Good evening, dear readers, and my apologies for my absence over the past week. Like so many at this time of year, I've been under the weather. Whilst tonight's post is not nearly as detailed as I would like, I hope it offers at least a cursory wrap-up of the days events, which concluded with a (much requested) gown appearance.
Earlier today, the Prince and Princess of Wales officially welcomed Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel of Sweden to Windsor Castle. Kate sported a bespoke forest green version of the Emilia Wickstead 'Kate' dress, which she owns in several colours. It appears she teamed the dress with her Emmy London 'Rebecca' pumps. Meanwhile, Prince Victoria opted for the Landon Cropped Box Jacket by Alice & Olivia.
We often discuss how much royal fans enjoy seeing the Windsors with their European counterparts. Like William and Kate, Victoria and Daniel have a young family and quite a lot in common. The visit offered a nice opportunity for the Waleses to return the favour following the hugely warm welcome they received during their 2018 visit to Sweden. Below, a picture from that trip five years ago (with a special appearance by Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar).
This evening, William and Kate were joined by the Swedish royals for the annual Royal Variety Performance taking place at the Royal Albert Hall this year.
Victoria and Daniel arriving.
The Royal Variety Performance is held in aid of the Royal Variety Charity. Funds raised from the show help hundreds of entertainers throughout the UK, who are in need of help and assistance as a result of old age, ill-health, or hard times.
The Royal Variety Performance dates back all the way to 1912, when the inaugural performance was watched by King George V and Queen Mary.
The Prince and Princess were welcomed upon arrival.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have been at Royal Albert Hall this evening back in London for the Royal Variety Performance… (Kate wore a teal dress from the London-based brand Safiyaa. William in black tie) pic.twitter.com/QQGe7h8BkM
— Matt Wilkinson (@MattSunRoyal) November 30, 2023
The couple greet Daphne Selfe.
The Princess selected a gorgeous gown by Safiyaa for the event.
The Destiny Poseidon design is described as a "Gown with boat neck, split sleeve and dramatic shoulders in poseidon Heavy Crepe with smoke/crystal Crystal Trim B embroidery".
The teal shade was a great choice.
A closer look at the sparkling neckline of the dress and a familiar pair of earrings.
Kate wore the elegant pearl detailed J Crew earrings she's had for several years.
And carried her Jenny Packham 'Casa' clutch.
And a closer look at Kate's shimmering bracelet.
I'll update once more details are available about the piece.
I hope you feel better soon Charlotte.
ReplyDeleteUs shorties could never pull off those long caped sleeves, but Catherine looked smashing in that dress. The jeweled necklace had a way of lighting up her face that was very flattering. I don’t really love the pointy shoulder pads, but they don’t seem so prominent on her vs the model.
We may not see Catherine as much as some of us would like, but she really “wows” at the engagements she undertakes, especially the more formal ones and the ones where she interacts with children.
That is what tailoring is for
DeleteI hope you feel better soon, Charlotte. I appreciate that you posted at all given that you're not well. I love this colour on Kate (the teal). I think she normally wears a repeat at this event but I think it was a good decision to wear something new while hosting the Swedish royals (who I love to see!). I really like her day wear too (Kate's). All in all, a good day's work/effort for her under difficult circumstances.
ReplyDeleteI was (as I posted on a previous post) hoping to see the McQueen Navy Blue Velvet with Diana's necklace (a wedding gift) comprised of a huge Burmese sapphire pendant set in a jagged sunray fringe of diamonds and hung on a thin diamond tennis necklace.
DeleteOr maybe she could have worn the sparkly gown she worn to KC's birthday party?
I love this color on Catherine!
ReplyDeleteKate's evening gown is beautiful, so sleek. I think it would have been nice if Kate had worn her hair up to show off the neck of the dress; the model with her hair up emphasized the sleek lines of the dress as well as showing off the neck and shoulders. Nevertheless, Kate looks wonderful as always!
ReplyDelete+1 LauraK - I've said it before, high neckline = Hair back/up. Save those long locks for bare shoulders or an open neckline. I would love to see her be more inventive. She's got the fringe right now so why not some softness around her face and a low pony tail and maybe even a braid or two? or perhaps she could have gone with the sleek back look (like the MI premeire). Elegant modern is what the gown called for IMHO.
DeleteDonalyn here: Okay, this dress looks great on the model. But a wrinkled mess at this event. Is it different fabric? I mean, the color is great, but seems that it isn't a dress that is meant for actual wearing. I'd love to see it redesigned - I'm initially thinking sleeveless would do wonders. Or shorter sleeves (like stopping there they slit on Kate's arm) and making the shoulders less severe.... just a few thoughts. And adding a better lining (or different, less wrinkle prone fabric).
ReplyDeleteI like the jewelry - for me, but not for her. I mean, isn't it more sustainable to wear the "real" jewelry already in your jewelry box (or, even better, the BRF vaults) than to buy costume? I mean, i think that the pieces work nicely with the dress, but so would other things.
Love the green dress from the Windsor meeting.
I suspect the photo on the model is heavily airbrushed to make the gown look perfect whereas in real life, all fabrics wrinkle a little as the wearer moves, sits etc.
DeleteI agree. The dress is stunning while standing still. However, when moving apears wrinkly and not fluid. And yes, why wear fake when you have the real deal. But she is still beautiful and love it still!
DeleteThe teal color is stunning. The gown is gorgeous. Love the jewel choices. Her hair and makeup are on point. This gown is beautiful. Catherine looks divine. She carries herself with such dignity and elegance.
ReplyDeleteThe daytime dress looks immaculate.
The Princess looked beautiful tonight. The dress is stunning on her, colour, fit and style suits her very well. The Crown Princess looked beautiful as well. She seems like she is a lot of fun. I'm really can't decide on the bracelet. On the one hand I'm thinking a lot of metal in the settings but some older diamonds are set like that. Maybe she decided to wear crystal jewellery to highlight the neck of her dress. I would of loved to see her wearing the Grenville diamond earrings and the late Queens wedding bracelet .It was great to see her twice today, doing what she does best. Representing the British Crown. I think the best way to deal with all the noise that is going on,is to put your head up and look amazing. Well done to her. S.🙂.
ReplyDeleteAgree!
DeleteFirst off, Charlotte…please get well my dear!! I bet it was killing you to not post all the events we have seen the Princess be apart of these last few days!
ReplyDeleteOh happy day!!! To see the Royals out and how gorgeous did they all look!! My heart is happy 💙🖤
The teal color is beautiful but I agree that the boxy shoulders are too boxy on K’s very slim figure, it makes her look very thin in some of the photos. Love the bracelet and hope to get more info on it. Lovely to see the Swedish royals at an evening event like this. -celticgirl
ReplyDeleteI was worried when you did not post about the baby bank, hope you will get better soon !
ReplyDeleteKate is stunning here, and I love the way she and William look at each other.
The way they look at each other outshines any gown or jewels!
DeletePrincess Catherine is stunning! I had tears in my eyes looking at her.So brave, polished and refined.A true princess!
ReplyDeleteCharlotte, I hope you feel better soon. Today's looks have been perfect to me. The gown is simply stunning. The neckline, the sleeves, the color....all perfection to me. The Princess of Wales carries herself with such grace and dignity. She is an asset to the Royal Family.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful gown! She has several gowns with some type of cape design and I think this is one of the more successful executions. The jeweled neckline is beautiful, I just wish she had pulled her hair back so we could see it!
ReplyDeleteHeartfelt thanks for your very kind comments.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte, I must apologise. I forgot to add I hope you are feeling better now and if not I hope you will be back to yourself soon. I still can't find any information on the bracelet. Hopefully someone will ID it soon. Do you know if the Royal couple have any events coming up before the Christmas carol service? S🙂.
DeleteLove the day dress, evening look is beautiful but wish she’d wear real jewels instead of costume
ReplyDeleteShe can really wear this style. She looks absolutely gorgeous. I'm wearing my teal blouse this evening, I'm so inspired by how lovely she looks!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely stunning on all levels. Catherine and William epitomize Keep Calm and Carry On!
ReplyDeleteDo feel better Charlotte. Thank you for the lovely post despite. Crown Princess Victoria looks smashing tonight. As does the PoW. One does wonder about that UFO bracelet...
ReplyDeleteHope you feel better soon, Charlotte. I love the color and the cape dress concept—I believe Meghan wore something similar by Safiyaa on a tour. This looks too big on her with too much excess fabric in the torso. I agree that hair up would highlight the neckline more so. I don’t mind the costume jewelry earrings as they are a nice tie in with the neckline of the dress. For me, the tailoring issue with the dress makes the whole look lack polish. As they say, the dress is wearing her. This is in stark contrast to the green dress for the daytime event, which looks phenomenal and perfectly tailored.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't similar at all. A cape and dramatic sleeves are two very different things
DeleteThe above comment is from Gigi. Sorry I didn't realize my name wouldn't be included.
DeleteHope you feel better soon. Love this look, great for tall girls. Kate seems to have a love of this style of late - red, white & now blue just in 2 weeks. Add in the royal robe worn at the coronation, and one gown worn while pregnant, and we see a pattern. Not a bad look for her, just that it doesn’t translate to any other body type. Missouri Girl
ReplyDeleteDearest Charlotte, I’m so thankful to know you’re feeling a little better, I had checked in so many times and was hoping all was ok.
ReplyDeleteOur darling Princess looked beautiful today, and I’m sure it wasn’t easy for her. It was SO wonderful to see her, and the incredible affection and care that Prince William showed tonight bought tears to my eyes. In 12 years she has become the most incredible asset to our Royal Family, and her kindness and compassion are who she is. I loved the styling of her gorgeous Teal gown, and it was a perfect decision to wear something new with the Swedish Royals. How lovely it was to see them all together & the very genuine affection they hold for each other. I hope we see many more occasions like this with the Dutch, Danish, Spanish & other European Royal Houses. She looked beautiful today, I hope she knows how much we care about her and her family.
Dee, I just wanted to send you some love and good wishes. I hope you are well and Christmas won't be too hard this year. ❤️. S 🙂.
DeleteMmm. Nice dress. That Wickstead design doesn't excite me much and never has, but I'm rather a fan of Safiyaa dresses, which manage to project drama via clean, sophisticated, and powerful lines and colors. I loved the Duchess of Sussex's red Safiyaa cape dress, and of course this intense blue is more or less the Princess's favorite color. Despite my ongoing complaints about her hair (it really is driving me to distraction), I think she looks terrific.
ReplyDeleteJ Crew, of which I've a great fan for many years, sells fun costume jewelry, and I own several pieces. It's also my go-to for casual clothes, including t-shirts, cardigans, khakis and cords, and casual coats in luscious colors.
I would have liked to get a better look at Crown Princess Victoria's evening ensemble, but I rather liked her Alice and Olivia cropped jacket. This is a label I keep expecting to see on either the Princess or the Duchess of Sussex. I recently bought a knockout cropped evening jacket from A&O, and I have a dress, too.
Hope you feel better! Catherine looks gorgeous, lovely gown, I am not a fan of the earrings I do not understand buying or wearing inexpensive jewelry pieces when you have so many old pieces to use! The bracelet , I hope is not costume. If you care about the environment , an easy thing for Catherine to do is to use the selection she has from the Royal family and if she wants to make it hers, have it reworked and give a crafts person some work. I understand you can not rework some of the pieces, but many you can.
ReplyDeleteShe is absolutely breathtaking. The gown is perfection, and her hair, makeup etc is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteHope you are feeling better Charlotte. The holidays are a most inconvenient time to fall ill!
Exactly, Tedi!
DeleteJust looking around and the blog History of famous jewels and collections has a very good close up of the bracelet. The settings on the stones don't look like high value jewellery. S.🙂.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte, do hope that you will feel better soon. Kate looks lovely but oh how I dislike her haircut!
ReplyDeleteFeel better soon Charlotte!
ReplyDeleteThank you, as always, Charlotte. Hope you bounce back quickly. Loved seeing them with Victoria and Daniel- such a treat! It’s not my favorite of her dresses, but she always looks lovely. I did like the bling around the neck and the earrings/bracelet she selected. Glad to see them today! Sue from IL
ReplyDeleteCharlotte, feel better soon! Thank you for posting! I think the color of Catherine's gown is beautiful. However; the design did not suit Catherine well. The shoulders were too boxy. Her hair did not flatter her.
ReplyDeleteThis is a top look and now one of my favourites! While I do appreciate the costume or lower priced jewelry Kate wears, I don’t think tonight was the night for JCrew earrings, especially with the Crown Princess in attendance. Camilla has opened the jewelry box and it’s been delightful to see pieces that haven’t been seen in decades!
ReplyDeleteShe looks lovely, as usual, but I was surprised that this gown was by a different designer, given that the shoulder line and cape effect sleeves are so similar to what she has worn recently. For me, the shoulders are too pointy and make her look hunched, especially with her hair all over her face.
ReplyDeleteI wish she would wear real jewels! We wear High Street bling to emulate her diamonds - she doesn't have to copy us!
All in all, this was a 7 out of 10 for me.
I like the concept of the dress. Colour and the dramatic arms certainly work for Kate. But the neckline and the fit around her midrift is a big nope. The too pointy shoulders would have workes if they the only eysores. The visible inside seam of the arms looks sloppy. It is most defenitely possible to construct that better. The neckline is too narrow to be considered a real boat neck in my opinion. It shoukd be much wider. In generall a wide boat neck or a deeper neckline would have done wonders. Now her head gets framed by her hair and dress in a strange way. All in all a "new" look an her and I hope to see this style again.
ReplyDeleteC.
Norma here - I love this dress, colour, cut and it's sleekness is very elegant and striking. I agree with Donalyn. The Foto on the model is too perfect. And in the video, the dress is hanging free of the wrinkling in the other fotos where she is moving.
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy seeing the photos and reading the information. Is there a better one of Victoria available?
Thanks - and get well soon to you Charlotte.
What a spectacularly beautiful princess . . . and how wonderful to see that reflected in the loving and admiring way that Prince William looks at his bride. Kate is the epitome of class and grace under (unfair) pressure and I was particularly happy today to see her out and looking smashing !!
ReplyDeleteIf I had to quibble, it would be to agree with an earlier post that the inside seams of the split sleeves should have been finished better. I am not a huge fan of long trailing split sleeves, but Kate's figure and posture make everything work.
Hello there. I usually enjoy just reading the comments here, but tonight's look is so stunning I wish to comment myself. This gown is hands down my favorite gown that Catherine has ever worn. It even beats the gold shimmering Bond dress in my book! I saw a video of Catherine standing in a doorway with the breeze blowing her dress sleeves and her hair - it was so gorgeous, just an iconic image that will, I believe, be considered a classic Catherine look. She is just so regal, beautiful, poised, composed, happy, and simply a stunning woman. I love how attentive William was, that they are still in love after 20 years together is evident. I too would feel like a Princess if I had the opportunity to wear this gown. It is perfection - the color, the flow, the drape of the fabric. William looks good too. I'm happy that she wore her hair down, as it matches the flowing sleeves of her gown. Her jewelry is fabulous too, going well with the neckline. I'm glad she kept her jewelry simple as the gown certainly speaks for itself. It seems it was a fun night out for the four of them. I hope we see this gown again, but it is so perfect that I'm not sure it should ever be a re-wear. Thanks for a wonderful post.
ReplyDeleteThat video with the wind was stunning! ;) sue from IL
DeleteI am not sure why my comment didn't post so i will try again. Dear Charlotte I hope you feel better soon my friend very sorry to hear you are sick. Kate looks stunning in the evening dress and I love seeing Princess Victoria wish we could see her full evening gown. She seems like a lovely person. I know it must have been difficult for Kate to go out with her head held high after the terrible thing Piers Morgan did to her but I'm glad she did come out looking lovely with a smile
ReplyDeletePiers didn’t do anything to Catherine, he merely reported on information that had already been tweeted by the Dutch reporter. I think it was good to get it over with rather than dragging it out.
DeleteThe support Catherine and the King are receiving from the public and royal reporters is heartwarming.
Now fashion—I thought this structured gown with the peaked shoulders and floor length split sleeves was a very sophisticated look for Catherine with just the right amount of drama. The embellished neckline was striking against the sleekness of the dress and enhanced the look without taking the focus away from the design elements of the dress. I thought the earrings worn coordinated very well with the neckline.
The Princess of Wales looked every inch of a future Queen.
wishiwereinlondon
Piers Morgan didn't really do or say anything terrible. He was only the messenger repeating what the author had written.
DeleteI liked the first outfit she wore, looks very pretty. I wonder what earrings she wore? Maybe a small hoop? The gown is beautiful, I just don’t like the super square shoulders. I think it would look a bit better as a cape instead of the long sleeves but still very pretty! It does look a bit big around her waist in that one picture but maybe just how she was moving! I agree with another poster with wearing real jewelry you already have. The earrings are fun and remind me of the 80s, but when you have real why wear fake? Once I started buying real jewelry i never wore my fakes again! Except New Years when it’s something really blingy that would cost millions if it was real 😂. I do wish she had a nice lipstick color on!
ReplyDeleteHope you’re feeling much better Charlotte. Kate looked beautiful and her hair style beautiful I’m really liking the way it frames her face. The gown is very sleek and elegant and she looks stunning in it, but her smile just lights up and she looked beautiful and confident.
ReplyDeleteVictoria looks beautiful too she is a very classy lady just like her mother.
I’m sure Kate will ride out this new bit of controversy with grace, she has the support of her loving family and the public who know how hard working and caring she is to all she deals with. Sue in WA
Hope you are feeling better soon, Charlotte! Take all the time you need to get well!!
ReplyDeleteI'm really into colours at the moment - trying to find the right shades and colours that suit my skin tone, hair and eye colour etc. I do admire Catherine for always wearing the right shade of colours that suit her colouring. The green and teal are a fab example of this. I had forgotten about teal - a colour not always seen in the shops. It has inspired me to think about my wardrobe and what colours could compliment and contrast well with teal.
CP Victoria looks lovely - will go on the hunt for a close up of her evening gown. She always strikes me as a confident, strong and compassionate woman of leadership. A very inspiring role model.
The teal was lovely here. I loved Victoria's look even more. Really hard to see attacks this week, including misogynistic negativity around Kate's parenting and contributions, then the race stuff. I appreciate this blog and the "community" of readers. Feel better!
ReplyDeleteCharlotte , feel better soon. You are too kind to be creating posts while you don’t feel well. I appreciate the images of CP Victoria. As for the PoW , she looks great in teal. The shoulders could have been taken in just a bit and still carry the look. As for her JCrew earrings , I want to remind everyone that in December the Princess has worn one piece of affordable costume jewelry at one event for years. I think it’s deliberate so people can ask for those pieces as a gift.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte, I hope you are on the mend, being ill is quite miserable.
ReplyDeleteAs for Kate, I like the look, I don’t love it. I don’t like the shoulders and would have preferred it she had regular sleeves. It wasn’t her worst look but it also wasn’t her best.
I love the relationship between William & Kate and Victoria & Daniel. I would love to see W&K interact with more of the world’s royals, after all; they will all be in the same positions one day. On that note, I would love to see V&D bring Estelle & Oscar to Kate’s carol concert one of these years.
I can't say that I am surprised to see several commenters rush to Kate's defense about the "noise" created by Piers Morgan's revelations. I suppose it is only natural to defend someone who you deeply admire. However, these are serious allegations that should not be dismissed with the usual "keep calm and carry on" royal approach. All of the monarchy's subjects, and Kate fans around the world, deserve to learn the truth about this matter, whatever it is. I understand why Charlotte avoids delving into such controversial issues, but she has such deep knowledge about the royal family and the firm that I would appreciate and trust her take on something like this.
ReplyDeleteForgot to add my name to the post -- Janet
ReplyDeleteAre we allowed to talk about the comments Kate allegedly made?
ReplyDeleteAllegedly is the key word here, bluehare. The whole saga seems a bit fishy to me.. This book rides on the coats of Spare , the author doesn't strike me as particularly trustworthy and I guess he is trying to get publicity in a creative way.
DeleteMore photos of Princess Victoria here https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12811577/Crown-Princess-Victoria-Sweden-stuns-black-Toteme-gown-Prince-Daniel-join-Kate-William-Royal-Variety-Performance.html
ReplyDeleteA missed opportunity here to see that gorgeous neckline. I wish she had worn her hair half up or up completely so we could see the jeweled neckline and full cape. I like the dress and always lover her hair, but wish for this look her hair was up to some extent- even if coiffed in something that draped down her back.
ReplyDeleteWow. Such a sweet love is evident between the Prince & Princess of Wales. Priceless.
ReplyDeleteCrown Princess Victoria & Prince Daniel: polished. Regal, as always.
In terms of Kate’s gown: a beautiful concept, I agree that it looks stunning on the model, and would likely look equally divine on Kate, if posed and standing still. But from the event photos, it doesn’t seem to always move well.
Midsection —The dress looks tailored well for the model, but Kate’s hips are much narrower—so, that might explain why it looks like there is too much material in the middle section of Kate’s dress.
The sleeves: in the website model photograph — interestingly — the inside of the long sleeves (including the unsightly seam) do not show. Looks like the ends of the sleeves are stylistically brought together for the photographs. Perhaps the sleeves should have been sewn this way?
I like that Kate showcases different designers, and it motivates me to look at their websites! I like the look of some of this designers other creations, that are similar to this dress, but might move a bit better. Such as:
https://us.safiyaa.com/products/agnes-harnes-in-pale-primrose-1?pr_prod_strat=use_description&pr_rec_id=1a563ba4a&pr_rec_pid=7287951851679&pr_ref_pid=7287958569119&pr_seq=uniform
In terms of Kate’s jewelry, if it’s not real, I wonder if she chose this strategy because the neckline decoration of the dress is “not real”…. Or perhaps she is intentionally trying to say that we can ALL look divine — in costume jewelry. This definitely makes her feel more relatable!
-Vivian
Testing whether I can comment
ReplyDeleteI notice a few comments here about the current book, Piers, etc. I would prefer to avoid that topic because I am a huge fan of M&H and always stand up for them. I think it's most respectful of this wonderful blog and of Charlotte to keep away from topics that cause division.
ReplyDeleteWhy?
DeleteI had not been able to comment previously. I just love this dress! I am tired of capey dresses in general but the color and the neckline are just beautiful! It would have been nice to have Kate's hair back to enjoy the neckline fully, but her hair looked gorgeous. It seems to be darker, which looks so good on her.
ReplyDeletePiers Morgan is flame thrower by trade. He was the Mirror's editor during the phone hacking years, and he was caught boasting about it. Read the Leverson inquiry. His career is full of racism, xenophobia, misogyny, and lacks journalistic ethics. His harmful, words and actions said it all. I can’t believe the royals use people like Piers Morgan, Dan Wooten, or Jeremy Clarkson to throw shade and dirt and think that will garner public support. This type of people and the news media industry which nurture their words and deeds do the royals more harm than good. They break people and country apart. For money. For vanity.
ReplyDeleteAs to the controversies, this is part of the royals’ appeal. It is the stuff that mass media sells to the public for entertainment. It’s obviously worth it for UK news conglomerates to pay out continually to their many, many victims (for phone hacking, bribery of public officials, stalking, etc. ) to the tunes of billions over the years. The British royals live purposefully for our entertainment. It might not be their original intent, but this is what happens when you make deals with so many devils. The taxpayer supported royals continually surround themselves with offal syncophants and political hacks. Such bad judgements are no longer minor kerfuffles or a one off, but key failing features. This needs to be fix. But sadly that invisible contract is the one that binds, far thicker than blood or country.
A kingdom for a horse indeed.
I agree with you. You lie in the bed you made. And all thst needs to happen is a denial. And one is not forthcoming.
DeleteDenial of an unfounded rumor? Remember, never explain, never complain? Why should this be different, there are hundreds of books films and television series on the BRF, most of them unverified. You can't be denying every rumor.
DeleteIt's not unfounded. Piers Morgan himself outed her after she was named in a book. This one isn't just gossip.
DeleteThis dress is stunning on her-the color is magnificent and the shape to die for.
ReplyDeleteWow, what a dress. Catherine is stunning tonight!
ReplyDelete