As always, the Daily Mail’s headlines are doing way too much: “The show must go on! Senior royals ‘out-glitz’ Harry and Meghan at dazzling Buckingham Palace reception after difficult 36 hours which saw Sussexes release Netflix trailer and King Charles targeted with an egg for the second time in a month.” Seriously, that’s the actual headline. I’m covering the egg situation separately (because hahahaha) but if the whole point is “out-glitzing” the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, surely you shouldn’t telegraph how the Sussexes live rent-free in the minds of the Windsors and the British media? Besides that, chronologically speaking, the Buckingham Palace diplomatic reception happened hours before the Sussexes’ appearance at the Ripple of Hope Award ceremony. This was an effort to PRE-glitz the Sussexes because all of these people have zero chill.
So, I believe it went down this way: King Charles ordered William and Kate to attend the diplomatic reception as a way to distract from the Sussexes. Kate was happy to oblige and she dutifully dusted off her Emergency Loretta Lynn Wiglet™ and Valley of the Dolls Bump-It, slapped those onto her empty head and secured the mess in place with the Lotus Flower Tiara. She also wore a new-to-us Jenny Packham gown which is fine. Sartorially, it looks like something Laura Bush would have worn to a state dinner (and I’m quite positive she did). She also wore a pair of QEII’s earrings, plus her medals and honors, which she got for staying with Peg.
Queen Camilla wore the Belgian Sapphire Tiara and a sapphire-and-diamond suite. At some point, doesn’t it look tacky that Camilla and Kate are so gleefully looting the Royal Collection jewels?
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- Diplomatic Corps Reception At Buckingham Palace Featuring: Camilla Queen Consort Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 06 Dec 2022 Credit: Victoria Jones/PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- Diplomatic Corps Reception At Buckingham Palace Featuring: Catherine Princess of Wales Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 06 Dec 2022 Credit: Victoria Jones/PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- Diplomatic Corps Reception At Buckingham Palace Featuring: Catherine Princess of Wales Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 06 Dec 2022 Credit: Victoria Jones/PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- Diplomatic Corps Reception At Buckingham Palace Featuring: Catherine Princess of Wales Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 06 Dec 2022 Credit: Victoria Jones/PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- Diplomatic Corps Reception At Buckingham Palace Featuring: Catherine Princess of Wales Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 06 Dec 2022 Credit: Victoria Jones/PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- Diplomatic Corps Reception At Buckingham Palace Featuring: Prince William and Catherine Princess of Wales Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 06 Dec 2022 Credit: Victoria Jones/PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
The dress is fine but good Lord the hair. Why? WHY?
Yes, why? It makes the “lollipop effect” look even worse.
I also think the tiara doesn’t suit her. Next time she should maybe stick to the lovers knot.
It is a beautiful tiara – one of the best of the royal collection but Kate doesn’t suit it. for some reason. Princess Margaret wore it beautifully (she also rocked the Halo Scroll Tiara, which is another lovely piece that Kate made boring).
I cannot with that headline
And she looks like a terrifying alien in that first pic.
The tiara has a delicate sense about it and kate can’t pull off delicate, especially not with that pageant hair. It also doesn’t help that her features are now more sharp and plastic with all the botox and fillers.
A tiara is meant to sit straight on the head, like a crown. Kate is wearing it as a headband and it doesn’t work.
She looks like she is dying.
She’s starting to look really haggard. When did she get so skinny? She must not eat to look so thin. There is no shape at all, just straight up and down, like the tomato stakes I put in my garden last week. Buggered if I know how she resists all those delicious cakes and buns Britain is famous for.
Her hair makes her whole head look weirdly misshapen. Almost like an alien from Mars Attacks type head.
Just mentally imagine the shape of her skull if that was her actual hair.
Yeah it’s starting to reach alien shape proportions
I feel like she looks like she’s trying to contain her annoyance in that one photo because the woman in the receiving line who she’s speaking to had the absolute audacity to also wear red, when Kate thought she’d be the big standout in red, lol.
I can’t lie, though, I think that overall she looked very pretty. I like the dress, and I generally can’t stand updos (I KNOW, I know this is a “me” problem, and that tiaras should probably always be worn with them, but I just think most people look better with their hair down— like Kate on her wedding day..she made it work).
^^ Eh, the dress is okay on this occasion. But, Khate’s clearly overly thin and haggard. Her face is falling apart, and the pageant hair is too too much. As others have said, this tiara is not suited to her either. She looked better in what she wore and how she styled her hair for the recent state dinner. Yet, even then, she still looked vacant and empty. When you’re empty on the inside, it shows on the outside.
Whatever vague prettiness in looks Khate used to have in her youth has disappeared with every Botox injection, every cigarette she’s smoked, every mean-spirited act, and every time she’s over-exposed her skin to the sun.
I’ve seen Queen Letizia pull it off. This is totally her silhouette.
Every person conversing with Keen seems to be glazing over or humoring her. Please, pray tell, what is she actually saying? Bet she follows the same conversational template with everyone:
“Hello, nice to see you. Did you travel far? What time is it over there now? How interesting…we need all day. Goodbye and have a good night.”
The hair and posture reminds me of the movie alien…
Best tiara, nice dress, tho.
“At some point, doesn’t it look tacky that Camilla and Kate are so gleefully looting the Royal Collection jewels?”
That is what ALL royals do regardless of nationality or country of origin.
Indeed, that is the point of them.
I believe it was Tom & Lorenzo where I saw an explanation of royals wearing jewels that has forever changed how I look at the decisions involved. It’s not about what looks good; it’s about displaying access and control. Jewels for royals are indications of power (and very much Imperial power, in Britain’s case). How anything looks is secondary at best.
Camilla looks absolutely greedy and horrid with that necklace on top of the tiara. The tiara itself or the necklace alone would be great on her, she actually carries it off unexpectedly.
But together. So tacky. So I guess yeah the point isn’t to look good but like a brutal conquerer. Which she and Kate are.
@Maida that’s a great point especially in this context, the diplomatic reception – they are making a point of showing their wealth around diplomats from other countries.
You know, when I was little my Mum used to take me to stand with the crowds whenever the Queen or Princess Anne or someone came to town on a colonial tour. And I’ve been close to the limo several times, and the overwhelming memory, at least for the night appearances, is the absolute flash of diamonds from inside the car, not even their faces.
@Kaiser: “At some point, doesn’t it look tacky that Camilla and Kate are so gleefully looting the Royal Collection jewels?”
Definitely! 🎯 💯 I get what @Kaiser is saying. Look at the context. These two unkind people who pretended to mourn the Queen’s death are gleefully looting the already stolen loot Britain collected during their colonizing days. Cam & Khatie couldn’t get their hands on these jewels when Betty was alive and Angela Kelly was the overseer. But now, as vaunted and undeserved Queen Consort & The Princess of Wails, they each have all the access previously restricted to them. They are each glorying in wearing these rare jewels as if the act of doing so elevates them and makes them feel better about themselves.
But, the reality is: the joke is on them. The jewels do nothing to enhance either of them. For the most part Khate looks strained, faux, and empty. Her eyes are dead, and her face has been mummified. While haggy Cam at least has a better sense of style than Khate sartorially, the weight and abundance of these flashy stones gives off a gaudy, garish vibe. Plus, Cam’s lack of genuine kindness, and her puffed-up snobbiness make her deeply unsuited to be Queen. But there it is. They are both holding unearned, vaunted positions and titles that ultimately are meaningless and worthless, because who they actually are as people is indicative of the monarchy’s rot.
IDK but Camilla looks like she needs a bunch of water, moisturizer, and if she could, Botox. Normally I wouldn’t suggest the latter if someone wanted to age without it, but she’s clearly trying to “sell” it, so it might help to soften herself up.
IKR!!!! As an aside, Camilla is looking gaunt and quite awful under the heavy makeup. I wonder if she has had to cut back on the gin or increase it?
Camilla is an unfortunate looking woman. Goes to show that money can’t buy one grace or beauty.
I think Camilla looks perfectly fine and I appreciate that that she hasn’t injected and pulled her face into some sort of waxy mask.
I didn’t think it was possible, but Camilla makes those jewels look so tacky and gauche. It’s like she went in to the vault and grabbed all the sapphires to wear.
@BTB: “… gleefully looting the Royal Collection jewels is what ALL royals do regardless of nationality or country of origin.”
@KT: “Indeed, that is the point of them.”
😳🤨 Do you mean the point of royals is to loot rare jewels? Or, the point of rare jewels is to be looted by royals? 🤪
Regardless of what either of you mean, I disagree. 🙄
Art Historian- I agree. There really is more to wearing a tiara than just putting it on ones head. The hairstyle helps, sure, but you need a certain presence to pull it off.
Exactly. And Kate just doesn’t have it. I think Camilla wears the jewels well, but the jewels wear Kate.
Camilla is trapped. If she changes her hairstyle to suit the tiara, Chuckles will have a tantrum to rival Vesuvius.
I love Kate’s whole look, even the hair. The bump works with the tiara. I don’t like Camilla’s look. That tiara and necklace are too over the top.
Same and same, actually
Guess I’m old because I think she looks fine.
Why are her stylist(s) so bad? Why does the royal rota constantly punk “the chosen ones” by invoking H&M in absolutely everything they do? Those rags can’t sell newspapers or ads or make any money without referencing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Bump-It and Peg-It aren’t going to be enough on their own, ever. Flaunting all those stolen gems is offensive.
^^ Exactly! It’s offensive. Upthread @Maida mentioned being swayed by Tom & Lorenzo’s explanation that wearing looted jewelry “is about displaying access and control… It’s very much about Imperial power… How anything looks is secondary…”
I completely disagree with that take in terms of the modern world! It’s definitely not cool to garishly flaunt stolen jewels in an excessive uppity manner at a modern day diplomatic reception. Especially not when the rest of Britain, post-Brexit and pandemic, are struggling to pay for food, gas, and heating bills!!!
I get the sentimentality even some ‘commoners’ have for lost empire, the tendency to over-romanticize Britain’s colonial past, and the thrilling covetousness of wearing rare, expensive stones (or vicarious thrill of watching your favorite royals wear them 😉). But, they could do so with a bit less ‘show-off glee,’ less gaudy excess, and a bit more class and style. After all, QE-II is not yet that cold in her grave.
Like @TheFarmer’sWife said, ‘It’s offensive.’ This is especially true for India and South Africa who have called for their stolen jewels to be returned.
“Emergency Loretta Lynn Wiglet™ and Valley of the Dolls Bump-It” — is the most amazing sentence I’ve read all year.
I literally gasped when I first saw this photo — her hair looks INSANE. At this point, I think her stylist is trolling her. This … monstrosity sitting on her head, the green screen dress at Earthshot, complete with overly shiny/Vaseline makeup and the weird combover. I mean … damn.
Never mind Kate with the “Alien Chick #2 in a Star Trek Episode…Camilla really needs to do SOMETHING about her teeth.
I howled laughing. A friend just suggested that the chosen hairstyle – which is currently registering at “Defcon WTF” – is Kosplay Kate’s attempt to cosplay Princess Anne circa late 1960s.
And now, I cannot unsee that. Lmao.
Too bad she didn’t wear the Harvard Wiglet-maybe then she could’ve carried on a intelligent conversation.
If anyone wore that sapphire and diamond tiara it should have been Kate because no one wants to see sapphires surrounded by diamonds on Camilla, it reminds us of Diana, when she was the Princess of Wales and wearing that ring.
Where did she dig up that 80s dress from! And why does she insist on dressing decades older than her years! And OMG, that awful clip-on wig is awful! Like, it’s so noticeably a bad wig!!😬
Old lady dress from the 80s with a bump-it from the 80s!! Did her stylists buy it from one of those tv ads?? Hilarious head to toe.
The color is great, but I hate, hate those embellishments. They don’t look nice, neither do they match the tiara. Her hair looks bad and unnatural, wish she’d have gone for a glamorous updo instead of all those plastic looking wiglets. I hate Camilla’s tiara, it’d look better if they removed the mini lollipops from the sides. Now it looks like they just had to add some excess gems somewhere.
The Sapphire Tiara is actually the ugliest in the royal collection. Just plain terrible and should be dismantled.
Camilla’s tiara is ugly and she doesn’t suit it at all. Say what you want about her but she can really rock the bigger tiaras and should stick to those. Lady, just because you have access to all the jewels doesn’t mean you HAVE to wear it!
I don’t like the sapphire tiara either. Camilla has worn some lovely ones in the past and has suited them.
I think the Sapphire Tiara would be really pretty on Princess Charlotte, when she is allowed a tiara.
Either the stones are dirty (doubtful) or they are set so deep and low that the light doesn’t hit them properly. The settings should be raised.
It makes me think of Christmas poinsettias, like a cheap table runner that you can’t actually put anything on because it’s too lumpy. She does love her theme dressing.
Yikes the hair.
Kathy the table runner. That’s it. Merry Christmas peasants!
That’s exactly what I thought, too — poinsettias. It would be great for an 80-year-old on a winter cruise.
That dress looks itchy. I prefer the red outfit on the other lady. And I agree with ArtHistorian–dismantle that ugly tiara & use the stones for something else, several somethings.
@WithTheAmerican: “Kathy the table runner. That’s it.”
^^ LOL! 🤣😂 You hit the nail on the head @WTA! 🎯 💯
Very dated indeed. The dress is giving Nancy Reagan vibes, with the Johnson daughters’ hairstyles vibes in the 1960s White House! 😝
Pretty sure my grandma had a blouse in this material.
You think she secretly watches Dynasty and acts out scenes in the privacy of her drawing room?
OMG, do remember the 80s movie Big Business with Lily Tomlin and Bette Middler?
Kate reminds me of when country-Bette starts imitating Alexis from Dynasty
@GirlMonday, I LOVE that movie! It’s so underrated!
@GirlMonday – That’s *exactly* what I was picturing LOL!
Her style inspiration is Joan Collins circa 1985
You guys are killing me here. 🤣🤣🤣
Joan Collins meets Valley of the Dolls…you guys make every day better! Seriously though that is a gorgeous Tierra she raided from granny and she does it no Justice. I love red so her dress is totally what I would wear if I was Joan Collins!
@ArtHistorian the Burmese Ruby tiara is surely the ugliest in the UK collection, no? Followed by Sophie’s cat’s ears tiara….
The Burmese Ruby Tiara is indeed ugly as is Sophie’s wedding tiara (though it is better since the reset) but none of them are as clumsy and ugly as the Sapphire Tiara IMO.
Oh god, Sophie’s wedding tiara. I don’t even pay much attention to tiaras and usually can’t distinguish one from the other, but that one was SO. UGLY. Clearly the Queen hadn’t started liking her yet.
I just googled that one, Lady Esther. Yikes!
This is what I don’t understand – why all the tube-shaped dresses? She would look so much nicer in different silhouettes – we KNOW she’s thin. Not everything has to be snug to be attractive!
Her hair lol lol lol Sorry l can’t stop laughing,
The photoshoping is sooo obvious in EVERY FUCKING pic! Do they find her so ugly that they have to fake everything about her!?!?!
That photoshopping is next level. I actually thought for a brief moment that she looked okay in the second to last pic (right before the jazz hands were released), then realized how heavily edited and filtered it was.
I would love to hear from someone who’s met her/seen her up close how she ACTUALLY looks!
Everyone I know who has ever met her or seen her up close says the same thing: she’s attractive in the most basic way and wears very noticeably spackled-on makeup. And she’s apparently dull af, but no surprise there.
minnieder. I am also fascinated by how different she is when she’s photoshopped. For a few weeks before the Boston trip, someone other than Jackson was taking and editing her photos and we got a bit closer to what she looks like – bags, sags, wrinkles. Rushed out photos at Remembrance and the funeral walkabouts are more realistic. She is aged. She always had a droopy face, even as a teenager. I have friends who were on the edge of her group about the time she was engaged. She’s basically pretty, apparently, like most of that group of what used to be called sloanes. “reasonably pretty” as one of the men said. She has been elevated to this great beauty via photographic creation and it must be hard for her. I’d love to see her up close. Her staff must be tied into the tightest of contracts to keep them from ever talking about her, particularly her stylist and photographers. Some comments get thru on the DM. Someone said they’d seen her and it’s grim. This shouldn’t matter, but this fake beauty is all she’s got, and it’s also turned into the (white) English Rose narrative since Meghan. Others on here have seen her and it’s interesting what they’ve got to say.
@Sparrow, they’re doing her such a disservice in the long run! IDK how she doesn’t realize it. She probably liked the photoshopping at first, in like 2011-2012, but it’s reached the point where people see her in person and their faces fall in disappointment. And it’s only going to get worse as she gets older.
Kate should really tell Jackson to slowly start toning down the photoshopping now so the difference won’t be so stark. Like tapering off a medication. It must be impossibly difficult for a woman who is *only* known for her looks to age in the public eye. I guess that’s why they’re pushing the “pioneering, Harvard-worthy, serious scholar” thing so hard with her, because once Charlotte is a teenager, Kate will be old news (and no matter how hideous a person Kate is, and she’s horrible- it’s so gross that the media treats women like that).
The day that Kate stepped out of the hospital carrying George— and didn’t even attempt to hide that she still had the pregnancy belly— was so refreshing…I remember so many people commenting positively on it, thinking *maybe* she was going to lean into normalcy. And at her first engagement after having George, she had lots of visible gray hairs (which of course they had to splash all over the front pages 🙄), and she seemed slightly relatable for one minute.
But then when she doubled down and walked out in full hair/makeup and four-inch heels after having Charlotte, it was quite clear that she was not in fact going to lean into being a “normal” woman, and the photoshopping has been off the charts ever since. Sigh.
Late to the party, but: she’s so photoshopped I keep thinking I’m going to have to give in and get reading glasses.
IMO this might be one of the ugliest and dowdiest dresses she’s ever worn. And that hair?! What was she thinking?
My goodness, juxtapose this look with Meghan’s fresh, crisp and modern look from last night’s Ripple of Hope ceremony and you can’t believe these women are contemporaries.
40 year old Kate really is leaning into Brand Boring.
It is a dowdy dress but I actually think it kind of suits her? Maybe because this is closer to her own actual style. Then again, the dress looks like something camilla could wear.
Why can’t she pick a lane? If she kept leaning into the coat dresses and upholstery gowns, they really would just come to be known as her style and then whatever, right, she could have her style. But then the Meghan kopy keening comes in and makes this stuff look extra dusty as she toggles between minimalism and cosplay.
Yes to all this. I wish she would stick to her guns on her style. This IS her formal style. Is it earth shattering? No. But it’s not wearing her, she’s actually wearing it. If she tries to kopykeen Meghan’s look last night she will end up looking unbelievably awkward. Just imagining it and I’m cringing. Stick to this stuff Kate!! Knowing yourself and just sticking to your look is actually cooler and authentic anyway!
When it comes to ugly gown nothing beats the shiny pattered dust-ruffle Erdem dress she wore some years ago to a woman in finance event.
@arthistorian: i had to google that and Oh My God😂😂😂
Ps: next to the awful dress her hair was unnecessarily big
I had to Google it as well and yes…
Oh My God 😂😂😂
That Erdem dress is like a Carol Burnett Gone With the Wind sketch come to life, but instead of a curtain, Kate pulled a fussy table cloth from Mama Middleton’s round entry table and made a dress from it!
I must disagree with you @ArtHistorian, but we’re still talking Erdem. The ugliest dress she has worn was that mustard yellow monstrosity when she was pregnant with Louis.
But that Alessandra Rich leaving the Caribbean, you guys!
Nah there’s no way you can pick just one. Google Kate Middleton Beulah, ruffles, prairie dress.
I vote for the mustard Erdem. Although I agree there are many.
I just googled it~ hilarious!
Wiglet also looks VERY bad every time she wears “The Vampire’s Wife”.
“The Vampire’s Wife” specializes in prairie girl designs with too many ruffles and too many sequins which seems to be right up Wiglet’s personal style alley.
@ArtHistorian, for me her worst Erdems are the mustard one and the blue velvet one (which I think she might have worn back-to-back? She was pregnant with Louis in both). Those two are just monstrosities.
I actually think Camilla would look good in the dress Kate is wearing. On Kate…meh. If something would look more suited to your 70-something stepmother in law….time to go back to the fashion drawing board. But we would expect nothing less from ol’ Khate.
I totally agree! Camilla in this dress, great look. Racist hag-in-waiting Hussey in this dress, it works.
Kate though? So dated, tacky, stale and boring. I think it’s totally uninspired for a 40 yr old woman to try theme dress the season as a Christmas Poinsettia.
MIA Girl, I’m in love with this white dress. Absolutely! Unusual style and it suits Meghan very well.
I’d prefer another shoes, maybe royal blue, dark green or more bright colour. But she looked stunning. Imagine Kate stand by her. Like grandma in her best old times heavy dress and modern light granddaughter.
someone backcombed the wiglet!! like it needed more attention.
How many more times must I see these women dripping in stolen jewels wearing couture and enjoying fine dining? What are the heating costs for the palace? How much food was wasted after Khate pushed it around her plate all night? What were the staffing levels and pay? Was the carbon footprint offset? Was there diversity amongst the guests?
You are asking ALL the right questions.
Literally! I came here to say ‘cost of living crisis, what??’
The bright side is that her hair is making me giggle nonstop. It’s so funny. SO funny. Like, may be my second favourite, after her helicopter fringe. That one never fails to make me laugh. I’m having a bad hair day myself, so put on a santa hat to cover the mess 😀 It may not look nice, but at least I won’t backcomb an obvious wiglet so my hair hits the roof of every door I enter 😛
As far as diversity in guests is concerned, they made sure to take pictures of Kate with them.
Let them eat cake.
It’s what in the 1980s a contestant in the Miss Universe competition would wear for the evening gown competition.
Kate’s whole look is old and dated. She strikes me as someone who would check the papers to see how she’s being reported on, so I would think she would have seeing the pictures and realize how bad the wiglets are.
@Athena, I said upthread that I actually liked this and thought that Kate looked good. And I do— but as I’m reading more of the comments, it’s clear that the only reason I think she looked good last night is because the bar is SO LOW
She’s even got the sash, Miss Kensington Palace! Her talent: chopsticks on the piano while wearing her coat!
She even has the pageant sash on.
Miss Kensington Palace! LMFAO
Wonder if she’ll need to wear green to her piano concert thing since she just wore something this..red
OMG Miss Kensington Palace – can you imagine the talent portion of that pageant?
^^ LOL guys. Witty and funny.
Khate probably will wear red again for the concert. Or else, red & green! 😁
I can’t quite figure the hair pieces and the slash of blush on Princess Kate. Who is dressing her? Everything is I
Either a little to tight or way to fussy. Very dated.
I actually like seeing the jewelry and won’t mind if they showed more of what’s in the vaults and the history if his it came to be there. It might help repatriate some items thought lost or unseen for decades.
My mother in her 70s just wore a dress very similar to this but in navy. It’s very aging on a 40 year old.
I know everyone sees the horrible hairpieces first. But all I see is that unblended contour! These pictures are retouched and her makeup is still that harsh. Can u imagine how bad it was in person?
I honestly think that Kate’s mother is dressing her after seeing their very similar outfits at the Queen’s funeral.
Her makeup application also comes from her mother. The blush application is something I would see in women in the 80s. By the time kate would be wearing make up the blush slash would only be if you wanted to pretend to be a punk artist. Same with the eyeliner look, although sometimes she skips the raccoon look.
It wouldn’t surprise me at all if her mother is her stylist. It would explain ALOT. And They do share pieces sometimes. I love my mother and value her opinion but she’s has not dressed me in decades.
She really needs a professional makeup artist. Her makeup is terrible. Her entire look is too heavy for that dainty tiara.
Re: her makeup – she’s known to do it herself for engagements, remember she famously wiped off the makeup that Bobbie Brown herself did and redid it herself as she wanted Peggy to recognise her. Thats why her makeup on her wedding day was bad.
U can always tell when a professional has done it – she looks better and less harsh. Plus its all blended properly.
Kate’s mother’s dressing her makes sense as their clothes are so similar and it explains why Kate’s outfits don’t often work for her figure – Carole knows what works for her (I think she looks good most of the time, even if its NMS) but she and Kate have very different figures, so what works for Carole does not work for Kate.
Carole, who probably peaked in the 80s, is dressing Kate. This makes so much sense
The color is really pretty, but the whole ensemble is too much – tone something down.
I really wish she would take some fashion risks. Her attire is always a snooze fest. As for the hair, I think her stylists and she think the extra volume will help secure the tiara since there is no really solid foundation on hair worn down????? But if memory serves correctly, QL of Spain and QR of Jordan pull off the look flawlessly.
And lastly, King Egghead. I love it!
I thought this was a risk for her. Hair down at a state event? No Princess Diana cosplay?
I’m not gonna fault her for any of. I actually think bumpit hair looks good with tiaras. The dress is fine. The tiara is pretty. (The bar is low.)
Any tiara historians care to comment on its history?
I eagerly await the egging post! 🤣
The Lotus Flower Tiara was created by the Queen Mother from a diamond and pearl necklace that was her husbands wedding gift to her. When Princess Margaret married it was the QM’s gift to her. It was her daughter-in-law’s wedding tiara but some time after that ended up back in the royal vaults, probably purchased from Princess Margaret’s son. Kate has worn the tiara once before
Thanks, Lauren!
I spent a whole day watching for replies like yours @Lauren and then googling images. The knowledge in the replies here blows me away sometimes. Love it.
See photo of Margaret & Queen Mum wearing the Lotus Flower. It is so pretty.
https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/style/1706635/queen-mother-kate-middleton-lotus-flower-tiara-pictures
I actually like this look too EXCEPT for the deranged beauty queen hair. It’s such a delicate tiara, just a normal chignon would have been fine. That side view is reminding me of the aliens in Independence Day or something!
The Lotus flower tiara was the first tiara we saw Kate wear after the wedding. she wore it a few times, and then got the Lovers Knot and never went back lol.
I also really like this tiara! I actually like the idea of big teased hair with the tiara but somehow it isn’t working for me – maybe for it to work she needs layers? Or a slight wave? And she needs to blend her stripes of blush wtf is up with her cheeks?
I went back and looked at the pics and I think her blush/contour is a big part of the issue. The line from where the tiara ends to her ear down her cheek to her mouth is VERY pronounced and I think it emphasizes the big hair and cuts her face in half in a weird way. IDK.
Excellent analysis, @Becks1! I think you nailed it. Triangulation overload.
The one thing Not My Princess has going for her is a pretty face, so why does she always look so awful? (Hint: It’s what’s inside that counts.)
I’m *super* pale, like Casper-the-ghost pale, and this is always an issue for me. 😣 I have to buy expensive foundation (I get lots of other stuff from CVS, but drug store foundation is inevitably too orangey) and mix it with moisturizer before putting it on. And even then, I feel like I always need to wipe a lot away around my chin because it just will *not* blend well, even if I try sort of smoothing it down my neck as I’m putting it on. I’m constantly staining white towels in hotels by wiping it off, and I never put that much on to begin with!
Whenever I got my makeup done professionally (which is like three times in my entire life; once on my wedding day, and twice as a bridesmaid), I ended up wiping off a lot of it, too, because I hated looking completely unrecognizable, especially on my wedding day. So I can kind of see where Kate is coming from there— although I did not have Bobbi Brown personally doing my makeup and millions of cameras on me, so not exactly a great comparison.
I’m a sucker for anything Jacqueline Susann so I actually kind of love this look? I know it’s dated but I don’t care. The hair topper is really obvious though. I love the Lotus Flower tiara and I’m glad she dusted it off.
The Dynasty shoulder pads! The sparkles from the Princess Unicorn collection. There’s no cohesion to any ensemble she wears—no unity. They look like they’re dressing up as themselves for Halloween and the pop-up Spirit Halloween party store only had scraps left. Maybe they should have gone to Party Pieces.
The shoulder’s pads are necessary at this point to give some volume to her upper body. She can’t accessorize to save her life! All this glitz is tacky…doesn’t she have a dress in the exactly same color that she wore in reception with Sophie at the palace after Meghan and Harry left?
Ugh shoulder pads. So unattractive. Such frumpery in general. And how do they make jewels look so bad? Kate’s tiara is beautiful without the Kate part. She makes it look ugly and wrong. Same for Camilla. What did she do to that thing? Did she have it made wider?
The dress is ok but the hair is so distractingly unstylish. Why doesn’t she like updos? Or anything modern?
I was wrong on both tiara guesses! Boo! Kate attends every year so this isn’t a special thing….
I rather liked the hairstyle, at least it’s different from her boring chignons and it shows off the tiara properly. It looked more like the Swedes do their tiara hair, all poofy up top which is better for tiaras. I’m curious that she wore the Lotus Flower, that’s considered a lower-level tiara but I think it is to show she’ll be mixing it up in the future which is good. Crossing my fingers now for some new-to-us tiara at a state banquet coming up before the coronation. Loved the dress. All in all the look suited her, not too girly not too matronly…I am laughing though that William is nowhere to be found in most of the photos, he can’t be happy that he’s never pictured anymore 😉
I guess we’ll have to wait for the coronation and afterwards to see Camilla in any of the really important tiaras associated with QEII. I like the Sapphire tiara on her but was hoping she’d rock the Vlad.
I think she’s wearing the Lotus Flower bc she’s going to show up for the coronation in a BIG and significant tiara.
She looks absolutely Awful. Both the hair and the dress are as ugly as can be. I don’t have a single decent thing to say about how she looked.
In the daily mail article there were countless side closeups of Kate’s head. It looked like the mail was trying to draw attention to the dead animal on her head.
Did anyone go back and see how they updated the article after California showed up and showed out. Now it’s at their OWN glamorous event the Windsors put on a glitzy show 😂 this is the original article
The updated one was already on the side near the bottom of the fail after Meghan did her catwalk
If Kate had been nice, she could have gotten Daniel Martin’s number from Meghan. Oh well. It’s the difference between glitz and glow.
For real! Daniel would have been so beneficial to Kate and I know Meg would have not have had any problem sharing…if only mumbles had been nice! Cos whoever is doing her makeup is sabotaging her!
A note before I get attacked (usually avoid the royal posts as the comments get so vicious) – I absolutely agree it’s way past time to #abolishthemonarchy and that these people are embarrassing relics, BUT… can someone explain to me what’s so wrong with backcombing/hair pieces?! This woman may be a waste of space, but she looks good here, no?
To me in the side-views it makes her head look misshapen and too large when compared to her slim body.
In almost all photographs that I see (mainly on CB) Kate’s head looks way too big for her body. It’s as though someone did a photo shop of her head onto another body. In some photos it’s really noticeable, and once I saw it, I can’t unsee it. This is another example where the head doesn’t seem to fit, as though the angle of the head to the body is wrong.
As for the hair and the tiara, I don’t think they go together. The overall impression is of a little girl playing dress up. The long hair is girlish, the tiara grown-up. It makes the tiara look like it’s something that came out of a teen magazine.
It never blends right. You can tell it’s fake and it makes her look cheap. It’s amazing how many expensive royal jewelry she can slather herself with and still look like a tacky old prom queen.
That’s it. It’s been bugging me that past few outfits. Kate looks like she raided my gran’s closets for playing dress-up
I love me some Bridget Bardot-inspired hair and volume. Backcombing isn’t necessarily a bad look (though I don’t do it, because it’s murder on your hair follicles). It just doesn’t look good here, partly because a good chunk of her hair is fake, and partly because she doesn’t have any layers. It’s not the actual thing she’s done that’s incorrect; it’s the way she’s done it.
The more distressing part to me is how OTT the royals look with their stolen jewels and new dresses etc during a COL crisis that is impacting so many of us, myself included.
However, the hair is making me laugh, like laugh out loud. So, swings and roundabouts I suppose. #abolishthemonarchy
I don’t know anything about hair extensions. I’ll start there! But there was a woman sitting near me at the hairdresser the other day and she was having them done for the first time. The stylist took ages telling her how to care for them, how to prevent them from drying out and splitting from the natural hair. And then I see Kate’s hair and it looks so damaged and uncared for. Whoever is doing her hair and botox doesn’t care for her. Her hair simply looks like a huge straw wig.
@iforgot murder on your hair follicles? What do you guys mean by back combing? I thought you meant combing it back from her face but now I’m thinking combing it against the grain?
@Steph- you’re correct! Backcombing is combing it against the grain. If you want to add texture with similar results, I recommend using a salt spray. I have quite smooth, soft hair (oof that sounds humblebraggy, I promise I don’t mean to be!) but I also have quite wavy/curlyhair, so I like a bit of texture and movement and height. I use salt spray (or you can literally just add salt to water and spray your hair when you come out the shower) and curly gel and I find it gives me lift and dimension. However, backcombing does permanent damage to your hair and you end up losing a lot of hair, also it’s bloody painful to wash or comb back out later on. You can end up with serious hair thinning if you do that, as so many pieces break away.
@Sparrow, I would also never have extensions, because they can be so damaging and I need a low-maintenance haircut lol. I envy long, full hair, but I know I won’t commit beyond day 3 loool. Her hair has looked dry for a long time- I think that’s one of the main issues. I think she has a type of hair she wants, but doesn’t actually work with her hair type and porosity. Also the constant tanning, smoking, drinking, lack of eating, etc, really does a number on her hair. I had ED for 10 years and my hair used to fall out in clumps, and always looked so thin and dry and sad, because I was lacking protein. Now I’m fully in recovery, I feel like I have twice as much hair as I used to. Not only that, but I can put it in a ponytail without a bunch of pieces snapping off, which again I think is what happens with Kate. I think she’d look great with a shorter ‘do, and think her best hair (besides uni when she was a healthier weight), was just after she gave birth to Charlotte and it was just below shoulder length.
I think backcombing used to be called “teasing” – just a different way to say it?
TeamMeg, yes, teasing is backcombing. I didn’t know it had made a come back? Are there really hairdressers who are encouraging this? It really is damaging to your hair, so I hope people really think about it before they do it.
Backcombing & teasing also used to be known as ‘ratting’ your hair. My mother had a standing weekly hair appointment that entailed combing out the ‘rats’, wash, dry, set, then style.
I think it’s out of proportion with the delicate tiara. As I wrote below, her hairstyle with it at a 2015 state dinner looked fantastic, IMHO.
My thoughts too. It’s the 60s bumped up hair+headband mode but what worked with thick headbands then doesn’t work with a delicate tiara. It completely ruins the tiara impact as the eye is drawn to the bump… It’s truly terrible styling
Lady Baden-Baden, I sort of agree with you—the dress might be dated, but that is Kate’s style lane (I prefer this to her cosplaying Meghan—that’s is downright creepy) and it’s a great color on her. She looks much better when someone is around to tweak her photos as it were. And while I have no issues with her tiara or jewels (I like these on her), she’s got an unnatural amount of hair on her head. Back-combing isn’t the issue for me, but the fact that it feels like she has a hairy animal hiding in there.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with them at all, in general.
For me, it’s that Kate and KP deny deny deny and lie about it. She was photographed with an obvious hair extension attachment early in the marriage and they said it was a scar from a childhood surgery and that she doesn’t use extensions.
So it’s just fun that hers are so bad and obvious.
Otherwise, I think it’s a pretty standard beauty approach for red carpets etc.
Some photos of Crown Princess Mary are floating about with a backcombed look in a tiara and the main difference is that it looks softer and less harsh than the look Kate has here. It’s not the backcombing so much as the huge size of the bump and it looks more blonde too which doesn’t work with her colouring. I also agree with those who say the tiara is too delicate for this harsh look. A French twist would have worked better.
I also think she shouldn’t wear her hair stick straight because it just doesn’t look healthy enough to do that. She had more wave in Boston and it didn’t look as harsh. I also hated her hair for the Tom cruise premiere.
@Nic, ITA. It looks too severe when she wears it stick-straight, imo, and looks better when it’s wavy but NOT curled into those awful sausage curls. Every once in while she finds the middle ground, and it looks good.
And I also don’t think it flatters her when she tries to go lighter with the highlights. She has naturally really pretty chocolate-brown hair, and imo always looks best when she doesn’t try to fight it. I know a lot of women IRL with gorgeous brown hair and so many lighten it, wanting desperately to be blonde…I never could, because I’m a brunette and it would look *terrible* with my coloring if I even tried. Kate should stick with brown.
Her natural hair is very curly. William called it her “nightmare hair” which is unfortunate. If she’d embrace the curls and not straighten and add so many wiglets, she’d look good. Just not like a Barbie doll princess, which is the look she’s ruined her hair to get.
Kate started to show a lot of grey not long after George was born and so she likely has mostly grey hair at this point if she didn’t dye it. The blonde is pointless by now because she is doing a full dye of her hair and not just blonde highlights to hide some grey. She would be better off stick with the dark brown she used to have.
I think Kate looks stunning. Love the dress, the tiara and the hair – a very regal look.
We need to drop the use of the word regal. There is no meaning to it. And derangers use it as code for “white”.
Palace pr: make sure we pose pictures of Kate speaking with brown people – it will prove we are not racist.
Yes, exactly. One of the first photos of the lot, as well, so no one missed it. Did anyone else see the photo of the woman almost throwing herself at the car window as they drove in. Could be a fan; could be a lunatic. Kate loves her car photos. Lots of flash reflecting off surfaces to bleach the facial sags and bags.
A reception, I hope the guests had something to eat before coming out. Fancy getting all dressed up like that just to stand around making silly small talk.
God I hate her fussy old lady style.
Yet again Kate hasn’t got her tiara sitting properly. It should sit more straight. It’s not a headband for goodness sake how hard would it be to Google some photos of other women wearing the thing to see how it should sit? And Kate’s family order is hanging crooked too. It’s the little touches that complete and make an outfit but Kate just doesn’t seem to care?
Yes, yes, yes… that’s what the problem is – if she had it sitting straighter – then went with a bigger backcomb and a cool dress of this decade, she could have pulled it off. This look is like Jersey shore meets Nancy Reagan.
The gown is a lovely color but something about the pattern and beading makes it feel quite old. More the sort of thing I’d expect Camilla to wear.
These photos really emphasise how very thin she’s gotten too, not helped by the extra puffy wiglet. Her head looks bigger than her hips!
I agree with everything you said. I’m irritated that she is wearing yet another new dress which will never be worn again 😡
I think Camilla’s look would have been far better without the sash and ribbon with QE2 pix. Pretty much the same with Kate’s but I like Cam’s dress better. If they are going to wear all that stuff they need to start designing their look to complimient, not clash with it.
Hahahahahahahaha, sorry I cannot stop laughing! Hahahahahahahaha
This whole getup is ridiculous! I have so many questions, but nah… All heil THE WIGLET!
Why she insist on those shoulders pads I don’t know. It’s not that it looks bad It’s just that it’s not particularly flattering and it accentuate the fact that she has a bad posture. When she wore that Jenny Pacham dress to the bond premiere all I could think of was if the dress was heavy because her posture was horrendous.
I’m not sure why you condemn the Royal women for “raiding the royal jewelry box”.
That is what the jewelry is for. All the royals in line to the throne wear the jewelry of the former queens.
I would be wearing the shit out of all the jewelry if I had the right to do so.
I can’t summon up the energy to be super critical. I think she looks fine – exactly the way she’s supposed to look. The hair is 1960’s and the dress is “mother of the bride,” but whatever. This is the brand and they seem to think “dazzling” means “shiny and encrusted with jewels,” so they have that down.
It’s more about the timing. Liz’s body wasn’t even buried yet before Keen was raiding the coffers. While others were being slammed for not being respectful of the death and mourning period, she was rocking up dripping in too many jewels at inappropriate times.
The provenance of most of their jewelry is suspect. It was taken from he backs of black and brown people. That should always be condemned.
The jewelry does make the royal gala pictures fun to anticipate and then talk about later. For me it’s the way that the jewels don’t seem to blend in with what she’s wearing. They look really outdated on her. In the past, the royals constantly refresh jewels, resetting them to make them fit newer fashions…. so if I put away my schadenfreude delight at her finally getting her hands on the jewels but not making them look nice, I’d suggest that she get permission from KC III to reset some pieces. That would create some buzz AND make space to give some of the stones back: like, we’ve reset this and given the best stones out of it back to the country they came from. Obviously, that’s not as good as giving them back (I’d love to see them start some “one last time let’s wear this big jewel and then give it back” events, but that’ll never happen).
It’s tacky to flaunt the largest untaxed transfer of wealth in most Britons’ lifetimes when the cost of living is spiraling out of control for many people.
I agree. The fabulous jewelry is the only reason to marry into The Firm.
Starting with the good. I love the colour. It’s a blue based red which suits her tones. But the hair should have a dress of its own – it is so big. The whole thing looks Karen Carpenter-esque. And, boom, her photoshopper is back. She must be so relieved. She loves a red carpet with flash and a huge indoor event with lots of lighting, and her photographer.
“The hair should have a dress of its own” 😂
JEWELS! Sorry autocorrection!
Camilla always looks so smug. Kate’s dress in terms of the silhouette is fine but the lace just makes it look outdated and old fashioned. The hair is ridiculous. Too big and wiggy.
“ Kate was happy to oblige and she dutifully dusted off her Emergency Loretta Lynn Wiglet™ and Valley of the Dolls Bump-It, slapped those onto her empty head and secured the mess in place with the Lotus Flower Tiara. ”
I cannot stop laughing — this description is *chef’s kiss*!!! 😂😂😂
Kate looks like she is channeling Nancy Reagan in that dress. Way too matronly and stuffy.
Wow. Yes. I was thinking Karen Carpenter but Nancy Reagan is brilliant. Mainly because Karen Carpenter was incredibly talented and Kate isn’t, so closer to Nancy in that regard. Lollypops in need of help.
sparrow Oh, Nancy Reagan had a well known talent [no, not her persistent dietary disorder, another intake issue] which she used often. Britain’s own Kitty Kelly mentioned it prominently in her Nancy Reagan biography entitled “Nancy Reagan: The unauthorized biography.” NR was said to be the “Queen” of this particular talent which helped her in Hollywood and to marry RR. You’ll need to google what this talent was if you don’t already know it.
omg, yes, you’re right, Nancy Reagan.
Yes, that is it!!!
Also a 1980s girl’s world head.
Once again blending with the carpet.
Kate looks like a beauty pageant contestant. That diamond and sapphire necklace Camilla keeps wearing was George VI’s wedding gift to the Queen. I continue to be surprised that Camilla went right for one of the biggest jewel options with a sentimental family connection. At least this time since she added the pendant the necklace isn’t crooked.
Dude, it’s Charles. I will never not believe it’s Charles. Charles likes sparkly and he likes dressing his wife like his grandmother.
I think she looks great! Thats always a good color for her. The hair is flawless.
Same, she looks stunning. I love it all- the hair, the tiara, the dress, her makeup… just gorge.
Why are her people so bad at this?! Keen looks awful. Everything about her is just so dated and ugly, or just plain off. The gown is giving 1980s realness and that ridiculous wiglet bump of hair…what?! Who did that to her?! Are they secretly TeamMeghan? And the tiara needs to be worn more upright! It’s not a headband style like Camzilla’s. The tiara should be more upright and the hair in an updo.
Glitz and glamour, my ass. The poor RRs and Wailses’ bots…errr, I mean, fans must be struggling tonight. Not even a tiara event can keep them on the front pages 🤣 Do you think they’re waking up to the fact that the left behind royals are a total racist shitshow snooze fest?
Her hair stylist needs to phone the hair stylists of the Swedish and Danish royal ladies when it comes to tiara hair. Granted, the Swedish royal hair stylist creates some ornate styles that may be a too much for Kate but Mary’s hair stylist does some beautiful tiara hair that isn’t as as ornate as the Swedish ones.
Incidentally, Mary’s hair stylist was VERY unimpressed by Kate’s wedding hair. He basically thought she was lazy with her hair though he expressed it a bit more diplomatically.
That hair looks like from the sixties. Unflattering and her showing off jewelry even something princess Margaret wore is a bit much.
There’s something so offputting and vulgar about this colonialist jewelry, especially during the energy and food crises in the UK. The RF constantly show how coddled and unaware they are, and it’s ugly.
Perhaps the tabloids can show images of this silly reception contrasted to the long food bank lines and cold homes endured by the poor people in England?
My first thought was that she was cosplaying Princess Margaret.
Is there a museum where you can see all of the royal collections jewels? It would be really cool if they offered an exhibit and then donates proceeds to a local charity. They might already do this! But those jewels would be neat to see in person and not on Camilla or Kate lol.
Yes there are displays of the royal collection, not all of it of course, but the money goes into the Sovereign Grant that makes up one source of the royal families funding
There is a display at the tower of london, I think that’s mostly the Crown Jewels though (like the big crown and stuff.) we didn’t see it when we were there this past summer bc the line was so SUPER long and I have two young boys who were more interested in the weapons than the jewels, LOL.
You didn’t miss much. One stands on a literal conveyor belt that glides you past the jewels in cases. Up close they all look like tacky cheap costume jewelry and the stones look fake.
Hah Chaine I agree, you’re not missing much. I’ve seen them twice now, and each time I just think ‘holy sh*t, you could end world hunger’ or ‘woooow, so they’re proud that they stole these items and aren’t giving them back AND we should revere them because the ones who wear them were lucky to be born from the correct womb?’ Also I don’t think they’re for me, beceause they could put fakes in there and I literally don’t think I’d realise haha.
It’s just bizarre. I find everything to do with monarchy bizarre. I’d followed Harry’s projects for years, and was lucky enough to attend the first Invictus Games and opening ceremony in London and I thought ‘ahh okay, maybe the monarchy can have a place in society, but the rest are stinkers.’ And now look where we are.
#abolishthemonarchy
I don’t think there is. I bet they don’t want the public to know how much is in their vaults.
Though it is fun to see these jewels in person – just to appreciate the aesthetics and the artistry. I have been lucky enough to see most of the Danish royal tiaras, most recently the exquisite Ruby-Diamond tiara that CP Mary wears. It really is something to see them in person.
The dress on its own is ok but the way it’s been styled is just awful – it clashes with the bling (would have been better just a plain material with no embellishments) – way to much going on. And the hair – looks like someone gave Cousin It a booster!
The really are sooooo triggered by the Sussex’s and that Netflix doco. They (Sussex’s) have been trending on UK twitter for about a week now.
Digital Unicorn, I agree. If the material was plain and the hair up, this would have looked so much better. How is it that others can see this and her stylist doesn’t?
The embellishments of the dress make it look cheap. The tiara is actually really nice and I am so glad she’s out of the Lover’s Knot for a change but it doesn’t work with the hairstyle. I would have gone for more backcombing – maybe something akin to young Princess Anne?
I was convinced she would get a new tiara. Maybe for the coronation? Or the very next event after that? But it also wouldn’t surprise me if Charles/Camilla/Angela Kelly/whoever is in charge of the tiara’s now decided no more tiaras for Kate since she’s already has 3 – this one, lovers knot and her wedding tiara. Or maybe she’ll get one later or something.
Kate did the lotus tiara dirty. Her hair was perfect when she wore in 2015 for the state dinner, where she looked really cute. It just looks trashy here.
Camilla looks straight at the cameras grinning looking quite pleased with herself wearing that tiara. The tiara does not sit well on her head with that hairdo
ooof. it’s very evil queen.
So I’ll give her credit for trying something new with her hair and a tiara. And the dress is pretty classic Packham/Kate. But something about the whole look is……off. I dunno. Too much backcombing? Too much of a bump-it? Is the dress too poinsettia like? I can’t put my figure on it but something is off.
As for the jewels…..I actually had a different take. I don’t think this is about raiding the royals jewels. We’ve seen Kate wear these earrings on multiple occasions before and that lotus flower tiara is a “lesser” tiara, its the first one we saw Kate wear once she was married (I think to the chinese state dinner.) I don’t think we saw her wear once she got upgraded to the Lover’s Knot.
so I find it interesting she’s rewearing that one. Is she trying to show that she’s thrifty? (LOL). Is she trying to show that she’s hip and modern with the hairstyle? Or was she betting on being allowed a different tiara and was told no so went with one she already had access to, since she just wore the Lovers Knot two weeks ago?
Camilla is also rewearing the tiara from the state dinner, which I find interesting.
I think it all just doesn’t quite go together. Like maybe nix the bump-it & swap this patterned red dress for the green sparkly long-sleeved one she wore in Pakistan. That would still be festive, but would work better, I think.
As for the tiaras, I was also a bit surprised about the rewears, especially Camilla. Is Angela Kelly still policing who gets what? I would have thought that Charles would have insisted that Camilla get whatever she wants, but who knows? I figure it’s either 1) AK-47 is restricting access as a sort of power play now that the Queen is gone, 2) they’re trying to limit themselves to jewelry/tiaras without obviously problematic histories and/or 3) they’re negotiating who gets what for coronation events.
@Lizzie – my thought was also that kate wants that sapphire set to go with her ring (even though the settings are different and the color also looks different, could just be the lighting though) and Camilla is being passive aggressive by wearing it twice in a row so Kate can’t wear it, LOL.
But in reality, I’m sure its a combination of 2 and 3. Angela Kelly has no power anymore, the most she can probably say is “that needs to be cleaned first.” I think if she cut off camilla from any tiara she wanted to wear Charles would take care of it in a hurry. So I think its a matter of what is problematic, and there are some serious negotiations going for the coronation tiaras.
Camilla has worn a new to her tiara every time there has been an occasion for it and so I don’t think her access is restricted.
Kate has not worn a tiara that she hasn’t worn before. I do wonder if something is going on there.
And Camilla wore a coat once worn by Charles to this event, which is another instance of wearing a repeat, something kate has not done at all.
There are likely behind the scenes power plays going on here but with the focus so much on H and M they aren’t being covered yet.
Those sapphires, mygawd. I’d be so enthralled if were in their presence.
I think it’s all been said about this unfortunate look. From the wiglet bump to the ice capades make up to that dress, Keen looks a mess but she looks her usual bedraggled mess so…
Is this how it’s going to go now? Kate tries and fails to wow in a dress in response to Meghan. She can’t talk properly about her causes or enlighten people as to what she is doing, ditto William. Meghan shines in a photo but is at an event that she can talk about and has a passion for; what she looks like is kind of secondary. Basically, all the BRF has got is this aged 40 year old woman, who’s going to be wheeled out as a counter attack at every opportunity. She’ll mumble a few words or plonk away at the piano for a bit. That’s their brand!
We’re going to be seeing specially selected shots of Kate smiling at black and brown people for the next 10 years aren’t we…..
** insert meme of a despondent Ben Affleck having a cigarette**
William is there with his medals
Gown is awful. I don’t mind the hair actually. But the bouffant with this gown is very dated. I would go with one or the other. While I don’t mind the hair, a sleek updo would suit this gown much better.
She looks beautiful and I don’t necessarily mind the look. It’s okay to dress more conservatively, but sometimes I wonder WHY she is always so covered up and hope it’s for healthy reasons.
She’s a pretty girl, in a pretty (more conservative) dress, with some pretty (stolen?) jewels on.
Her hair head on looks beautiful too, wiglet and all but from the side? Nah.
Not much else going on there, by design. This “competition” with the Sussexes would only work if they were playing the same game. The Waleses want to do nothing but look like they are making an impact by taking credit from others and “listening and learning:, while Harry and Meghan look like they do nothing until you find out their impact, largely given credit from those they work with and behind the scenes. Both couples are successful at what they are truly aiming for, but only one couple is pretending that they are doing the same work and effort.
If the Streisand Effect is when you draw more attention to something you yourself are doing by trying to make others pay less attention to it, then there needs to be a new term for what the Charles and the new Wales are doing in regards to Harry and Meghan. Many people wouldn’t know that the Ripple of Hope Awards exist, let alone that H and M were going to receive one, if the British media hadn’t been constantly bringing them into the conversation and comparing the Ripple ceremony to Earthshot.
The hair is bizarre. It almost looks like the bump it was placed too far back so it just makes the shape of her head look weird. The top of her head is still flat. I think this tiara suits an updo hairstyle. I do think the earring go well with the tiara. The colour of the dress is pretty and it has a high neck so there isn’t a competing necklace. Instead, there is competing embellishment ALL OVER the dress. I wish she dressed more fresh and stylish.
That really is a Loretta Lynn bump. Why?! Her stylist really hates her. I don’t have a problem with the dress or the jewels. My biggest complaint is a modern woman with dated hair.
Modern woman? Kate? I don’t think so…
She is literally wearing SO much wealth and she still looks like she came from a tacky beauty pageant. Incredible. I cannot believe she and her hairstylist looked in the mirror and thought that hair style looked good.
On another note, I find it interesting that she hasn’t worn a ‘new’ tiara yet. She could be getting something special for the coronation, but I just know that if she were given the chance, she would’ve definitely worn a new one now or at the state dinner. Look at the way she pounced on the jewels after all.
And on yet another note, this is the second time within a week that she’s gone glam (well, at least for her standards), and also the second time the papers have chosen to NOT post her glam look on the front pages. Curiouser and curiouser.
I think the work numbers show the Wales do not do much work wise. They take many vacations. I never had the impression that harry and Meghan looked like they do nothing. They like working unlike the Wales imo.
Lawdamercy, the Rottweiller is hideous! And Mute OWilliam made sure she was photographed speaking with every non-white person in the room.
Sorry Muttons, everyone already knows what you did to Meghan and Harry.
#AbolishtheMonarchy
My mother may she rip, had a table runner that looked exactly like that dress, she would bring it out every Thanksgiving, and xmas.. I am 75 y/o, that should tell you how dated that dress looks to me. Once more with the two toned hair. Those post it notes on their chest remind me of cheap name tags, total distractions.
That hair! Looks like Voldemort is sticking out from the back of her head, hiding behind the nylon wig. Very Quirellesque.
Kate is CopyKeening Princess Mary of Denmark. Google Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark red dress and you’ll see the hairstyle and makeup Kate wore here.
Love the tiara. The dress is giving poinsettia.
I’m glad Kate put away the Lover’s Knot tiara for one damn night. I like this one a lot better and it looks a lot better on her than the LKT does. I know she loves to run anything that embodies Princess Di into the ground but she just needs to stick with the lotus for a bit.
Yes, her hair looks ridiculous, but the Lotus Flower tiara is my fav, and I didn’t expect her to ever wear it again. So, yay for that! Don’t love the earrings with it though. And the dress is pretty fug, but I like the color on her.
I actually like the Lotus Flower tiara too. I find the Lover’s Knot tiara a bit too much. I still applaud Meghan for choosing Queen Mary’s Bandeau tiara for her wedding though. It suited her perfectly and hadn’t been seen since the 1930s.
Same! The lotus and the one that Beatrice wore on her wedding.
I had to look up Bump-it and oh brother, people use that?! Amateurs. In my day, junior high, all the chicanas would converge in the restroom, pull out their jumbo cans of industrial strength hairspray and rat tail combs and touch up their teased bouffants before swanning into the cafeteria. And can I just say the royals are the height of vulgarity and class inequity in their ridiculous ribbons, medals and dripping in precious gems for all the world to see. Bring out the pitchforks.
ALL the Chicanas did? Your comment is dripping with the same vulgarity and classism you complain of in others.
Her hair makes her look like the supervillain she really is.
They make that jewelry look cheap. Seriously. Those are probably some of the best jewels in the world and the diamonds look gray.
Side note, I almost bought a bump it once. My hair will not tease even with the teasing comb and that back spray in a can. I ended up just giving up trying to style my hair.
WHY are these two grown women still wearing tiaras in the year 2022 for non-ceremonial events? They look silly.
Kitty’s mom must have picked up a few Bump-Its from ShopRite in New Jersey.
LOL.
All I can think of when I see Bump-Its is Sarah Palin.
The dress is Christmassy and sparkly and fits in with theme dressing. The hemline pools on the floor which is distracting but overall it’s a good festive look. I love all the jewe!s. There is no such thing as bad jewelry, just worn inappropriately by the wrong person maybe. If I had access to the royal jewel box I’d probably go over the top as well.
If you are not a person for whom the prospect of getting to raid and adorn yourself in bulky antique jewelry and tiaras worth millions of dollars is not one of the main perks of royalty, whyever would you choose to be royal at all? Is there literally any other benefit that makes anything about the role worthwhile? Especially in comparison to being an anonymous wealthy person with no public expectations or exposure at all?
This right here. I would wear the damn things in the bath! I would wear them in the gardens for tea. I would match my jewelry to my bathrobes!!!
That dress is giving a few unfortunate vibes. Christmas party dress from the 90s. Grandma’s table runner. 19th century New Orleans cathouse. Fussy, dowdy, garish.
But I think the Poinsettia comparison is the most apt. So, basically she looks like a potted plant.
I don’t mind the hair but would it kill it her to wear it shorter for once? There is nothing wrong with a shorter length and I think it would suit her. She’s trying to stop the clock by keeping her hair the same length it was fifteen years ago. It doesn’t work that way.
The tiara is pretty;
Well, they said they wanted to embrace being boring. This looks about right. Very fusty and cobwebby looking, the whole bunch.
These people age so badly. My goodness, that is all I’ve got!
They do, and Kate is photoshopped to the max here of course.
The wig is next level hideous. If you have no style, but have funds, why not hire a stylist?
Those are two of the uglier tiaras in the royal collection. The Lotus tiara looks like it needs an updo to set it off and she wore it better at the Chinese State dinner. Camila’s favorite sapphire is just a mess, she looked so much better in the ones she wore before.
I think the Greville is the ugliest one. Camilla seems to favour it. It’s way over the top.
Yep, Khate’s 2015 Chinese state dinner dress and hairstyle looked loads better, and much more suited to the Lotus Flower tiara, which she wore on that occasion, but has not worn as much as the Lover’s Knot tiara. I googled the images from 2015. That was before Harry met Meghan, and Khate chose envy, bitterness and petty machinations.
Love her hair like that!
In the nicest way possible, why?? The wiglet is clearly visible.
I noticed her hair behind the tiara was a different color. Didn’t mention that but asked my non-hair-sophisticated husband what he thought of her hair. He said “the wig shows and looks bad.”
Most of the Crown jewels look like shit and are so old-fashioned, including tiaras.
The RF tries so hard to be relevant and no one gives a shit outside of GB.
How many times will they try to polish the turd before the BRF becomes an unknown monarchy?
Totally disagree on the jewelry: I want to see as much of it brought out of storage as possible!! I live to see all the glamour of the real gems: bring it on, gals! 🙂 (Maybe it IS tacky, but I’m all for it!).
The jewelry is not the problem, it is how it is being worn presently.
I don’t understand your comment about the jewelry.
She’s saying the tiara does not look good with how Kate is wearing it.
Re: the jewelry, there are two issues, one short term and one long term. The short term is that its just a bad look to raid the royal collection so fast. It screams “yes she’s finally dead, now the jewels are mine!!!!!”
The longer term problem is where did these jewels come from? The royals put this front and center when they had the Times slam Meghan for wearing Saudi earrings. Do you know how much jewelry is in the royal collection from the Saudis? Way too much! And that’s just the Saudis. So they need to be very careful about what they wear, especially as India wants the Koh-i-noor back and South Africa is making noise about the Cullinan diamonds.
Well said, Becks1. I don’t want to see them. Give them back to where they were stolen from.
Well the lotus tiara and sapphire necklace were wedding gifts and the sapphire tiara was bought at auction so there’s no place to return them.
They need to take a page from queen Mary and redo the pieces. She was known for dismantling items and refashioning them. Even her wedding gift from queen Victoria. Now they seem to be regarded as sacrosanct no matter how ugly or unwieldy.
Just speculating, but wearing all that jewelry is part of the fairy tale.
The one about just entitlement or maybe to be regal.
I think the beautiful red colour of the dress looks very festive, and a perfect choice for a formal event close to Christmas. However, I find the poufy sleeve and that sad, abbreviated little train at the back a bit off-putting. Normal sleeves and a slit at front or back to facilitate walking would be preferable. I think the tiara is very pretty and somehow youthful, so wearing it with all that hair down seems to give a prom queen vibe. Confusing style, I think.
Mm. Interesting how the photos they chose to release are of Kate engaging with happy-looking POC.
How subtle! This family must not be racist.
Royal Jewels = Colonialism
What countries do these jewels actually belong to? Can we start talking about reparations? Ironically, Bill and Kathy were just tryna make everyone think they care with Earthsnot. I SEE you!
They were commissioned wedding gifts and bought at auction.
Poor thing can’t even smile properly due to the botox.
Are the Royals not going to be criticized for overshadowing Countess Sophie’s big trip to Washington, DC? 😂
LOL. I love how the royalist and their online supporters developed an entire argument last week all about how REAL royals give awards away (i.e. EarthShot) while non-royals receive them (M&H’s Ripple of Hope award). And then Miss Sophie trampled right over that by accepting her own little award at Georgetown.
They’re looting the “pre-looted” gems in their colonizer collection.
The dress is not bad. If Queen Letizia or Crown Princess Mary wore that dress, it would look fabulous. And Crown Princess Mary has recently worn her hair down with the ruby parure and it looked great. Kate is just not fashionable.
She looks nice
Kate & Cammie … just in case you are reading this …. suggestion.
If your going to keep going with these big statement pieces may I suggest you use the strong lipstick or strong eye but not both rule when it comes to your big statement pieces. If you’re going for a statement tiara, ease up on the statement earrings and necklace. If you’re not wearing a statement tiara or tiara at all, break out the statement earrings/necklace. It’s almost like you looted the jewels that Betty and her ancestors looted from other countries, before her body is cold and what to wear them all immediately. So gauche, so tacky, so new money!
I love Kate’s hair, but I’m a relic of another age. I just loved the whole Mod look of another time. I’m not a fan of the woman, but think her whole look is lovely in those photos is lovely.
I agree and I mentioned it down thread. It’s very Mod 60s and looks great, I just don’t think the dress works with it.
I like the 60’s mod look too, but this isn’t it. It’s not a good spin.
Take a look at Diahann Carroll, Jackie O, Princess Margaret, Honor Blackman, Pam Grier, etc. for reference.
“Bump it” has be rolling 🤣
It’s her “Real Housewives of Windsor” look. Or a Miss America beauty pageant dress. The hair is atrocious. So much embiggening, so little to show for it other than purloined jewels.
Can anyone explain why William and Camilla are wearing their sashes over their right shoulders and Kate has hers over her left shoulder? Is there a sash wearing protocol that explains this?
The garter (Charles, Camilla, Egg) is worn over the wrong shoulder (left) the RVO that Kate is worn on the right shoulder like most other countries
Original penguin Thanks for that explanation.
I see she is wearing the yellow ribbon Elizabeth gave her in honor of standing by silently when William’s penchant for rose gardens became public. I don’t know how she can bear to look at it, let alone wear it in front of others. Is she told to wear it and just complies, or is she so completely clueless that she doesn’t know what goes through people’s minds when they see it? It could be both.
I actually like her hair. It isn’t big curls or matronly looking. It’s a big bump-it but that’s kind of the point. It’s retro.
The disconnect is that the dress has no style at all. It’s just a boring red column dress. If the dress had more personality (I know, I know) then it would have worked much better.
At least she looks like she’s more engaged when talking. She doesn’t look as bored as she usually does.
I figured out what I dislike the most . The tiara. It’s beautiful and one of my favorites but she’s wearing it like a head band. Move the Bump-It forward and wear the tiara like a damn tiara.
I’m just glad that Camilla finally wore a color that actually GOES with the color of the sapphires. The last time she wore that tiara suite (which was like 2 weeks ago) was with a bright, tacky, warm “stewardess blue” dress that did not match the stones color at ALL.
It was an ugly dress but it was much cheaper than dresses she usually wears for this event. She’s already spent over a hundred thousand on her wardrobe. She should have worn something old. I don’t know if people are going to buy this dress. We’ll see if it sells out or not.
I know some people like seeing all the sparkly jewels and heavy velvet, gold trimmed decor as a sign of wealth and classy pedigree.
I see this as relics of time pass. The jewels in particular are weighty and tinged with blood diamond like provenance. No matter how you dissect it, the wealth be it accrued from several centuries back or gifted more recently from the royal House of Saud or from various wealthy sheiks and potentates served as a reminder such gifts came at a high cost to the common people— from states where freedom and human rights are few and far between.
It’s time to end the romanticization of these things.
I agree. When I look at these pictures, I see overgrown, out-of-date and out-of-touch children playing dress-up. Diamond tiaras, five-kilo sapphire necklaces and all the rest seem completely inappropriate in this day and age. Why on earth should these (and only these) two married-in buffoons get to wear those hideously cursed-by-colonialism jewels? Why should anyone even WANT to wear them? Sickening and ridiculous.
It’s a bit pageant queen with the sequins and the big hair but it’s fine. A bit dated but appropriate. What I don’t get is Kate’s fans on Twitter assuming that the Sussexes are jealous or feeling overshadowed by her showing up at work in her little tiara and old lady jewelry . Then they get crazy mad when the Sussexes show up looking amazing and push them off the front pages. The Royals are gonna start being booked and busy hoping to change the focus. Maybe they’ll actually work more than the 15 hour work week they usually put in.
She will never, ever divorce William. He has seen her without her wigs, her make up, her photoshopping…The man knows TOO much.
I think she looks nice overall. The hair is a bit much. It’s the sashes and medals for doing nothing that annoy me. What a sad and empty life of buttons, wiglets, and being keen.
I used to really like this tiara, but on Kate it looks cheap. IMO she does not have the style or gravitas to carry this sort of jewellery, or this sort of really fancy evening dress with its little built-in train, either, worn with the sash and RFO.
Something is missing from the overall look. I think she needed an updo of some sort with such an outfit, but perhaps the problem is that this sort of display of opulence is outdated and needs to be consigned to history. Perhaps it only worked when Elizabeth was still Queen, and now she has gone and that living link with the inter-War years and Empire has gone, this sort of display of wealth and privilege and superiority is anachronistic and regardless of who was wearing the jewels they would look wrong.
You people have very sharp eyes. I have tried but can’t see where the hair pieces are obvious at all. I think Kate’s dress is pretty, though I don’t know how she keeps from tripping. I like this tiara on her better than the last one. I love Camilla’s tiara. But it looks like Amethyst to me. Maybe it is the way it is photographed.
I can never tell what is real or clipped in. However the bump is just so Elvira.
Girl is giving Teresa Giudice and her wedding hair a run for the money. Yikes.
Kaiser, you’re pretty entertaining regarding the heir’s wife.
Is it possible her hair is thinning? She doesn’t look healthy, and an unhealthy body seldom goes with a full head of healthy looking. Hair.
This
“I’m covering the egg situation separately (because hahahaha)”
made me LMAO THANKS
If William and Kate are secretly separated then maybe he’s refusing to pay for some or all of her staff. Maybe she really does have her mom filling in as stylist and makeup artist.
Heaven help me, I googled “bump it”. I will never forgive y’all for this.
She looks like a bobblehead dressed in wrapping paper.
Camilla should trade some of the jewelry in and get some dental work. Seriously. She has worn more bling than we ever saw with QEII in just three months but her teeth! Just saying.
Peg. I laugh out loud each time.
Why does Katie keen always look so deranged when talking to people? Also the material on that dress is hideous and that hair my god. Camilla looks like she has lost a lot of weight. I see we are still bringing out the people of color for photo opps
This is the dowdiest dress and the dowdiest styling. Sorry not sorry. Looks like she raided QEII’s closet.