King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands are getting the full red-carpet treatment during their two-day state visit to the UK. They were received at Buckingham Palace during the day on Tuesday, where Maxima greeted Queen Elizabeth with a friendly kiss on the cheek, and Liz made Willem-Alexander one of Knights of the Garter, an honor rarely bestowed on foreign monarchs. There seems to be a real, genuine warmth between the Dutch royals and the British royals – the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall also seemed very pleased to spend the day with their Dutch friends too.
As part of the state visit, Queen Elizabeth hosted Maxima and Willem-Alexander at Buckingham Palace again, this time for a state banquet. While the older Windsors had gotten a lot of face-time with the Dutch, this was the first time that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spent any time with the Dutch peeps during the trip. Kate and William were invited to the state banquet, and I have to wonder if Kate’s seat was hidden behind a large floral arrangement again. No, I jest! As it turns out, Kate had a really good reason to puff out her chest: after waitying more than seven years, it appears that Kate finally got the Royal Family Order. The RFO is the brooch/pin that she’s wearing, which all of the “wives of” usually get after a few years, especially after they’ve had a kid or two. It had been a low-key talking point on many royal blogs, the idea that the Queen was withholding the RFO from Kate until Kate did something impressive (lol her Maj still waited more than seven years!!).
As for the dress, Kate wore a custom Alexander McQueen in a pale blue taffeta. I know it looks dated and I know that the ‘80s are back in a big way. That being said… I don’t completely hate it? It’s not covered in buttons and lace and she’s trying a new silhouette. The color is lovely too. And I always enjoy seeing Kate in the Cambridge Lovers Knot tiara. Kate was really blinged out too – that necklace is gorgeous and so are the earrings. I’m assuming the Queen selected those pieces for her from the Royal Collection. Speaking of tiaras, Queen Maxima dusted off the Stuart tiara for the banquet. It’s gorgeous too. Camilla wore the Greville tiara, which once belonged to the Queen Mum.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Maxima looks amazing! Holy cow can she pull off major jewels.
Kate’s jewels are lovely and she shockingly is pulling them off. The dress, on the other hand, is atrocious. Sarah Burton has killed the McQueen brand.
Max was clearly meant to wear tiaras. She’s stunning from head to toe.
And the Stewart tiara! No ones seen that full set in years.
That tiara is stunning! I love all of the tiaras but Maxima’s is something else!
Yes she is. Wonder what that tiara weighs? My head hurts just looking at it, it’s huge!
I need a tiara to wear while doing my housework.
That center stone is a whopping 40 carats, so I imagine it’s heavy. She has lots of practice though. http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.com/2012/04/tiara-thursday-stuart-tiara.html
She wore the full parure with the earrings and the brooch to!
She’s not wearing the necklace, so it’s not the full parure. Which would be WAY too much at once.
Maxima really looks spectacular. That gown is gorgeous.
That Stuart Tiara just made my jaw drop! And the rest of her jewels…😱!! The size of those stones!!!! Her tiara put the others to shame. TQ’s, Cam’s, even Kate’s (all of whom’s tiaras I LOVE) looked like starters compared to the Stuart. Wow!!
Have to say though, it gave me a stab of satisfaction to see Princess Michael’s little, tiny tiara (compared to the others), and that barely moving plastic face…feh.
Kate did look lovely, though tired. Not a fan of the dress, but the color is gorgeous. Wish she kept about 10 lbs of the baby weight; she looks way too thin.
TQ might have been outdone in the tiara department, but she wouldn’t let herself be outdone.
She dug out the very rarely seen granny chips aka Cullinans Three and Four, each easily twice as big as the biggest Stuart.
You know TQ just can’t be outdone in anything.
I can just imagine the Queen’s Mistress of the Robes. “The Dutch are coming! Bring forth the Cullinans!”
Ophelia, thanks for pointing out Granny’s Chips! Tiara Schmiara, the center of that photo is the Cullinans on HM’s sash. I don’t think she’s worn them since the diamond jubilee.
HM wore the Granny’s Chips during The Coronation BBC interview earlier this year.
Maxima was made for tiaras, that much is true. Kate, on the there hand, should have a different tiara. She married Diana’s boy, and she wears Diana’s ring (with all its bad memories), and now she wears her tiara too. It’s too much.
I agree since I don’t like this particular tiara, but to be fair, it was not really Diana’s tiara
Annie.
Not, not Diana’s personal property, but a tiara she wore often and is closely associated with her memory. If two royal weddings this year have taught us anything, it’s the Royal vault has tiaras that have been tucked away for 75 years, just waiting to be brought out.
This seems a tad silly, tallying up Diana’s boy and Diana’s ring! Anyone William married would start with those (I’m assuming William wanted that ring for whomever he wed.) So by your rationale, Kate shouldn’t ever wear any of the jewels Diana had?? Hardly think wearing family jewels means she’s copying Diana.
That is literally how things work when you pass something down from generation to generation.
Nikki – It wasn’t a given that Williams wife would get that ring. Harry chose Diana’s ring from her possessions after her death, William chose her watch.
As another said, Diana’s ring was Harry’s inheritance. William had to go out of his way to use this particular ring, the symbol of a very unhappy union at that. I don’t buy into a lot of the Diana cosplay theories but IMO, the ring and the tiara is a step too far.
Heh, Kate’s wearing the family jewels.
…
I’m sorry. I’ll see myself out.
Slow clap 👏 Natalie. Slow clap.
@Notafakesugar. You’re absolutely right. Only the heir’s wife should wear his jewels.
Agreed. Queen Maxima looks absolutely amazing.
I love the Tiaras, the jewels all of them and nice to see Kate has the RFO.
Kate’s dress is a wrinkly, wrapped mess. I hate Sarah Burton’s work as head of McQueen . I find her work to be a lot of plain things or terrible update knockoffs of former designers.
This may be a nod to Diana’s , Travolta dance dress at the White House or some other Diana dress, but in this fabric it just looks a mess.
I love Maxima , she could wear anything and make it dazzling.
All the lady’s jewels look great. I love Royal pageantry.
P.S. how much was Kate’s dress?
Max does look amazing. I don’t always like her ballgowns, but this one is gorgeous . Camilla too, in a repeat dress from Opening of Parliament a few years ago.
Kate’s dress is bad 80s. Crumbled powder blue, way way way dropped v-waist.
Gad, Cam’s stylist smashes it out again.
The dress has the same silhouette as many of Diana’s from back in the day. Didn’t like it then, don’t like it now. But, Kate looks lovely with the spectacular jewelry. And that Stuart tiara on Max, wow!👀
I think that Kate’s collier makes her chest look bony. And I don’t think she is pulling it off. The dress somehow doesn’t work on kate. I am not sure why. Too long perhaps? Or the bottom third of her dress is too “massive” somehow.
Diana wore these fishtail gowns a lot and she managed to pull them off. The difference between Diana and Kate is that Kate is skeletal thing with no derriere and that lack of a posterior makes a fishtail gown boring.
Honestly, I love everything from the breasts upwards. I love the neckline of the dress, all the bling including that beautiful tiara and the hairdo too. Everything from the breasts downwards is 1980’s tragic but somehow she pulls it off.
Also, she has apparently had the Royal Family Order since December 2017 and its made of glass rather than ivory. If true, I like that she has had it for almost a year and let the haters get their knickers in a twist thinking that she still hadn’t received it lol. 🙂
I just had a thought. Kate likely got her order after Harry and Meghan were engaged. I feel like the timing is a bit suspicious.
That’s what I thought too. Also, she can’t give Meghan one before Kate gets one, so she had to give Kate one now. Could you imagine the howling if Meghan got one first?
Yeah I agree. It will be interesting to see how quickly Meghan gets one now.
She got the order in Decemebr, according to Majesty magazine
If she had had it at the diplomatic reception, it would have been commented on by attendees. Unlikely it would have gone unnoticed by Kate fans. Likely reason is as Lady D writes, she couldn’t give one to Meghan before Kate. It isn’t going to take Meghan 7 years to get hers.
Sometimes HM times these things for PR, let’s face it. Camilla’s was awarded during Jubilee year. William was made a member of the Garter because #1000 was up and it seemed like good PR to make William #1000.
I already said this before HM got married. Meghan would not get an order before Kate, that would be a pr disaster, even if Meghan pumped up her numbers and she’s more savvy at royalling. I mean if you think about it, Kate has toed the line most of the time and she birthed 3 kids, give and take a few flashes. Other than that she’s ok I guess.
I agree with this. Meghan was meeting with the Grenfell survivors early on so the Queen could see that she was actually going to hit the ground running so she needed to get this out of the way. Diana got hers within a year of getting married so the Queen didn’t always base it on work. It’s too bad Sophie had to wait so long since even when she was part time she was pulling off more work than Kate ever has.
Alexandria – I agree that Meghan getting the RFO before Kate was out of the question. TQ is all about appearances and the heir’s wife not having one when the spare’s wife did would simply not happen given the timings of the weddings. However, that doesn’t mean that Meghan won’t get hers earlier into marriage – I doubt we’ll still be waiting for her to get it in seven years time, to be honest.
I think just before Louis was born and Meghan came on the scene waity finally got off her jacksee and put some time in on the job. Maybe it’s that effort that was finally recognised. …. now back to sitting on her bum again.
I really hate the dress. It’s like all the worst of the 80s
Me too. It looks like one of those curtains in old fashioned hotel restaurants. Just no.
The jewelry is fabulous.
Not only that but it looks like slept in it for the last week or two and then decided to wear it in public for this occasion. I hate taffeta ruching. It just looks like a wrinkled mess to me. Fail! Kate always looks like she’s playing dress up because she has no gravitas, I guess.
Maxima, on the other hand, looks gorgeous. She carries that tiara with style considering it must weigh a ton and I love her gown.
Yeah, it’s pretty disappointing. I like the silhouette (though I HATE dropped waists. I think they just make everyone look dumpy!) and the color, the neckline is glorious. The ruching, the wrinkles, though, my lord!
It’s HORRIBLE. It looks like a discount rack prom dress. Easily the worst she’s worn.
No, it’s really not the worst of the 80’s, haha!
The more I look at it, the more I see Burton stole another bad trend. It looks like the crumpled fabric from the silver dress Crown Princess Victoria wore last year. Of all the trends to steal, why steal wrinkled satin?
Agree 100%
Hideous dress. Someone on Twitter summed it up as “part mummy, part mermaid”. The style did her no favours at all.
Yeah, just a bit too long to be a dropped waist, yet it’s not quite mermaid. But it’s a lovely color.
I give Kate so much credit for trying something new. It’s not her typical Packham-esque look (the high neck and fuller skirt, even though not all of those styles that she wears are Packham), and it fits her like a glove, and my goodness she has a fantastic figure for 3 kids (hell just in general.) And that shade of blue is lovely on her.
but…..its a total 80s prom dress. When I just saw the top of it, I really liked it, and then I saw the bottom and I thought “omg the 80s are REALLY back.” It just kills the whole look for me.
That said – I am in love with that necklace and it looks SO MUCH BETTER with the tiara and earrings than the monstrosity that was her Spanish state dinner dress last year.
I found the Royal family order fascinating because apparently she had it last year at the diplomatic reception but nothing was ever said (I know its not announced when people get it, but I still cant believe nothing leaked about it.) I still think its funny she made Kate wait so long. Apparently Camilla got it in 2007, and isn’t that when they got married? so she got it almost immediately.
Diana got it on the same year of her marriage, Camila two years after her wedding, Sophie 5 years after hers, and Fergie never got it lol.
Considering that William only went “full-time” in 2017, leaving his job as a pilot or whatever it was he was doing, it was given fairly quickly.
What interests me the most, is that even though people insist with the theory that HM dislikes Kate, she has given quite a lot of important jewels loans. And not terrible ones, but big and historical pieces: 3 tiaras, 5 necklaces, 3 bracelets, 3 brooches and 5 pair of earrings. Nothing to scoff at, especially considering the atrocities Sophie gets, even though she is supposed to be TQ’s favorite
Sophie got hers 5 years into marriage, but 2 years after becoming a working royal. William and Kate have been designated working royals the whole time.
Sophie had to wait because she kept her job, iirc. Kate, as someone who has never worked, doesn’t have that excuse. The Queen made her wait an age for this, and tbh, probably should have kept her waiting.
I think the Queen lends the Kate such significant jewels because she’s the future queen. I don’t think she hates her, but I don’t read anything into the loan of the jewels because I think the Queen knows that Kate needs to look the part.
Poor Sophie on the other hand. Her tiara! lol
Sophie now has at least three tiaras at her disposal (godawful wedding tiara, Wessex aquamarine necklace tiara, and the Five Aquamarine. The really good stuff isn’t really trickling her way because she’s further down the line and her events go unnoticed a lot of the time. IMO The Queen shares the good stuff with Kate on occasion because of her place in the family and the press she gets, not because of some undying affection.
I never bought into the Queen either disliking or disapproving of Kate. I don’t know about the rest of the jewelry, but I think the Queen lending Kate her wedding bracelet shows she that Kate is in her good graces.
I do think that the Queen has some kind of criteria for awarding the RFO and that criteria must have been met by Kate at some point between July and December 2017.
I heard from an insider that the Queen loves Kate. But that may just have been a throwaway comment. What is without doubt is that the Queen adores Harry.
I bet Meghan will get her Order before the end of 2019.
Princess K
I’m not certain she will get it this year or next, but maybe. Meghan did undertake an extensive, international tour on behalf of HM while pregnant. I certainly do not think we will still be looking for Meghan to have the order 7 years on.
If Meghan keeps up this pace I bet she will get in 2019. Maybe she will debut it at the 2019 diplomatic reception (I know Harry doesn’t always attend but I bet he will now with Meghan.)
I wonder if the order is the reason for Kate’s newfound work ethic that we all commented on in early 2018. We all assumed it was Meghan but maybe it was motivational for her.
Sophie’s up to 5 tiaras and has also been loaned significant pieces from HM. When Edward and Sophie married, many tiaras were still in the possession of the Queen Mum. QEII didn’t have control of them, nor was she going to grab them from her mother. Those weren’t freed up until after 2002, which is why we’ve started to see some long-ago sparklers now (Meghan and Eugenie’s wedding tiaras).
The X-Factor is also the fact that the Queen herself has pretty bad taste in jewelry. If you see anything that she herself had designed, they’re terrible and clunky. The GOOD stuff belonged to the Queen Mother, and we have no idea what all is in the vaults. So it’s hard to compare Sophie’s items, because they were lent when there was no access to a lot of pieces, and by someone with a tin eye. But she has been lent better stuff from the QM’s collection.
Diana and Camilla were/are married to the Prince of Wales. The reason it was given so soon to both. This is all protocol. As for Catherine, she looked great. The girl has has tremendous pressure on her & has rarely put a wrong foot forward
HM decides when to give what, it isn’t protocol. She gave the Order to Katherine of York, Princess Alexandra, and Duchess of Gloucester straight out of the gate. They didn’t wait 2 years much less 7.
Kate is a 36 year old woman, stop infantilizing her and making excuses as if she was a child. She has put many feet wrong for 15 years. But the less she works, the fewer on-the-job mistakes she makes. That’s one thing anyway.
Between what HM and Edward “designed” for Sophie, wedding tiara and terrible wedding jewelry, she really had the worst for a couple of years. Prince Philip is a talented jewelry designer though.
@nota yes her wedding tiara is what I always think of when I think of Sophie and jewels. That was….not a great tiara. (I mean if someone offered it to me I would take it, but still….)
Made out of pieces from one of Queen Victoria’s circlets, but not what you’d call an attractive tiara. They should have made it smaller with just the three pointed elements and angled them backwards not out like ears. The one rounded element (currently stacked under a pointed element) should have been made into a brooch to hold sashes in place. It would have been a shorter tiara but not quite as bad.
I do wonder what will happen with a lot of the tiaras and other jewels once she passes. Not all of it belongs to the Crown and some of them are personal inheritances. I bet Anne and Zara are going to get a fair bit. She may even give things to Sophie as well.
Most belong to the crown, because the Queen wants them to stay in the family. Tiaras that are handed down as personal property frequently end up sold at auction (inheritance taxes are pretty crazy). It’s why the Queen gives lifetime loans instead of outright gifts. There will be a bequeath of some personal jewelry (I’m waiting for Sophie to be outright given a tiara so their family will have one to be passed down), but the ‘important’ stuff will stay property of the Crown.
A pile of those, like the Meghan and Eugenie wedding tiaras, are personal property from the Greville inheritance. Queen Mary used to give jewelry away as bridal gifts, which is why the Gloucesters ended up with something like 6 tiaras as personal property.
(meant Duchess of Kent not York above).
I see a thin figure not a fantastic one. She looks drawn, tired and older than her years. I don’t see light behind her eyes. Not sure what the issue is.
I know they have three kids, but I don’t see much joy or happiness communicated between them on tense Royal outings, but maybe they hide it.
William always looks tense to me or bothered and Kate looks as if she has to constantly be aware of his moods.
But somethings working between them, even though he looks irritated a lot, they have three kids. But I just don’t see joy between them. Jmo.
But maybe they are more hidden with their emotions. Still IMO William seems temperamental and Kate seems like she has to always placate his moods.
Three small children and enormous pressure to look perfect on the world stage may have a part in her tiny frame. I know it would influence me.
Three nannies, two housekeepers, a personal trainer, multiple personal assistants, and doesn’t even work 10 hpw either during or after pregnancies. I think that eases her oh so terrible burden a bit, no?
Kate is the one who chose to make it about her looks and her clothes by not working hard the first 7 years of this marriage. She is also to one who chose to pursue this man for 10 years. She and her family have what they wanted, now do they want what they have? Yes, they do.
She seems to have lost that healthy glow she had during the summer. I thought she looked strained last night. She pursued this lifestyle for years and it doesn’t seem to make her happy. A good example of “be careful what you wish for”.
That necklace is Queen Alexandra’s, wife of Edward VII, wedding necklace. It’s an old and stunning piece, an looks lovely on Kate.
I’m not sure I’m feeling this cape fad on dresses, like the one on Queen Maxima. Seems kind of gimmicky.
That necklace is a huge statement. It was the QM’s favorite, and it had not been worn since her death. And it’s gorgeous, and it goes well with the CLK and those earrings Kate is wearing.
As for the Family Order, she’s had it since last year according to Royal journalists, that said she wore it to the last diplomatic reception in December. What is a nice touch is that it is made of glass instead of ivory, considering how the fight against the use of ivory is one of William’s causes. Hopefully in the future all orders will be made on glass.
As for the dress, I like it up until the waist. I don’t like the bottom part, but the jewels are so good and she carries them so well that I will pretend that I have only seen the pictures that don’t show the full length of the dress
Wasn’t it just last year, moving to London full time to become FULL TIME Royals? Or is my timeline ferkackt? I think Kate got the RFO after making the commitment to being FT, even though she was going to be taking maternity after Louis’ birth. Maybe not. Who knows. But now, she gets to pin a hole in the left side of every “occasion” dress she wears!
That’s tabloid and fan fiction. The reason they weren’t working more is because they were refusing to do more. They’re still doing less than the bare minimum.
What was Kate doing for years if she wasn’t a full time royal? That is something that is never fully explained. And please don’t say she was “raising children” because she didn’t have George until she was married two years, and even then they had nannies, housekeeper, etc. William at least worked, albeit part time, but really, what was Kate doing? Its the kind of thing where if I start actually thinking about it, I cant figure it out.
What she does now. Working out, shopping, tanning, going on vacation. Living the life of a WAG.
NOTA, I love that you call it. Kate is a total WAG.
@Annie. ITA. First, I think Kate looked lovely, regal, and very confident. I read she got the Order last December but I can’t remember where. ITA on the dress, I think the shoulder detail was beautiful, very feminine and I love the color, and don’t mind the ruching, and her waist is incredibly tiny and this shows it off.
But I have never liked mermaid bottoms, the only women who should wear one are the ghosts of Marilyn Monroe and Ava Gardner :). I hated the way mermaid bottoms looked on Diana, too. So for me the dress was, as you said, a mixed bag from waist to shoulder, and then at the bottom.
I do love slate blue-gray though, which is how this looks on my computer.
The necklace is absolutely stunning and perfect with the dress.
Could Kate be looking so frail compared to what she looked over the summer, because she is back doing royal duties again and she hates it?
Regarding the necklace, I have a photo on pinterest of the Queen wearing the same or a very similar necklace when she must have been in the first part of her 20s. She may not even have been Queen. She is wearing a green sash with two family orders and two more decorations/brooches, two bracelets, huge chandelier earrings and a small tiara, as well as the necklace. Her dress is silvery/golden. Does anyone else know the photo? Queen Mary also bought/was given a lot of the royal jewellery.
NOTASUGARHERE – Not doubting you, but would love more info about the other two Cambridge nannies. Doubt if they could get by with just the one now.
Kate’s dress has a perfect fit but its like we stumbled into 2004! What IS that thing?! The smooshed flower, the taffetta ruching. Sarah Burton, WTF did you do?! In what planet did Kate see this and say “Put it on my body!” Aside from the fit its actually hideous and probably the worst thing she has ever worn.
More like we stumbled into 1989 without an iron.
But love the jewels on her. Dress is Frock horror.
Agree. Jewels are gorgeous, dress is shockingly hideous. It’s hard to understand how she would ever agree to wear that. I’d take one look in the mirror and say holy crap no I’m buying something off the rack. I do think, for me, this is the worst, or among the worst, dress she has ever worn. She wears a lot of boring, matronly crap that I hate but is not objectively awful. This is terrible.
Love the jewels, hate the dress. That material is terrible, although the colour’s nice. What has happened to McQueen?!
It took a very long time for her to get the Order. It was starting to get embarrassing.
She’s looking very thin though.
I think she got too thin too fast after Louis and it’s showing in her face.
I think you’re right. She’s dropped a lot of weight very quickly for the third time and that takes its toll. I was hoping she’d keep a few pounds on this time, the slight softness really suits.
She dropped the pregnancy weight very fast, and you’re right, it’s showing in her face. Her posture doesn’t help matters. She needs to know her angles, she looks in pictures too thin, tired and hard. And probably doesn’t look that way in real life. The camera is just not capturing her.
I think Kate really prefers are very skinny figure for herself – as much as I like her with a few extra pounds, it’s her body, her choice and Im trying to respect that and not snark !
I think you’re right, she prefers a very slim figure, but I really liked her with some softness, too.
Burton is what happened to McQueen, which is why it is McBurton now and doesn’t deserve the McQueen name.
Lee McQueen was an artist and an original . Those are hard to replace. I also think that we have to differentiate between custom jobs for someone who isn’t particularly fashion forward (Kate) and what is shown on the runway. Though I do agree that in general Sarah Burton hasn’t been great for the artistic profile of the brand.
However, Lee McQueen was an artist of original vision plus a highly theatrical bent and those are few and far between. I’d say that Guo Pei can be seen as his successor since her couture is highly imaginative, experimental and with the same kind of theatrical bent.
That dress reminds me of some of the dresses I had for my Jem Dolls back in the 80s. It’s the worst version of multiple 80s trends put together.
ArtHistorian! ArtHistorian! Now I need to run off and investigate Guo Pei designs.
Kate’s evening gown reminds me of some of Marie bad ones, because she’s also too fond of this 80s dropped waist design.
Ah! It’s so nice to see you guys again! Have any of you heard from KMR?
https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2018-couture/guo-pei
I hate Kate’s dress. The 80s prom vibe is spot on.
However, I think Camilla looks amazing.
Yes, Camilla does look great.
I was just thinking, Camilla really does get better with age. She looks great.
Queen Maxima looks absolutely magnificent. And it seems she is aging without too much tweaking. Beautiful and confident.
I like Kate’s dress. It looks age appropriate and the silouete is nice. She looks good. Queen Maxima looks on point.
I forgot to say that I’d wished the dress’ hem was not that long.
Yeah, I know I’m in the minority here, but I love everything about her outfit. She looked gorgeous – and happy!
It’s nice seeing the royal women in tiaras once in a while.
If they have them, why not wear them for glamourous, regal events.
Duchess Meghan really OWNED IT in hers on her wedding day.
All look lovely. Seriously, how tall is Maxima?
I wondered, too! She’s 5’8″; in those heels, she was over 6′. Her Maj (who is 5’3″) was dwarfed standing next to her! 😊
The DailyMail as usual trying to put every Royal woman beneath Kate.
I’ve seen Kate in person and Kate is the one who is 5’8″ .
Maxima is at least 5’11” I’ve seen her in person too.
Look at the old photo of Kate with Nicole Kidman who is at least 5’10”. In photos Kate is much shorter standing next to Nicole and Kate had on huge heels.
Kate isn’t 5’8″ more like 5’5″ or 5’6″. Look at her next to Michelle Obama or Mathilde of Belgium, women who do not slouch.
I remember the nicole kidman and waity photo. NIcole was in 2 inch kitten heels and waity was in her uze 4 inch heels. Nicole still towered over her.
Kate’s dress is a bit much, but she still looks great imo.
I never realised until just now how badly I need a tiara.
I know. I would just wear it around my house to clean. (these women aren’t cleaning, but if I had a tiara I would have to do my own cleaning, lol.)
Right??
Here in the US, tiaras are not appropriate – much to my regret! I want a tiara! A real, big diamondy tiara! I would wear it to Target.
Who says they aren’t appropriate. Lol I have a French family heirloom tiara from a great great family member and I have worn it, proudly. Lol
It’s not a written rule, but usually not done because of notions of equality. If you like it though, wear it!
@Jo – Yes, I can see myself on the #1 train down the west side of Manhattan in one 🙂
🙂
Whoa this is the first time I’ve flat out loved Kate’s entire ensemble. This is a really great look.
Everybody looks good here! Is Maxima even real?
I’m glad Kate finally got the RFO.
I hate hate hate that dress though! I can’t believe that’s actually McQueen. Sarah Burton has driven that brand to the ground (in terms of design)
Máxima looks so regal I can’t handle it.
Maxima’s surely must be a crown not a tiara, it’s epic! I love it!
Me, once again: Stand up straight, shoulders back.
I’m here to say I don’t really like Kate’s dress. But imagine if it were navy…
Yes, a darker colour would have worked better but I think the dress needs a fuller figure.
Maxima looks fantastic! I don’t always like what she wears, but I admire her sartorial flair for the dramatic.
I’ve seen some people argue that the order’s ivory material and Will’s anti-ivory campaign played a significant role in the delay. It frankly sounds like BS, because how much trouble would it be to create and give a glass one much sooner? None at all, especially considering Kate’s the wife of the future king.
Yeah, it doesn’t take 7 years to paint a little portrait on a bit of glass. It’s nice that it’s not ivory, but that’s not the reason for the delay.
And would William really have refused the Queen if she wanted to give it to his wife 4 years ago?
IMO William would have had an issue if ivory was a material used in the order whether it was four years ago or today, but the order being painted on glass may have debunked the ivory argument. Since Kate’s engagement numbers have been among the lowest since she married into the BRF, I don’t think that there has been a delay in her getting the RFO.
The “no ivory because of his campaign” spin has been going in Kate’s fandom for 7 years. Doesn’t take that long to solve the issue, if ivory was the issue instead of laziness.
I’m not ashamed to say that I actually like the dress Kate wore simply because it’s different for her. I think her necklace is amazing and I adore that French blue color of the gown.
And of course, Maxima looks amazing, as always. If any royal out there can rock a big gun tiara as good as Camilla, it’s Maxima. I would love to see more coverage about her here.
While I like the color and most of the ruching, I can’t say that I am a fan of the dress. What I do like is that it looked like Kate gave some thought to “the package” she was presenting – which I don’t think she always does, and in this case, the dress is IMO a good backdrop for the jewels.
I like the dress too. It’s very dramatic and different for her. It’s a dress that you’ll see on a mannequin at a V&A exhibit years from now.
I wonder how old all of the people are that are commenting on her looking older than her years? I’m in my 50’s and she looks like a normal 36 year old woman to me.
Hate the dress, and truly feel like her style is regressing. And yes, I believe this whole look includes a lot of shade being thrown Meghan’s way. I mean, of all nights, she chooses this one to wear Diana’s tiara? Mmmmm hmmmm.
The Kate Stans are coming out in full force too. I read gomi, and there was a thread started for Meghan that gets little attention, but today it’s buzzing and the comments all about about how wonderful Kate is and Meghan is thirsty.
Kate has been wearing the Lover’s Knot Tiara since 2015 and IMO would have gotten more attention had she worn a different tiara.
The Cambridge Lover’s Knot is Kate’s most substantial loaner and I think it must be a favorite – I’m pretty sure it’s the only tiara she’s worn since she got it back in 2016. I don’t think any shade is intended.
This is not the first time Kate has worn the Lovers Knot tiara. In fact, she’s worn it several times. It was not a shock to see and I don’t believe it had anything to do with shade.
We have only seen her wear this tiara and the Lotus tiara since she got married. I think she must prefer this one, although it seems to me that the Lotus tiara would be more comfortable for a long night.
I LOVE the Lotus flower tiara and I think Kate actually looks better in that one.
This was not a Lotus event (though I actually prefer it too). When Queen Maxima comes, you bring out the big stuff, because she’ll be wearing something major.
What’s funny is, Diana hated that tiara. Hated it. The swinging pearls gave her a migraine, that’s why she borrowed the Spencer tiara so often.
@Busyann – Kate has worn this tiara on several occasions, it is specifically on loan from the Queen for major state occasions exactly like this, she is the wife of the next Heir to the Throne, are you suggesting that because Harry got married she shouldn’t be wearing it?!
Oops, you guys are right about the tiara. She has worn it before. I quickly looked at a Daily Mail article and didnt look at the actually tiara before commenting so I didnt recognize it by name. When I saw it, I recognized it.
If you’re criticizing Kate for wearing the Lover’s Knot, then you don’t know much about tiaras in the first place. The Cambridge tiara is Kate’s most substantial piece, and everyone brought out their big stuff (the Queen is also wearing the Cuillinan diamonds) because the Dutch have access to MAJOR pieces and there was no question that Maxima was going to bring out the big guns. I would wager that they had a hunch that Maxima was going to wear the Stuart tiara, considering its connection to England. Basic tiara diplomacy: you don’t want to be caught wearing something small when the other party brings out the major jewels.
Considering it’s the Cambridge tiara, we should expect to see this on Kate’s head for MANY YEARS TO COME. Personally I couldn’t care less. Maxima was the star of the show last night and I loved that.
Kate: discharge McBurton. She did you no favors with this dress and quite frankly recent debut dresses have not been all that interesting. Get a stylist and find some new looks.
I actually like the dress. It’s a modern take on the 80s, not peak 80s. I also think the silhouette and the color are gorgeous with the jewels. It’s nice to see Kate try something out of her comfort zone.
I agree with you. I don’t think you can wear that parure or demi-parure in this case (hope I’m using that right) with just any old formal dress. The dress and jewels go really well together.
I like the dress a lot too, and I think she looks stunning. TLo gave her a WERK.
That necklace is SPECTACULAR!!!!
@Eleanor – Yes – it’s really mesmerizing, it so reeks of history and another era. I think the Queen giving Kate this to wear along with the family Order rather than the more (cough cough) “ordinary” strands of mega diamonds that have no historical connection, is some kind of message.
It’s amazing – and the neckline and hairstyle are perfect to display it to full advantage. I must say she’s getting better at pulling off the major bling.
Now this was something to look at! How is it that Maxima is able to wear those big guns seemingly completely effortlessly?! This tiara must weigh a ton! I am just so very happy to get proper pics of the Stuart , but it would have been even better to see this enourmous bling in motion 🙂
Kate looks good, too. She is wearing some major bling and pulls it off, and the 80s dress helps, although I guess Lee would probably turn in his grave if he saw this dress bearing his name… I don’t know if it is Kate’s hair, or the CLK being worn slightly differently (?) but somehow it looks better on her now than it did earlier. The CLK looks surprisingly delicate I think; it often looks a little bit heavy and quite wide.
I think ALL the other tiaras look “delicate” compared to the Stuart! lol. Seriously, I used to think TQ’s and Cam’s were huge…but next to Max’s… dwarfed! That thing is BIG! And sooooo gorgeous!
So true 😀
Maxima is a Royal Magpie of the Order of Queen Mary of Teck. She loves her bling and carries it off effortlessly.
@notasugarhere – No kidding. And I think she is over 5’10” so if anyone can carry them, she can. Queen Beatrix has a jewel collection to rival that of QEIIs, and I have always heard that the House of Orange is one of the richest in the world (Dutch Petroleum was once Royal Dutch Petroleum), and she has always been pretty generous about loaning stuff to her daughters in law, even before Maxima became Queen.
Is it just me, though, or did Charles look slumped, not too healthy, and almost depressed at this event?
Actually, Queen Beatrix didn’t own most of her jewels and didn’t loan them. Most of the Dutch pieces belong to the family Foundation (it’s a way of keeping historical pieces in the family rather than having them be personal property and potentially being sold). So Maxima and other Dutch royals were simply borrowing pieces from the foundation, and Maxima was creative and loved exploring what was available. However, there are some pieces that are reserved only for the Queen – the Dutch sapphire tiara, and of course the Stuart tiara.
LOL 😀 Where would we be without Queen Mary, the great roayl magpie of all times! If you ask me, the royals are there for this (i.e. serious bling, beautiful weddings, great horses and dream-like carriages), and I am very glad Maxima certainly seems to understand this
W-A has given her significant private pieces as well starting with the giant orange diamond engagement ring. She has a suite of Cartier tutti fruitti jewels (40th birthday gift?) and huge rings for each of their daughter’s births. Mabel also wore sapphires from the royal collection at this banquet.
But Magpie Max wears $10 woven cotton bracelets from Pura Vida which help raise funds for charity too. I like it when she wears those, like Madeleine, Queen Silvia, Chris O’Neil, and Victoria wearing the plastic bead bracelets for the World Childhood Foundation with their evening wear.
Maxima looks great – the dress is amazing (no on the sheer cape though – and I generally love capes)
I don’t like the Stuart Tiara, especially in the full setting because it is a rather clumsy design – and frankly it doesn’t show off the spectacular Stuart Diamond to its best advantage, which would be as a pendant on a necklace or as a pendant brooch.
BTW, I recently got to several of the Danish royal tiaras in person – and it was magnificent!
The major historical pieces and most (if not all) the tiaras are in the Foundation. The Swedes have a similar setup as well.
ArtHistorian lucky you for getting to an exhibit of those in person. I went to the Cartier one and it was amazing. Is Marie’s new tiara disappointing in person? It reminds me too much of her diamond floral one, but is less attractive to me than the historic one.
That dress is hideous. She looks very thin. Which I guess is her thing. I am usually a big fan of Kates style…I even love the buttons…but this is just a big fail. Yesterday when we were talking about Harry’s kids having a normal life. Maybe he does not want them to attend these kind of dinners. Honestly, It looks very un fun. They probably don’t enjoy it. Like, it looks of another time and silly to show up to dinner in a Tiara. The Queen looks amazing though.
It’s not about enjoyment. It’s work, and they’re representing their country.
Yes, and it is a job that Harry’s kids won’t have to deal with. They will live a life of privlage under the radar.
Because why on earth would someone willingly want the job of representing their country?
I’m thankful that bc of the new Royal Order brooch most of the pictures are centered on her upper body so maybe over time we’ll forget the lower part of the dress.
The Queen looks so tiny next to the Dutch monarchs!
Oh my gosh, that necklace is so beautiful. But the dress looks like a wrinkled mess.
Maxima totally wins the tiara war.
Um, I like the top half of the dress. The jewels are gorgeous! Wonder why she didn’t wear a sash like the others.
Because she doesn’t have the Royal Victorian Order. Those sashes are awarded for working, either given by your own monarch or from others when you participate in events with them. Harry has one from the Spanish royal couple because he was given it during their State Visit last year when he did an engagement with them. Kate and William did nothing with them during that visit, so they received none.
@lobbit – I thought the sashes were the ones of the guests, the royal Dutch family’s sashes, which are worn out of courtesy to the guests. I also thought only the wives of direct heirs could wear the guest’s sashes. I’m confused – those blue and orange sashes on Camilla and the Queen aren’t the Dutch family’s colours? Or are we talking about a different sash than the guests’ that Kate would have worn? Confused here.
yes they are the dutch royal sashes
Yep. From the waist up Kate looks great…from the waist down, it’s a no for me.
Yeah, Sarah Burton needs to go. Also, Kate, wear clothes that look great, not labels.
I read that the Dress cost 10K. They seriously took her money for that. It looks terrible and I’m sure she makes so much noise when she moves. The material looks stiff and loud.
Also, notice the necklace is missing a pearl. Kate always manages to make Tiara’s look so cheap. They wash her out.
I hope everyone who screams about the cost of Meghan’s clothes is upset over that price tag as well….
If Meghan wears something for 10k that looks like something even Molly Ringwald would not have touched in the 80’s, I hope so.
Richard Palmer and even the Daily Mail who screamed to the high print heaven about Meghans dress cost,are not saying a word.
Hypocrites.
Meh. I don’t care that Meghan spends a ton of money on her clothes. Goes with the territory for both of them, as far as I am concerned. But I do think it’s comparing apples and oranges. One can’t wear bargain clothing to a state dinner/tiara event. When Meghan attends one, I would expect that she’ll be wearing her “go to” bespoke Givenchy. I would hope no one would complain about it either.
I mean, according to her fans Meghan’s numerous custom-made Givenchy outfits don’t cost thousands of pounds each to buy because she gets huge discounts!. As a fellow Duchess, I’m sure Kate could also get huge discounts too. If the royals are able to accept huge discounts rather than having to pay full price for clothes then i’m pretty certain Charles and The Duchy of Cornwall would take advantage of that.
Just because the £10,000 number is floating around the internet doesn’t mean that is how much the dress cost.
Congratz to Kate on the royal order. Now she gets to wear a napkin on all her gowns. I think she looks beautiful and so does Camilla.
ps. I clicked on the link about Kate behind the flower arrangement. Is Camilla wearing the same dress as the…Spanish banquet? Chinese banquet?
Chinese. Repeat from State Opening of Parliament from 2015.
That dress is atrocious! But the jewels are amazing! Maxima’s crown is fantastic! Actually her whole look is really good!
Maxima is simply stunning!
Kate finally got her royal order. =D
I think Kate looks like the animated Anastasia! And I say that with all the kindness in the world — she looks beautiful.
Maxima looks amazing…who else could pull off that tiara. She is just a beautiful lady. Poor Kate, that dress is just not good, except for the color. The color is very pretty and the jewels are amazing.
Wow now some of you guys can’t say The Queen hates Kate when The Queen has given Kate the royal order and loaned her magnificent jewels.
The Queen has to lend Kate magnificent jewels to counter the Dutch. But no matter, The Dutch still won the jewels hands down.
Maxima wins most jewel duels. The Swedes have one tiara, the Braganza Tiara, that counters the Stuart. Luxembourg has a giant one too, the Empire Tiara, that looks like a pain to wear. The Grand Duchess wore it to Crown Princess Victoria’s wedding.
Those ‘some’ are weird. I’ve never thought the Queen hated Kate. It’s really not unusual that she lends Kate good jewels. She is a future Queen (consort?). It is what it is.
Does anyone honestly think she hates Kate? I’m sure there’s very few people who actually believe that. Personally I do think that the Queen has probably been frustrated with her aversion to work. Same with Will, though he seems to be stepping it up. Kate hardly worked pre-marriage and to this day she still doesnt do much. If I were the Queen, I’d be concerned and annoyed, considering that this is the future of the monarchy.
This is exactly what I think. Kate seems like a nice enough person, and she seems to be very good at “going along to get along” or whatever the saying is, so I am sure she is pleasant and gracious around QEII. I doubt the queen actively hates her (or passively hates her, lol.) I bet the Queen’s assessment is that she is a nice woman, a good mother, a good wife, but it would be nice if she worked more. Words like annoyed, concerned and frustrated are probably good words to describe it.
At least that’s what the Queen told me when we last texted. (sorry, sometimes I read the things I am typing and its like….I don’t “actually” know these people, LOL.)
I doubt the Queen hates her. She might be incredibly frustrated with Kate’s laziness, as has been the case most of the years Kate has been attached to William. HM is too old and too much of an ostrich to actively do anything about these two. It is Charlie’s problem.
That dress is atrocious! I hate it!
That dress is beyond hideous. Her weight loss ages her terribly. She looked so much better when she was pregnant.
Kate’s gown was a hideous mess. To me, the dress cheapened the look of her jewelry!
The Queens looked amazing and so did the Duchess of Cornwall.
I’m glad Kate tried something new, and I actually think the dress photographed well (with those jewels!) from the waist up, but I do think the whole thing would have been a lot more successful if it was a different fabric.
OMG! That’s my prom dress from 1989! Mine was royal blue. She’s representing! Whooo-hoo! I’m showing my age here!
This dress is horrid! It looks like she just climbed out of a tent after camping for a week. I also think the color looks faded and makes Kate looked washed out.
Princess Mabel of The Netherlands was also there, in a terrible floral dress with ruffled bands. But still, Mabel sighting and wearing gorgeous sapphires! She lives in London with her daughters, so I shouldn’t be surprised to see her invited to this event.
A previous poster said Sarah Burton must go. I agree. She has destroyed the McQueen label.
Kate’s dress is atrocious. There is nothing I like about it. The style is UGH and it’s too damned long. The jewels are great though. She needs a different hair stylist. I detest her old lady up-do. On the other hand, Maxima looks FANTASTIC, from head to toe.
kate’s dress is terrible, but most of what Burton designs is terrible. Not usually this bad, but this is close to a new low.
Maxima does look amazing. Second or third time she’s broken out the Stuart tiara in full glory, plus her gown is a gorgeous design and shade.
Max blew me away. Stunning!!!
Thousands of dollars on an 80s prom dress reject that will never get worn again. It’s also interesting that for all of their talk of stepping up, Wills & Kate aren’t participating in any of the working parts of this visit, instead Edward & Sophie are.
@Starrtfish29 – That dress cost what Meghan’s ghastly de la Renta tablecloth dress cost that she wore to a day wedding. And Kate recycles gowns – it is very likely you will see the dress again.
And all that said, this is how monarchy works. I love talking about the clothes, but if you want princesses who get their stuff from TJ Maxx, you won’t get any. The whole show is past its sell date, if you ask me, no matter which married in lucky girl is spending the money. It’s what the British public is allowing. Blame them.
Ooh. What does working parts of this visit entail?
I don’t like the dress the color the hair nothing she dresses too old for her age and she always loses too much weight after babies the jewelry is nice though Maxima dress is lovely
That’s some bs right there. Kate has secured the line of succession and she’s just getting this now?
Not loving this color on her. She looks so pretty in jewel and dark colors.
The line of succession is 5000 people long and that’s before they really start digging. It is 2018, her “job” is not to reproduce, her job is to represent her monarch and her nation. Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Gloucester, Duchess of Kent all received their Royal Orders right away, and none of them has anything to do with mainline line of succession. Because those ladies all got to work right away.
Well the royal order has nothing to do with birthing children/heirs. It’s about the work you do and the Queen gives it out at her own discretion. But yes, people in the royal fandom were certainly abuzz about why it was supposedly “taking so long”. It was honestly starting to look a bit embarrassing for Kate, but if you don’t put in the work…
Kate looks regal and dignified and timeless. Her pictures will not look dated in another 10-15 years.. The dress could be better.. I hate that look of the fabric, but it’s a beautiful color and shape.
These pictures are already dated. Straight to the 80s.
I like Kate’s dress. I see ruching, not wrinkles. The necklace & earrings are gorgeous. Meh for that tiara.
Kate’s dress is a huge FAIL to me. The bottom half of the dress is reminiscent of the 80s – an era with the absolute worst fashion. I graduated from high school in the late 80s and thought her dress was reminiscent of what I wore to prom. The only thing I like about Kate’s dress was the color – along with the fit of her bodice. At least her tiara was nice though. Now, Maxima slayed with her dress and jewels. When I first saw the images of Maxima, I let out a gasp because she looked absolutely breathtaking. She looked so regal!
The jewels look nice and the color is good.
There is nothing nice to say about the rest of the look.
I’m…SO MAD AT THAT DRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is EVERYTHANG…until you get to the bottom…
I am like..mad at the DRESS…not even the DESIGNER…cause the DRESS SHOULD HAVE TOLD THE DESIGNER…”Really? This how you gone do me…you gone mess with MY PERFECTION ON TOP…OH NO YOU WILL NOT!”
LOL!!!!
her dress looks wrinkly. she needs a stylist. just so boring
That dress is a hot mess😩
Good lord
Wow, Willem and Maxima look like they’re towering over the Windsors. Are they both really tall or is it a photo-weirdness ? Trying to evaluate against William but he’s quite a ways behind them in the shot.
@YankLynn – it’s both. Maxima and Willem are very tall, and in her youth the Queen I think was never more than 5’4″, and now she’s 92 she looks about 5′ tall. Charles looks like he was maybe 5’10” in his prime and he’s 70 now, so he probably lost a couple of inches, and Camilla was never that tall and she’s a bit over 70. So it’s a combination of things.
Kate’s dress “might” have worked if the trumpet and train didn’t look so baggy, wrinkled, and overly long in some parts. The whole thing is just….no.
The red Packham number she wore to the state dinner for the Chinese president is still her best look of all the dinners.
Kate is too young to be hunched over like that. She has the same posture as the Queen, who is in her 90s. Maybe she doesn’t get enough calcium and its affecting her spine? I’m not just being snarky, I’m serious — she looks way older than she is, and she might not be too mindful about nutrition (I know she smokes, so being healthy doesn’t seem to be a priority for her).
@Mrs.Krabapple – I think it’s something that tall girls develop sometimes without realizing it. If you get really tall early, I know girls can feel uncomfortable with it. My cousin who is the same age as Kate was 5’8″ by the time she was 11 and she just hated it. She was in college before she got comfortable in her skin. But for years all she wanted to be was 5’3″ and cute. The joke end of the story is, she married a guy a couple of inches shorter eventually. Go figure.
SO MUCH BLING.
Max is always bringing her A game for state affairs, she has the body and the personality to carry of the Big Gun Tiaras the Dutch have in their vaults. On anyone else this look would be overpowering, but not on Max.
TQ knew to pull out Granny’s Chips to duke it out with Max.
I really disliked the shape of Kate’s gown, BUT now that I look at it, it has a very Belle Epoque look to it as well as harking back to the 1950’s NOT the 1980’s. Look up Rosemary Clooney in White Christmas and you’ll see it. And based on that I’m kind of liking it. Not 100%, but not hating it now either because the neckline is PERFECT for her bling. God Gawd, why doesn’t she wear all those fabulous jewels at her disposal in this way all the time? She honestly looks regal here, especially since she has the long neck to pull off necklaces like that. Please Kate, please, repeat this types of surprises more often.
You know those street performers who paint themselves grey all over and mimic statues? That.
Jewels are nice, though.
Don’t sleep on Camilla! That dress she’s wearing is GORGE (I know, it’s the same style she always wears, but I love it) and her hair! She’s rocking that blowout. Is it thicker somehow???
Not a fan of her dress but FINALLY Katie Keen brings the bling bling and it not hiding behind sausage curls.
LOVE LOVE Maxima’s tiara and her dress.
That is a fantastic parure. I like the bodice,the ruching and the neckline which is perfect for the necklace. I don’t like marmaid skirts but on the whole it’s a good silhouette and this icy blue looks great on her.
Kate looks confident and she’s really wearing the jewels and not the opposite.
Maxima looks fantastic.
In videos the dress is teal. It’s just an 80s monstrosity that should’ve stayed in that decade.
I adore Máxima and her ability to pull of such a big honkin’ tiara. She just has personality out the wazoo.
Kate has the personality of a sack of potatoes so it’s not surprising that I’m not feeling this, but I honestly could have gotten on board if the dress weren’t so unfortunate. Dynasty called. They would like their costume back.
Kate always has that dumb expression, like she’s saying something mid-sentence, her mouth open.
I don’t know how Sarah Burton is still in charge of Alexander McQueen. She seems to be the exact opposite of what he was.
Oh no, Kate dress is atrocious! One of her worst looks! I loved McQueen, what happened to the brand! 🙁
I love the cape, and I don’t care who knows it. Maxima can pull off anything. That tiara must be ungodly heavy, she must have ended the evening with an ice pack on her head.
The stomacher is humongous, and it would make a great converted French twist decoration, instead of a traditional tiara. I know Queen Silvia of Sweden and Queen Margarethe of Denmark sometimes have extra décor on their buns. But the stomacher alone would be very cool dangling at the bottom of a high bun. Or, on a *really* high top bun, in the front.
I was an 80’s girl, and had a similar taffeta prom dress (this was just *after* the LaCroix bubble dress fad). This style needed to stay dead. Ugh. The dress would have been great in grey-blue velvet, though. Minus the poofy flower, which just didn’t work, at all. Normally I like McQueen’s designs for DsCB, but not this one.
I like Camilla’s dress, repeating this is fine because it’s a beautiful style and makes her look long, tall and slim. And I adore her pink center stone on her pearl choker. More repeats of that, if you please!