There’s red carpet royalty and then there’s actual royalty, and last night the Princess of Wales proved she’s both.
Turning up on the BAFTA 2023 red carpet with Prince William, the Princess of Wales served her sleekest look yet in an asymmetrical white gown by Alexander McQueen. And it was a rewear. The princess previously sported the same gown to the BAFTAs in 2019 — though it’s been upcycled since to remove the original floral detailing and to add a longer, draped sleeve.
The highlight, though, was in her choice of accessories. Kate is a loyal glove-wearer (see: literally any public appearance she does in autumn/winter) and can usually be seen in a pair of leather gloves, but this time she opted for a long, almost-entire-arm length black opera glove, a black clutch, gold heels and huge gold drop earrings.
Where are the earrings from, you ask? Schiaparelli? Chopard? Cartier? None of the above — they’re actually Zara, and cost £17.99. Fans of Kate will already know she takes great care with her earring game, and it doesn’t always involve high end jewels. In fact, if you spot her rocking a nice pair of studs at any event, chances are they’re either high street or inherited from the Royal Family.
William, for his part, went full James Bond in a classic black velvet tuxedo designed by Tom Ford. Kate was clearly digging it, too, because she was caught giving William a little loving slap on the butt as they proceeded down the red carpet. Some are calling it a “rare miss” from the usually perfectly poised royal couple, but I’m pretty sure she was perfectly on target — and it was actually pretty cute, too.
Kate and William later met some of the award winners, including Austin Butler, Emma Mackey and Alison Hammond (I’d pay to hear how that interaction went).
While the royal couple are usually keen BAFTA attendees, this year marks the first time they have attended the event since 2020 (when Kate also wore Alexander McQueen).
William has been the president of BAFTA since 2010, and Kate first attended in 2017, wearing, you guessed it... Alexander McQueen. In fact, the only time she hasn’t worn McQueen is in 2018, when the then-pregnant Duchess of Cambridge turned up in a moss green Jenny Packham gown.
We stan a loyal (future) queen.
