Last night in London, Prince William and Duchess Kate made yet another outing. I can hardly believe they’ve gone this long without a vacation! I don’t want to refer to this outing as a “public event” or “public appearance” because it wasn’t really. William gave a speech at a meeting of the Thirty Club at Claridge’s. The Mail describes the Thirty Club as “some of the most powerful men and women in advertising and the media.” CoughcoughIlluminaticough. Kate was just along for the ride – “to support” William during his speech. So… even though she wasn’t the main event, she still dressed up. I would too if I was hanging out with the Illuminati.

Early reports indicate that Kate’s long-sleeved, center-slit cream gown is Roland Mouret. I really like Mouret – and I really like this dress, so I’ll buy that. I wish you could see more of the detailing on this gown in these photos, but it seems like The Mail has some of the best shots of the gown in different angles – go here to see. Should we talk about Kate’s hair? She should be wearing it up. She’s not. It’s not the length… it’s how she styles it.

Oh, but my favorite part? THE DUCHESS IS WITHOUT PANTYHOSE. OMG. You can clearly see her little toes and her righteous pedicure. Love the dark pink toenails! The shoes are Jimmy Choo – do you think Kate is trying to be more adventurous in her shoewear these days?

Anyway, here’s more about the event:

Founded in 1905 for the ‘betterment of advertising’, the Thirty Club monthly dinners are a chance for the movers and shakers of the industry to meet, discuss issues of the day and sometimes even seal deals.

The man with the keys to entry is Bartle Bogle Hegarty’s Nigel Bogle but it also attracts big media players including Michael Grade, Lord Puttnam and Stephen Carter. Rupert Murdoch is believed to have attended one dinner, although clearly in light of recent events was not present yesterday.

Their meetings feature a guest speaker – in this case Prince William who was following in the footsteps of many other senior royals who have made address including his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, his grand-father Prince Philip and aunt Princess Anne. The Duchess was accompanying him, palace sources said, for support.

A St James’s Palace spokesman said William had decided to attend in honour of the Queen’s jubilee and his own 30th birthday next month.

‘The Duke has been invited for around nine years now and thought that it was right to accept the invitation this year because of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. It also seemed rather apt as it his 30th birthday next month,’ they said. ‘Other senior members of the Royal Family also suggested that it was an interesting event to attend.’

They declined to say what issues his speech would be tackling, however, as it was ‘a private occasion’ and the engagement was not publicised in advance The Thirty Club was named after its 30 founder members – ten senior figures from the advertising industry, those who advertise and the media. Today it still has 30 full members on roughly the same line, but has expanded its number of include some associate members.

Some refer to Thirty Club members as ‘peacocks’ and their dinners as a ‘great flurry of feathers’. Apparently a great deal of meaning is written into the table plans and the further you sit away from ‘the top table’, the less influential you are considered – although clearly the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had little to worry about there.

[From The Mail]

I realize that William gets invited to all kinds of things, but when it’s an Illuminati meeting of influential press people, you would think that William would know better than to shine them on for nine years in a row. THAT is why he and Kate get so much bad press about all of their vacations. Well, that and the fact that they vacation all the time.

More pics!

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet, WENN.