTampaBay, Carl Philip is gorgeous!!
Probably because they can’t be trashed as much.
@BayTampaBay: I thought Carl Philip was one of the best looking royals out there too, and then I found out he enjoys big game hunting. It took the hot right off him. When I see him now, I think of elephants dying.
Letitia should look stunning with all the work she has had done. She is so glammed up from when she was first married when she was quite frumpy. For me, it has to be genuine, unaltered beauty or it doesn’t count.
Problem with Kate is that she has no fashion sense at all which is OK. It’s fine. However, she doesn’t seem to hire an actual stylist AND she works so little she’s basically known for her fashion only. If she had more substance and worked a lot more people would have something else to talk about other than her clothes.
+1
I agree, she has no fashion sense.
I completely agree. This cartoon thing is beyond ridiculous at this point. Its not the look of a adult woman. Camilla looks more with-it than her. Who is choosing her clothes…it can’t be Kate, I mean c’mon.
I wish the Queen would sometimes change up her shoe or purse color. The black looks strange with this outfit.
Yes, I often think that too. The black shoes and bag do not go with such a light colour. I’m sure the people who make her shoes could make the same shoe in different colours.
She used to change off with a white bag and shoes. Haven’t seen those in a looooong time. She even has her aide walk in her shoes to break them in, so it can’t be that they’d hurt her feet. The black accessories with everything, esp. as the weather warms, and she’s wearing her pastels, is jarring.
Maybe, due to her age, QEII must wear special shoes and it just as easy to make them all in one style and color?
She’s also one of the richest royals on the planet. If she wanted them in another colour, I’m sure it would happen.
Kate looks lovely in that color. I like the hat. If you study the dress, there’s too much going on, but it does look good on her.
William looks pretty unhappy to me watching that video. Of course it must be deadly dull to have to go around and make chit chat with strangers at a garden party, especially if you aren’t a people person.
William always looks miserable but I don’t think its because he’s not a people person he does seem pretty good at the small talk/networking thing that royals are expected to do. He seemed pretty engaged in conversing with that couple.
Hate to say it, but William is the one sending off all kinds of Diana vibes lately while Kate is the one with the “all is great, all is fine” grin 24/7.
yea i was thinking that this event looks so stuffy lol
At least his hair (what’s left of it) looked ok in video….it’s been trimmed quite short again, but I’d still like to see William with buzz
cut and a goatee.
@Mego, it’s not about being a people person or not, is it? I’m not a people person either. But I know that it’s always nice for others when you take an interest in their lives, have a moment to listen, and give them a moment to talk about themselves. That’s what these garden parties are for. It’s why the royals do engagements. It’s not just dull small talk.
Like the Christchurch visit that William did a few weeks ago. A little girl who was injured in the shooting had just regained the ability to talk the previous day. When William went to see her, she asked if he had a daughter too, and what her name was. He answered, and they talked for a few moments. That kid is never going to forget the conversation she had with a future king. People all over the world are full of such anecdotes. William has it in himself to be personable. It takes an effort for some people, but it is one worth making.
I think Diana is a person who really got that. She had a keen awareness of how much of an impact her noticing and taking an interest meant to people. I was always mesmerized by the way she connected with people in such an empathetic way. I believe Harry possesses this self awareness too and it is reflected in his demeanour at engagements. William seems to struggle more.
It’s a typical Kate outfit. It’s a nice colour and she looks good in it. Nothing more to add.
+1
HM had a procedure to fix her cataracts that involves removing one’s own lense and replacing it with a synthetic lense, which can also be corrective. So a happy side effect of the procedure is that one no longer need glasses all the time. However it does make the eyes very sensitive to light. So HM’s sunglasses are just sunglasses as she now only wears reading glasses.
Anywho, Kate looks fine. The outfit is appropriate, though the bodice could be taken in a smidge. It seems a bit baggy in the upper waist/under bust area. But she looks lovely. Nothing show stopping, but it’s fine.
At the garden party, Kate was congratulated on the Chelsea Flower Show:
Ms Dixon congratulated Kate on her Chelsea flower show garden, but the Duchess replied: ‘Oh no, it was a real family affair. I couldn’t have done it without William and the children. We were all very involved.’ (from Daily Mail)
NO mention whatsover of the landscape archtitects who did all the actual work:
How shamefully rude of her!
Do people really expect differently from her? she’s always taking the credit for basically showing up. Same thing happened to her HuffPo “editorial”. Same thing will happen with her Broken Britain thing, whatever it is and whenever it launches (if it does ever launch)
The same thing with her mental health initiative.
And it would make her sound so much more credible if she made a comment about the work the designers did and how lovely it was to work with them. Instead we got a “Sure, Jan,” moment.
Totally! As it is, it’s like she did so little she doesn’t even remember the names of the people who actually put the garden together. Also, 3 kids 5 or 6 and under were very involved? I guess that explains her nothing burger speech.
Formal day dress for men consists of a morning suit for men (see William) and an appropriate dress or a skirt suit for women. However, many women, including Kate, opt for coat dresses, probably because they are both practical and sufficiently formal-looking. It is Kate’s uniform for formal occasions and she wears it extremely well, IMO.
She looks beautiful and appropriate, and I wish HM was my granny.
What, so you could get slagged off on CB! 😆
LOL, @Leena!
LOL @Leena, you’re not wrong!
What the heck is wrong with Kate and her weird image …or whoever is styling her. I’m just so tired of this voiceless, sexless easter bunny thing.
…You’re good at being controlled – good stuff Kate, good stuff…
I mean not even old people dress like that. It’s the look of a fossil. Who the heck is suggesting things like that to her? Who believes making herself look like a parody of a human being would be in her self-interest or that of the royal family? Why is Kates natural expression so threatening? (If you look at her style pre-William, she obviously has taste.)
I’m so over this royal family and their phoney sexist traditionalism. Everything when it suits William.
Also him looking annoyed over her automatic response to the lady is exactly why no one cares about him – because he doesn’t care about others and it shows. What a rodent-face.
@Liz. Agreed. That man shows disdain for his wife. And her rushing to give him part credit for the garden suggests to me that she fears his backlash if the spotlight turns on her.
Kate was a fun, lively, sporty young woman and sexy dresser before marriage. She does have style. What she wears now is all part of mamma Carol’s “eye on the prize” strategy. She and Carol dress the same way— matronly, old British Aristocrat from the 80s.
I feel if Kate ever says fack it she would design charities around fun, outdoorsy, kids sports and sports wellness and wear sexy jeans and boots and spend a good deal of sailing with Sir Ben. But Bill canno t be outshone and now that the BRF has hiers and spares, and Bill’s eyes keep wandering, she and Middletons are becoming surplus to requirement. I think it’s why she looks constipated all the time.
Also, Kate really needs to give up the smoking…
Kate smokes?
hee hee hee rodent face 😀
Is Carole Middleton her stylist? Because she (and her sister) seem to be morphing into Mrs Bennett more and more by the day.
I also wish William weren’t on auto-sulk.
Lol – Kate’s style is more frumpy than her mother’s imo. Whenever I see photos of her mother, she always looks smartly dressed and more modern than Kate.
BTW — does Kate even have a stylist on retainer?
This is Kate’s “Future Queen Consort” cosplay.
I agree with Maude, Carole is the better dressed out of all the Middleton women. She carries her style where as with her daughters the outfits often wear them.
Kate and Carole share clothes. So what Carole likes Kate will wear. When Kate wears what Kate likes look for skinny jeans and dresses waiting for a good wind!
They may share looks, but you don’t mean they literally share clothes, do you? They’re not close to the same size.
Yes, they literally share the same clothes. Kate first speech she admitted to wearing one of Carole’s outfit. Carole recently confessed to this as well!
I always get reminded of What a Girl Wants with Amanda Bynes and Colin Firth when I see these royal garden party pictures. That was the most memorable impression of modern British royalty I had. Basically, I knew about Princess Diana and all that stuff along with limited impressions on William and Harry, but nothing else about what British royalty do or look like. These past 5 or so years with Will/Kate and Harry/Meghan have been way more exposure than us non-Brits have gotten. Maybe it’s just a part of being in the social media age with information being more readily shared and consumed.
I do not like this look on Kate at all. I actually prefer her Little House/Gunne Sax look to this. The Queen looks fab as usual.
Wills is unhappy with his life and role and wishes he had the freedom of Harry. I think he felt forced to marry when he did, just like his father, and feels trapped. As much as it pains me to say it (because it’s not her fault) he is bored by his wife and finds her annoying. He takes his feelings of being trapped in his life out on her. The Firm sees this and is focusing on Kate a lot these days to prop her up because they’re worried about Wills bolting for good and escaping it all, and they’re trying to make it harder for him to do so. He is so selfish, he may anyway. Harry and Meghan, on the other hand, are truly in love. Big difference between the two couples. I simply don’t see Harry getting bored. He has too much respect for Meghan. I don’t think Wills ever had much for Kate.
+1
There is a photo of them on the Jubilee boat where William is way ahead with an umbrella and Harry has to remind him to bring Kate with him. That was in 2012. And that’s just one instance of William acting thoughtless toward her in public. There are so many and it starts from the beginning.
Harry will never get bored because he & Megs are a team.
@ BTB – don’t tempt fate.
And thanks for your replies on the last thread.
I think you nailed it. I don’t think her marriage is bringing her much joy these days. Tiptoeing around a douche who is looking for someone inferior (in his mind) to him to take his feelings out on. It’s almost like living with an alcoholic. Feels like it anyway.
It explains all the faffing about with the helicopter thing. I think he wants the life of all his partying socialite guy pals, and now even they are settling down. Harry, as the second child, should’ve been the one struggling to find his place, but it’s William who is least content and can’t accept the role he was born to live. Instead of diving in and finding his passion for serving his people, he’s pushing back against it, while enjoying all the perks.
And William has always been this way.
Would anyone have respect for another person who did nothing but be at their beck and call? I know I certainly wouldn’t.
I think a major part of Harry’s love and respect for Meghan is down to the respect and love she has for herself. She didn’t sit on the sidelines waiting for him to make up his mind about her, she continued to work, support her passions and live her life as she wanted.
Great comment and I think you’ve really pinpointed what’s wrong with the Cambridges. I’m not a Kate fan. Part of me thinks that since she worked so hard to ‘land’ William, she needs to lie in the bed she made. But the other part can’t help feel sorry for a woman who is obviously married to a man who doesn’t respect her.
Kate was being a good daughter and fulfilling her mother’s dreams. But now that she’s got the ultimate prize, what does she do now? She’s got a closet full of expensive but incredibly ugly clothes. She’s still a young woman but has to dress like a matron to keep the press and the stans happy. She has 3 lovely children but she’s probably finding out that being a mother isn’t enough. How does a woman who has always put herself second find out what SHE wants?
As for Normal Bill, he must be beside himself with rage. He always counted on Harry to be the screw-up. William could always say ‘well, at least there are no pictures of me grabbing my crotch in a Las Vegas hotel room’. What a difference a day makes! Now it’s Harry who has his heart’s desire. He’s married to a beautiful, accomplished woman with her own mind and a willingness and capability to do the work that being a member of the Royal Family requires. Harry and Megan are the superstars of the Royal Family, not William and Kate and William is pissed. He probably doesn’t know how to change things because he’s never made an effort for ANYTHING. So all he can do is resent the woman he’s married to.
Whenever a story comes out about Megan daring to have an independent thought there are several people who claim ‘this won’t end well’. I think they need to take a good look at the Cambridges. William knows that a divorced man can be King. He’s provided the country with an heir and a spare. This might not end well.
Kerwood & Ann, I absolutely agree with all you’ve said…
I don’t think Kate ever went into this marriage expecting marital fulfillment with her partner, tbqh. I think she knew the way the chips were always going to land. I think that she’s rather fulfilled in her life as a parent to her children, and she never really expected an incredibly romantic and loving relationship with William from the get go.
That being said, the image of her family and her marriage as a tightly run, united ship, matters to her and the rest of the RF greatly. That was why I think she objected to the Rose Hanbury rumours and why I think William went to such lengths to shut them down. It’s not exactly keeping up with the Boquets, in that divorce is an embarrassment that could get you penalized in society, but rather that they understand why the Royal Family needs long term stability, or the image of it at least. The Charles-Diana-Camilla stuff is still a sore subject with so much of the public. They can’t afford a rehash of that yet again.
ITA, when their engagement was announced many of his friends and other RF members said they were surprised as he never wanted to get married. I think he was pressured into marriage to fulfil his duty to provide heirs. Apparently he told Chuck after they got back together in 2007 that he had no intention of marrying her but told Mike that he would – I think he loves Kate but is not ‘in’ love with her.
William is making the same mistakes his father did – Harry married for love, William married because it was expected of him.
Could be. Could be also that he wasn’t able to marry the one he wanted to and had to settle. What if he had married Jecca or Isabella?
I don’t think Isabella was ever that interested.
@Mego – I don’t think either Jecca or Isabella were interested. Granted he was allegedly really into Isabella but she kept brushing him off and went on to marry Sam Branson (son of Virgin founder Richard).
I know and my point was if they had been interested and he married one of them would he act differently? Maybe he would be the same but then I have to wonder.
Other posters have documented how, prior to marrying Kate, he cheated and chased other women and had Kate on retainer for booty calls. Then basically ran out of options and settled for Kate.
The dress looks really baggy on Kate.
Just how much weight has she lost.
Look at how her shoulder blades stick out.
I like Kate’s hat. The rest of the look is not good. The dress is too busy and it also is not flattering. It looks like it doesn’t fit well at all.
Pleats, pockets and buttons all in an ugly pepto bismol?!?
Alexander McQueen would NEVER!!!!!!
that’s for sure!
Big nope. He’s rolling in his grave.
I said that when I saw her wedding dress.
The outfit is very Kate.
This outfit would look great on the next Queen Consort Camilla. Enough with the clothes but focus on the A-ho!e William. As I have stated in the past, Kate irks me with her inability to speak clearly, lack of commitment to the job, fake smiles, plain boring, waiting on a man for 7 years…I can go on but with all of these things about Kate yet it doesn’t excuse the A-hole of his very public display of annoyance with Kate. William never looks at his wife with love and admiration. He looks away or through her and always as if he’s annoyed or bored. You can see in Kate’s expression that she needs or craves for a connection/support at that given moment from the A-hole. I believe he knows this but refuses to give it to her….such an Ass!!
he is a complete ass. You’re absolutely right. I had high hopes for Kate when she got engaged, but she has been a real disappointment and it’s probably a combination of her laziness and also the effect of William’s behavior. These two are not impressive at all.
Kate is more intelligent than William. Meghan is more intelligent than the entire family. Harry knows this and loves her for it! William needs to feel he’s the smartest so Kate plays into that…..after al! of these years she is now just……
Leena: My response is on a new thread. Not sure what happened. Post #59
Hi Casey
Hi Leena!!! What say you about the A-hole William?
He isn’t my favourite but I don’t profess to know as much about him as a person as others on here do. 😆
And people do see what they want to see!!
You may like this though:
https://videos.dailymail.co.uk/video/mol/2019/05/20/2284958956186715668/640x360_MP4_2284958956186715668.mp4
Rose who?
Leena – thanks for the link! Their body language as a couple was better at the garden party. It was nice to see him throw her a crumb of praise 😀
Much as I criticize them I don’t wish an unhappy marriage on anyone.
I agree. Remember her attempts at pda with him at Eugenie’s wedding? I noticed that got dropped pretty quickly. She is probably envious of Harry and Meghan’s genuine devotion to each other.
Mego: So glad you wrote of this moment because it proves the point! If you watch the video her attempt to engage him in PDA is awkward and he clearly wasn’t having it! I don’t get Kate??? I find it odd that she would walk nearly naked on a runway in front of her peers and even more oddly wait 7 years for a ring…no career nothing just wait be at his back and call!!
I don’t like this ensemble. The pinks are not of the same hue, the hat doesn’t match the coat. When she does a monochrome thing, the colors need to match. Also, I detest the style of that hat. And the accessories, could she be more DULL? At first I thought this was a Walker coatdress. She has so many coatdresses in this style, and while they suit her why doesn’t she wear the ones she already has? Someone mentioned the button placement (not perfect) and the hem showing through (not professional tailoring) and they are right. Burton sucks and McQueen has to be rolling over in his grave. The dynamics between William and Kate do seem forced.
Burton is ruining the McQueen brand and his legacy with her sh!t designs. Sometimes you see what Lee saw in her talent – that amazing unicorn dress Margot Robbie wore a few years ago but when it comes to her work for Kate she’s basically ripping off Catherine Walker.
There were other more talented designers he worked with/mentored that would have been far better than Burton – someone like Sebastian Pons (LOVE his work).
Maybe it’s me, but the material on her pink dress looks incredibly “cheap”. It’s the blah look I have come to expect, although her hat is really cute.
Very pretty.
Wasn’t there an episode of The Crown that basically argued, ‘The Royals were forced to start the garden party tradition because MODERNITY and they actually really hate letting peasants through the gates.”
I’m choosing to read William’s expression through that lens. :p
Yes! That’s what I always think when I see these pictures. the Queen Mother was so insulted by the whole idea.
It’s fine but boring. Typical old lady Easter church dress that she seems to favor for these things. Too much pastel for me. Walking on grass in what appears to be skinny heels is nuts though.
The color is pretty on her, and I’d be a bigger fan of the hat if it had less “floof” in it. Besides the hat and the color this is a standard Kate fashion choice: pretty, tailored well, boring, not risky, etc.
Just watching them tries to make small conversations with that many people makes me nervous. Imagine they have to do this almost for the rest of their lives. So exhausting.
Right?! My worst nightmare is a series of never ending casual conversations with people I barely know. AKA the royals entire life.
I think that’s where Harry and Meghan have gotten lucky – as he’s the 7th or whatever, he gets to do longer projects that have far more depth.
What do I know, but watching that video, a lot of those ladies’ curtsies to the Queen seemed very weak! I’m feeling protective of that sweet little old Queen and she deserves more pronounced curtsies, darn It!
Strange. The two outfits that Meghan wore just after her nuptials were pink. She was bullied with the excuse that they were inappropriate. Kate in pink. Crickets.
Conclusion- Meghan was pretty in pink with the look of martial bliss.
I love the hat but the dress is so so boring!
I’m rarely a fan of Kate’s coat dresses, but I do think her hat game is always really good to great. Perhaps this is the spark of personality she is “allowed” to show? I don’t like all of her winter coats (not a fan of tons o’ buttons), but the majority of her long winter coats are gorgeous, and she usually picks really great, rich colors. Her Christmas/Holiday coats are always the best. Last year’s Crimson was gorgeous on her.
I think Meghan dresses a bit better than Kate, but I think Kate’s hat game is better than Meghan’s right now. I think Meg’s hats are hit and miss sometimes.
IMHO, Meghan’s clothes are as badly fitted and tailored as Kate’s.
BTB – I agree, that her clothes aren’t well fitted many times — but the the clothes themselves are better and much more stylish.
I wonder if Meghan’s weight fluctuated a lot during the first year or so. (pre wedding). What with her crazy family, the tension of the marriage, a quick pregnancy — I wonder if that lent itself to the sometimes ill fitting (both too tight and too loose) looks that she wore. . .?
Kate looks great and is all smiles, as usual; Wills looks 50 and miserable.
What a sad, empty marriage they must have. It’s written all over Bill’s face. She appears to be rigid, uncomfortable and preparing to hear him say something sarcastic or cutting. I notice she’s always pressing her lips together when she’s at these public events. I think it’s a nervous reaction combined with trying to cover over Bill’s obvious disdain. How they managed to pop out 3 kids in a relatively short period of time is a mystery to me.
Looks like the Cambridges are threaten by the Sussex
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-7057623/Royal-expert-predicts-problem-going-forward-Cambridges-Sussexs.html
If Will and Kate want to prove they have what it takes to be king and queen they can prove themselves at the state dinner breaking bread with Trump. I have never known them to have the diplomatic skill set needed to exchange pleasantries with a head of state who insulted William’s mother and wife. All eyes will be on the Cambridges and this is where it counts.
It is the Daily Fail!
I think William should be allowed to bow out of the state dinner with Trump. The things that Trump said about Diana were disgusting and no man on earth would be able to be in the same room with the vile monster who said them and not kick his ass. Future King or not, there’s a point where you have to draw the line. If his grand-mother loves him, she won’t force him to shake the hand of the man who insulted his late mother.
I’m not a fan of William, but Dump is a grotesque misogynist who has directly insulted his mother and wife. I don’t think Kate should be subjected to that man in any way. I don’t even understand why he was invited. Theresa May should deal with him herself.
Its nice enough but for me its too babyish pink, and looks very much like a wedding outfit. Nothing wrong with it, just not my cup of tea.
“Give me all of the old lady things at once!” Yikes. I wish she’d dress her own age instead of The Queen’s. And the tailoring on this is horrible. Look at that hemline!
Queen style is on purpose: she places herself as the next queen and she does wear the clothes already.
What about Camilla?
@Bay, Camilla has worn the same style quite often though.
Nice outfit. Bit bland due to monochrome issues but otherwise nice.
If that is her style then this is her style.
Kate looks beautiful.
Not a fan of big buttons (isn’t that 1980’s style?). William seems to appear upset very often in my opinion.
Leena: interesting video. What does Kate say at the end? Wi!liam and Kate are pleased with this garden but what makes it unique from other Royal Gardens? Would this be considered Kate’s first solo project after 8 years on the job? All I see from this exhibit is that Kate worked with a team to design a garden that someone else planted and Kate received the credit, hardly an accomplishment IMO. It seems like Kate is trying to make a link between mental health and the outdoors but completely fails at it. It was a miss opportunity in my book. It’s as if there is no creativity or new/fresh ideas from KP.
All smoke and mirrors. Do the Brit s not have an expectation of the Royal Family? Kate’s Garden is like Melania Trump’s Be Best initiative…..scratch be!ow the surface and there’s nothing but BS! Trust me NO one in the US is out there promoting Be Best as something great, New or innovative!
Great comment Casey. I get where you’re coming from with the Melania comparison but I think Kate is much worse in terms of milking every bit of “effort” she makes and appearing to take all the credit whenever she lends her name to a cause. She’s good at delegating and asking for help which I suppose is a legitimate skill that not everyone has.
As far as Melania is concerned I don’t think anyone takes her seriously anyway and I’m pretty sure she knows that too. Kate holds her self out to be some kind of expert, creative genius and busybee — in the limited amount of speaking she does, it’s always “my experience”, ” my work”, “my initiative”….
It’s always my, my, my & me, me, me with royals though. They all act like they have worked on projects for many many years lool but the truth is they do little – their teams & the real workers do the most.
She looks fine. Perfectly acceptable rendition of Kate’s standard uniform. My own thoughts on it are that I initially thought it looked like something Camilla would wear. And it is. I think she’d wear it without the pleats and such though. But the dress has really got it all, hasn’t it? Pleats, flaps, buttons, and a military-esque collar all in a single coat dress. I’m going to put my money down now, and say that Kate has 100% got this exact dress in a different colour (maybe blue, or a jewel tone), and she’ll bring it out for another occasion.
I kind of love the dress (even with the fit and construction issues) and usually her stuff leaves me cold so I don’t know why I like this. I don’t think everyone needs “edge” to their personal style. Given what we can surmise about how their marriage, I can see someone putting less edge into things and clinging to what feels safe. Personally, I would love to dress schoolmarmy/old fashioned as I prefer my personality and intellect to provide the edge.
I don’t know why we talk about kate’s dresses. She always wears some ugly shit.
Has Kate always walked a step behind William? She seems to be making a point to do so in the video. They both look so tense and unhappy to me.