Just a week after the Queen gave her a bit of a dressing-down about her not dressing up enough, the woman formerly known as Kate Middleton appeared at an event looking very queenly indeed. The Duchess of Cambridge was at London's National Portrait Galleryin a Jenny Packham dress and seriously bling jewels.
It's perhaps a sign Kate's heeded Liz's advice that her sartorial decisions must be fitting for a woman of her regal stature – as she prepares for her upcoming tour of Australia. 'This trip will be about Kate appearing more Royal than ever – you can expect to see a lot more tiaras and the Queen will be watching closely,’ revealed a palace source.
'You can expect to see a lot more tiaras and the Queen will be watching closely'
Kate, who was attending a fundraising gala alongside the likes of Alan Rickman and that other famous posh Liz – Liz Hurley – also wasn't digging into anyone's coffers with her get-up. OK, she did that thing that we have grown to call 'wearing clothes' when it's us, but 'recycling an outfit' when it's a celebrity, by donning the same gown she wore to the 100 Women In Hedge Funds benefit in October of last year. But it was a thousand-pound designer gown. And she also borrowed the Queen's jewellery for the occasion. And not just any piece of jewellery – but the 38-diamond Cartier necklace that the Queen wore for her 1947 wedding to Prince Philip. Very regal!
The Queen is also said to be keen on Kate wearing demure dresses with a low hemline, and Kate delivered on this last night. (Side note: this was actually just as daring as wearing a thigh-high hemline – there are a lot of public urinals in central London.)
At the event, she was photographed talking to 'transvestite potter' Grayson Perry, which has led us to wonder if she borrowed any style tips from the artist's alter-ego Claire. After all, when Grayson was awarded a CBE from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace last month, a palace spokesperson said that his outfit of a long dark dress and a big black hat with feathers atop, was spot on: 'His attire was entirely appropriate.' As we're sure the Queen thought Kate's was last night.
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Picture: Getty
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.