Here are photos from Friday evening’s reception in The Bahamas. Note: William and Kate arranged for these “receptions” in all three countries of their tour, mostly because (I believe) Kate wanted to wear gowns and borrow Royal Collection jewelry. There were ways to have receptions at various governors-general mansions or embassies without Kate keening herself up in blood diamonds and unnecessary couture. This too was part of why this tour was so tone-deaf. Kate has treated this tour like a fashion show to exhibit her latest extravagant purchases.
As for Kate’s look at The Bahamas reception, the best I can say is that at least she didn’t look like Sister Kitty, the plantation owner’s wife. Kate went with a silk gown by British designer Phillipa Lepley. She styled the gown with a Lulu Guiness clutch, Gianvito Rossi pumps and jewelry by Van Cleef & Arpels. She’s worn the necklace and earrings before, to the 2020 BAFTAs. The Van Cleef pieces didn’t go with that McQueen and they’re too informal for this gown too. This was a gown which actually needed some Royal Collection diamonds. But Kate is always kind of terrible with putting the right jewelry with the right clothes.
William was clearly pissed off about how poorly the tour had gone, and I’m sure he had been on the phone, being told what to say and what not to say. ITV’s Chris Ship theorized that the Queen’s private secretary was writing William’s speeches at this point, which makes sense because the Kensington Palace team has made it abundantly clear that they’re not up any task of any size. The message the BP courtiers settled on was honestly not that bad? The message was basically: you can become republics if you want, and we’ll still love you and be your friend.
The Duke of Cambridge has suggested that if Jamaica, Belize and the Bahamas were to decide to become republics, they would be supported with “pride and respect”. William’s comments are expected to reverberate around the region, where five other countries also have the Queen as head of state.
Speaking during a reception, the Duke said: “Next year, I know you are all looking forward to celebrating fifty years of independence – your Golden Anniversary. And with Jamaica celebrating 60 years of independence this year, and Belize celebrating 40 years of independence last year, I want to say this: We support with pride and respect your decisions about your future. Relationships evolve. Friendship endures.”
A few days after the royals left Belize, prime minister Johnny Briceno’s government indicated the People’s Constitutional Commission, a new body, will be consulting across the country on the issue of the continuing decolonisation process.
Henry Charles Usher, minister for constitutional and political reform, reportedly told Belize’s parliament on Thursday: “Madame Speaker, the decolonisation process is enveloping the Caribbean region. Perhaps it is time for Belize to take the next step in truly owning our independence. But it is a matter that the people of Belize must decide on.”
Yeah, did you catch that? Belize waited like three full days after Buttons and Moose Knuckle left and then they were like “so we’ll probably become a republic too, why not.” And honestly, William’s message was kind of fine, because what else could he say? Clearly, William and Kate have been eating sh-t for a whole week, hoisted on their own petard and getting a front-row seat to their own irrelevance. It would not surprise me at all if The Bahamas was like “yeah, we’ll probably exit out of this mess too” in a few days. Note: I’m covering William’s whiny social media statement separately.
William was seething though, I bet his hand hurt from balling it up in a fist all night.
Photos courtesy of Instar.
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- North America Rights Only – New Providence, Bahamas -20220325-The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend a reception hosted by the Governor General of the Bahamas Sir Cornelius Alvin Smith, at the Baha Mar resort on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas to with meet community leaders and people from across the Bahamas’ many islands, on day seven of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee -PICTURED: Prince William -PHOTO by: PA IMAGES/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- North America Rights Only – New Providence, Bahamas -20220325-The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend a reception hosted by the Governor General of the Bahamas Sir Cornelius Alvin Smith, at the Baha Mar resort on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas to with meet community leaders and people from across the Bahamas’ many islands, on day seven of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William -PHOTO by: PA IMAGES/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- North America Rights Only – New Providence, Bahamas -20220325-The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend a reception hosted by the Governor General of the Bahamas Sir Cornelius Alvin Smith, at the Baha Mar resort on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas to with meet community leaders and people from across the Bahamas’ many islands, on day seven of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William -PHOTO by: PA IMAGES/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- North America Rights Only – New Providence, Bahamas -20220325-The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend a reception hosted by the Governor General of the Bahamas Sir Cornelius Alvin Smith, at the Baha Mar resort on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas to with meet community leaders and people from across the Bahamas’ many islands, on day seven of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William -PHOTO by: PA IMAGES/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- North America Rights Only – New Providence, Bahamas -20220325-The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend a reception hosted by the Governor General of the Bahamas Sir Cornelius Alvin Smith, at the Baha Mar resort on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas to with meet community leaders and people from across the Bahamas’ many islands, on day seven of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William -PHOTO by: PA IMAGES/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- North America Rights Only – New Providence, Bahamas -20220325-The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend a reception hosted by the Governor General of the Bahamas Sir Cornelius Alvin Smith, at the Baha Mar resort on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas to with meet community leaders and people from across the Bahamas’ many islands, on day seven of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William -PHOTO by: PA IMAGES/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- North America Rights Only – New Providence, Bahamas -20220325-The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend a reception hosted by the Governor General of the Bahamas Sir Cornelius Alvin Smith, at the Baha Mar resort on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas to with meet community leaders and people from across the Bahamas’ many islands, on day seven of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William -PHOTO by: PA IMAGES/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
I think this is the best dress she has ever worn. The jewelry looks cheap and dated to me.
I read that cheap outdated jewelry she wore at this gala cost £13,000 I was shocked.. it looks like Mall jewelry to me. The dress was probably one of the best I’ve seen her wear, I liked the color more than the cut tbh.
Everything about this tour was uncomfortable to watch, but I kept tuning in because it was such a train wreck. I feel sorry for the three countries the visits insulted and the rags are now currently vilifying.
I think the jewelry looks cheap and mall-like because it’s been knocked off a lot by department stores etc. That’s sort of my take on the “classic” Louis Vuitton purse/luggage pattern: once you see it on a million bags on Canal Street, it all starts to look clichéd and basic. Does that make sense?
I actually love this dress. Not on her (it doesn’t suit her or the location), but it’s a great dress on someone else. And with different jewelry.
I think the combo of this icy aqua blue and that shiny fabric are what ruin an otherwise decent cut of dress for me. I don’t love the bows, but I think with a richer colour, it could be nice. For an expensive dress, to me the fabric looks very cheap and 80’s, and I’ll bet it’s stifling, too.
It looks very 1950s to me, something TQ or Princess Margaret would have worn. Pretty enough.
It’s gorgeous, but it’s a Best Actress Oscar dress.
I didn’t like any of the evening looks. That dress is the best of the lot but too shiny and satiny. The main thing is that these dresses seemed so over the top for the occasion and setting. It’s obvious they really wanted her to be glamorous but it’s just too much.
Loved this dress too. It was one of the only ones I liked this whole tour. She’s long waisted and it actually hit near her actual waist which her dresses rarely do. But the tour was a disaster. I do think the line about relationships evolve, friendships endure was pretty brilliant (whoever wrote it) but kept thinking it was what Willie will use when he announces his divorce.
Looks like another 80s prom dress to me.
I was thinking that she loves her prom dresses.
Seems like world is tilting out of orbit because I do not hate the dress 😂
This is my favorite color, and the ties /bow things on the sleeves aren’t my thing, but other than that I love it. For me 😂
Overall I like it, but if it was a different color I probably wouldn’t be as in love.
Totally disagree. I dislike this dress. It’s dowdy and isn’t fitted right. None of the clothing Skinny has worn has impressed me and her wearing short shorts was unseemly. I mean I could see the moles on her legs. No class from either of them and why is Baldy angry all the time. You can see it in his face.
I much prefer Harry and Meghan who have joy in their faces and Meghan has much better style than Skinny Kate.
This is my absolute favorite color, so I really like the dress (except the ties on the sleeves). If it was a different color I probably wouldn’t like it as much.
I haven’t seen the pictures of what everyone else is wearing, so I don’t know if it fits or not. She doesn’t know how to dress outside of casual events, and even then she’s usually event inappropriate.
That jewelry is from Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra line. I once spent a pleasant hour or so at a Subaru dealership paging through a coffee table book on Van Cleef & Arpels. Love love love the Alhambra line. Kate’s gown, on the other hand, looks like something the young QEII would have worn in the 1950s. A deliberate choice, no doubt.
-Did anyone else notice that Kate wore red(ish), green and blue dresses? Coincidence, you think?
Agree…she looks good. Her hubs … not so much. Who wears velvet in the friggin Caribbean?!
The dress is nice but can somebody take out the carrot that’s is her azz because she could not look more constipated. Even the way ahe holds her glass is of constipated style. I think she kept wearing english designers because she knew they were possibly gonna get backlash so as true racist that she is, she kept wearing English designers instead of encouraging a designer from there. I keep disliking them more and more
The “cheap” jewelry is Van Cleef & Arpels. It is not cheap
I’m actually getting upset at Kate’s refusal to wear local or upcoming designers with ties to the region. There is no doubt she brings interest and sales to items she wears, and the fact that she can’t find a single dress or item of clothing that she can deign to wear, not counting a couple small accessories, is insulting. It’s not just tone-deaf, or a missed opportunity, it is a slap on par with refusing to eat a host’s food, showing for the whole world what they have is just not good enough for the likes of her.
Do we know she hasn’t tried? If I were a designer from one of the countries she visited and got a request from KP, I might have turned it down as a protest. Do the designers want their clothes associated with Kate? Given the sentiments in the three countries I’m pretty sure their sales would be better if it came out they’ve denied to send her clothes.
She has unlimited time, money and access to designers. Unfortunately, wearing clothes is Kate’s sole contribution to most tours, so I think the simplest explanation is that she hasn’t tried.
She’s managed to seek out local designers to work with on virtually every other tour.
She promoted local brands when she visited commonwealth countries like Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, so it’s not about distance. It seems suspicious that on a trip that was literally described as a “charm offensive” she couldn’t find a single designer worthy of dressing her. Not even a UK-based designer with Jamaican, Belizean, or Bahamian heritage? It’s would have been an easy win.
I think if there were a boycott, it would have been public before now in order to be effective and would have extended to the accessories she’s bought.
@jay exactly. She could’ve worn a British designer of any of the three heritages even. And it could’ve helped in the Covid world. I googled quickly and saw the designer Carly Cushnie. She was British of Jamaican descent who had beautiful designs and had to shutter her business after more than a decade.
Completely agree. A couple-three pairs of earrings & one clutch, that’s all she’s been photographed in. Things that her assistant probably picked up in the hotel shops.
This dress does kate’s figure no favours. Normally dresses that flare out around the hips suit her well because it gives her more of an hourglass figure but in this occasion the dress just pulls more attention to her arms and make her shoulders look quite broad. Or is that just me?
I also feel like this hairstyle doesn’t go with the dress. A nice bun/updo would have suited it better i think.
And the handholding… i just can’t. These 2 need to stop with the desperate pda cosplay. It is cringe worthy and william looks pissed off.
I agree with you Chloe, this dress frustrates me because while the color is nice, this cut does nothing but accentuate her shoulders and lack of bustline, and the waist is weirdly proportioned too. It just makes her look like a flat T. The hair doesn’t match, neither does the jewelry. The forced handholding is just the icing on the uncomfortable cake.
The pda is disgusting especially considering how harry and meghan were ripped apart for it.
It’s Meghan’s signature hairstyle. Kate’s for gowns was always updos and curls.
You are correct. The sleeves have those bows at the top which draw attention to her broad shoulders. If the dress had a halter shape or sleeves of some sort, it would be more flattering on her shape.
You’re not wrong. I like the dress itself. The color is unique and the fabric is lovely. But the V shape of the neckline emphasizes her shoulders too much for it to be truly flattering.
Agreed with you all. And @MF – I too like the color and fabric. The wide V on the shoulders does her body shape up top no favors. Makes her look unproportioned. The wide deep cut is also blowing me away because I thought that was a NO NO – but I could be wrong.
And at first I thought the necklace were aquamarines dangling – when I realized which necklace it is I too thought this was all wrong.
The dress looks like a long nightgown, second her hair should be up . Third those stupid ties on the shoulder again makes me think of a nightgown. Fourth. Kate needs help to send a thank you note to all the black peoples in the Caribbean for making Willy finally touch her after so long. Nothing brings racist together like they discomfort of being around black peoples
Number 4 made me laugh. It is true, though.
Kate has broad shoulders and this dress emphasizes that as well as the fact that she has zero body fat because the protruding clavicles are very obvious here and on display. It’s a harsh look that the rest of the dress can’t soften.
Yeah, this gown just looks bad on her. I think Charlie Theron, who also has wide shoulders, would pull this off beautifully. Kate is underweight, which makes her look sinewy, and this dress just highlights that.
There’s a funny photo going around Twitter of these two jokers holding hands and the look of revulsion on William’s face is…..pretty telling. A lot of people think that Kate is clinging desperately to her man because she’s so uncomfortable around all these POC, and William was definitely told he needs to go along with it for appearances’ sake.
She always seems to choose dresses that accentuate her shoulders and have low waists, which is exactly what I would not do if I was shaped like her!
Get rid of the little shoulder bows, bring the straps in towards her neck a little so the V isn’t so wide, and raise the waistline 1 to 2 inches and this dress would look so much better on her!!!
Chloe, I don’t think this was pda, it was two people holding on to each other for dear life, more support than love.
@Athena, ITA.
And as for the blatantly angry expressions on Bill’s face, it makes sense now that we know from @Harper in another thread that he’s been looking at the tabloids, so he’s well aware of the dreadful coverage, even in the Fail. So it must be much harder for him to even fake-smile at this point.
That’s been making me laugh, their forced PDA. It’s so obviously uncomfortable for them! And have you noticed, William’s got his dad’s short sausage fingers?
I’m sorry, but this dress did her no favors. She looks stringy and gaunt.
Why would you wear a heavy silk gown in the tropics?
Look at the bottom of the second photo, heavy underskirt. She was sweating in that dress in Nassau in March
Does anyone elde find the VCA Alhambra jewelry super basic? Reminds me of something a real hlousewife of Milton Keynes would wear. Surely a diamond nevklace and earrings from a no-name would look so much better on the “duchess”
Once TJMax started selling really good knock offs the rich people should have moved on. Funny enough they haven’t.
I have a ton of the knockoff ones and my clients always love them and say they wish they had one of my design rather than the one they have. I laugh internally every time that they’re jealous over a $25 necklace when theirs is like $2,500
That is funny. I mix and match after a very rich older lady long ago told me she will mix in fakes with the real. And now the fakes look really damn good. Why spend thousands when $40 buys you the look.
@Seraphina that’s exactly what I love to do! I also find a really good classic outfit with good tailoring always looks great no matter what cost. Get some solid classic pieces and you will always look pulled together.
Her Maj has an entire suite of aquamarine and diamond jewelry, (including a great whacking tiara), any piece of which would have looked fabulous with this dress. Given Kate’s love of raiding Granny’s jewel safe, I would have thought she’d jump at the chance to borrow some of those pieces. If you’re going to parade around in silk ball gowns in front of the subjects, you need to go all in on the jewelry.
I had thought aquamarines too but nope. The queen also has a necklace with huge opal given to her in 1954 in Australia which she’s only worn once. It probably wouldn’t have gone with this dress save the color but when has that stopped her? It’s at least a cool necklace.
I love the Alhambra line!! There are other pieces that I like better than what Kate is wearing, I’ll give you that.
I love the Alhambra line, too! I think the first time I ever became aware of it was when Reese Witherspoon was wearing a couple of pieces. I’ve obviously never looked into buying them because of the price but I didn’t know there were good knockoffs out there; will have to check them out!
Kate wears so little high-end, modern jewelry this recognizable— we knew right away what jeweler & collection it was— so at least she picked a pretty one. These pieces are SO much better than that $30K Cartier necklace she breaks out every so often.
This was by far the best dress she wore on this tour, and maybe has ever worn. But yeah, she needed better jewelry and better hair. I’m still amazed at how badly this tour went. It truly was the gift that kept on giving.
We know the tour went really bad by the amount of PDA shown during this reception. They were determined to change the narrative ( following Charles orders?) and to distract from their racist behavior. They hold hands leaving the hotel, arriving at the reception, touching each other’s back constantly, in order to present a united front towards the criticism they received. Their effort was real painful to watch.
They can show their fake PDA all they want but my mind always goes to that video of her shaking off his touch. I will never forget the joy I got from that video LOL. That was a real indication of their feelings for each other!
Some of the hand-holding and PDA with H&M was for support to deal with the media and her distress. Maybe W&K are feeling the need for support now. It’s terrible to feel this way but I view it as karma coming for them.
@equality – I agree. I don’t see the handholding as PDA, as in “we’re so much in love,” I see it as mutual support in a really painful situation (however much self-inflicted). Whatever their personal feelings for each other, they’re still partners in this.
Did you see them trying to make fetch happen again?? Twitter Sugars were going APESHIT saying, “Oh, look…IT’S THE SAME PHOTOGRAPHER who took “that pic” of H&M, he “captured the same moment” for Buttons and Bitter!”
Except….lolololololol! The pic of the two of them…they were under SEPARATE umbrellas, each holding their OWN…Buttons was practically drooling looking at Bitter, and as usual, Bitter Brother was looking right past her!
BUT …BUT…. RAIN DROPS!!! UMBRELLAS!!! SAME PHOTOGRAPHER!!!! BUT…nope. Not even close! lololololololol
There are lots of photos of Kate leaning into William…..shrinking AWAY from the people they were there to meet. Agree totally that any hand holding and/or “closeness” is down to “we’re in this together, however much we might not like that fact, so let’s get through this together.”
@Jan90067 – I laughed when I saw the two pics side by side in the DM. It was almost as if Will and Kate were photoshopped into the same pic – they were that not connected.
@Swirlmamad, you nailed it. I tried to say this upthread, but you explained it much better— it’s not PDA that I see, it’s desperate “We’re in this together” and it probably feels like it’s them against everyone else right now. William’s actually looked grateful to have her by his side during this tour, imo, but that’s solely because he knows how bad the press is and he’s glad not to be in it alone. He’s been smiling at her more than he has in years, but it isn’t a besotted smile, it strikes me as more grateful. Exactly what you said, “we’re in this together, let’s do this.”
No way would she be leaning into him so frequently if they were in Australia or something.
I’m firmly convinced that the hand holding between H & M was to say: This is the woman I love, so whatever affection you profess to have for me please extend to her if you truly like me. In other words, for moral support and to say lay off her to those writing sh*it about Meghan. What do these two pieces of ick need mutual support from? THEY are the ones who barged into these countries where they were not invited, told not to come, then proceed to insult them at every turn. Just because everyone caught on to W & K’s game and they got some bad press, that does not magically transform them into victims. If anyone is ever in doubt of that, they should consult the “inspecting the troops” photo of W & K in white.
Macbeth and Lady, they do deserve each other.
This looks like mid-tier quality prom to me. I dont Always mind her button/Ralph Lauren attempts at casual wear the way some do here but she’s just one of those women that never seems to quite get it right aesthetically.
While this dress is certainly WAY better than others she’s worn during this tour, it looks cheap to me, somehow? I guess it’s *such* an unforgiving fabric, so every wrinkle that a flash catches is magnified. And it feels like maybe it could use something around the waist?
IDK, I think “unfinished” is probably the word I’m looking for. There are a few shots in which the hem looks messy (for a moment I wondered if it was supposed to look “raw,” then realized it just wasn’t very well done; maybe she accidentally stepped on it in that spot or something), and the waist seems bare.
But DEFINITELY a vast improvement over that green tulle mess and the sparkly pink Barbie nonsense. (Although there was really nowhere to go but up after the green one.)
Is his fist clenched in the last picture???? It looks like he in NOT pleased.
His fist is clenched in all the photos. He’s probably both incandescent with rage, and feeling horribly uncomfortable. I think @Euquality is right. They’ve understood how bad this tour is received and leaning on each other for support, hence the handholding.
He looks subdued and angry in all of the reception photos, and Mutton Buttons looks depressed. She didn’t look great in the photos after they arrived in the Bahamas too, as though she’d been crying and some of the puffiness was still there. I think they definitely realize what a disaster this tour has been, and the FFK has been venting about the mess it is in private, too.
Kate clearly started herself and slept at the gym for this tour. This was supposed to be their “final response” to H+M, the moment they finally, unquestionably “eclipsed” them, and the choice of countries to tour, as well as the widely extravagant wardrobe chosen, shows that that, and only that, was the focus from KP’s perspective. It’s why they didn’t bother taking any POC/culturally competent people with them. They came with a war room of a glam squad, and little else. It’s why the idea that they are out of touch likely never occurred to anyone: everyone they took was just as vapid and disengaged as everyone else, and were probably actively trying to avoid looking “woke”, which is why they settled on bland, touristy BS instead of visiting serious historical landmarks or embedding with a local charity. They were supposed to be giving the “glam” of H+M (or surpassing it, judging by Kate’s clothing budget) without the “uncomfortably woke” social acknowledgement of privilege and bias. Many of Kate’s style choices (the slicked hair, the white-on-khakis look, the bongo outfit) were clearly attempts to go toe-to-toe with Meghan, and William clearly still believes he’s still the more popular brother and just needs to show up and pout/look dour; him inviting a bunch of soccer superstars was a dead giveaway that deep down he acknowledges that they might not be “exciting” to the younger crowd that was going to be there; I doubt those children at the chain-link fence even knew who Kate was, and were probably just told “royalty” by the adults.
Verdict: The tour was an epic failure because it was embarked on by two people who clearly didn’t understand the assignment and gave the absolute opposite of everything they were supposed to give. It isn’t surprising, though, that W+K so thoroughly misread the moment. They were almost set up as fall guys, tbh.
The whole “save the Commonwealth” motive was largely coming from the queen’s courtiers themselves, all they are focused on for the foreseeable future is keeping her healthy and comfortable, and keeping as much of her historical “kingdom” together as possible while she still reigns; the next best thing, however, would be to find someone (or more) lower down the rung of succession that can absorb all the blame for the loss of a large chunk of the Commonwealth, should it occur.
That leaves Charles, whose motives here are murky. On the one hand, a successful tour would ostensibly have helped to preserve his inheritance, but after attending the Barbados dethroning, seeing how much Chinese investment and diplomacy is going on in the region, and noting the anticolonialist movements within CARICOM, it’s possible/likely he’s largely made peace with the idea of the Caribbean being permanently lost to English influence. Which leaves the question: did he actually send the Cambridges to meet their Waterloo, or did he just sit back and watch?
According to the RR everything thing W&K do is “the moment they finally, unquestionably “eclipsed” H&M – only it never happens.
The Cambridges have never once “eclipsed” the Sussexes, lol, but sure, let Rebecca English or whoever enjoy that little fantasy.
The only times the Cambridges and the Sussexes have been in the same place and W&K got more attention than H&M have been the times when they have been so horrendously rude to them (Commonwealth service, ignoring Meghan AND Archie at the polo match, leaning as far away from Doria as she possibly could in that one photo, William’s stupid scarf-tying so he could snub Meghan, etc.) that even people in the media take note.
But the Cambridges have never once outshone Meghan and Harry. And their buddies in the ROTA are really doing them a disservice with the comparisons, because they never will.
I absolutely agree with all you said. Especially the beginning lol. This totally was the “final answer” to H and M. What spectacular flop it has been…
I think this dress is gorgeous, the first of hers I’ve liked in long memory.
But I’m so frustrated that the cost of each outfit is not blasted through every media piece (as they STILL do for Meghan). I can’t find the cost of this gown anywhere but What Kate Wore had the shoes at $2500 and the earring and necklace set at $16000. It’s offensive as is, let alone the total snub of any local designers the whole tour. Sick.
The DF posted it this morning. Unlike Meghan’s tally which always includes her jewelry, Kate does not so the latter appears thrifty.
You know it’s BAD when the hand holding comes out. When was the last time we saw PDA to this extent from them? I think it has to be Eugene’s wedding when Kate touched wills leg and he quickly removed her hand?
I think at this point the palace for sure intervened and said we need to change the headlines. Didn’t work
On this Sunday morning it’s a good time to remember you will eventually reap what you sow! Everything they did to Harry and Meghan is slowly starting to come back to them and it will only get worse until they make it right.
At de end of de day every event, picture, allowance was signed off to de press by William and Kate, no one else is to blame for this complete mess. They are what they are uneducated and stupid, that’s it, no excuses no-one in 2022 in their 40s would carry on like these two , no one. They really embarrassed themselves and their country. I think they definitely need to re group maybe William should do these trips solo, prob do much better actually, but Kate only cares about Kate, camera and more camera time, she genuinely loves herself and believes de hype, she is ridiculous ! I just think at this stage they bring out de absolute worst in each other, what other European royal actskk like these two????? They don’t push each other on and really this marriage never really was a solid happy one even for a while and should never of happened!
I may not articulate what my thoughts are well, but I have to say it. I think, had there not been a pandemic that stopped these sort of tours for two years, they would not have appeared racist and tone death. It’s like that thing that happens when you’re too close to something….you don’t see its faults. The minute you step back from it, there’s a gaping hole right before your eyes that was there the entire time.
There would have been some grumblings on the margins about this or that, but it would not have been front news headlines. They would not have been fired so publicly, that video of Kate recoiling from a black person would have been buried, and they would have been praised for the little that they do.
The world moved on and started calling out injustice in these two years, meanwhile Won’t and Kant didn’t. They’re sticking to their same script and not modernizing their approach to tours or their roles. Two years ago, this type of tour probably wouldn’t have been as poorly received. Now, they had their a$$es handed to them globally and it was a long time coming.
I think the pandemic showed people that life is too short to put up with abuse.
I think that’s really well said, equality.
They would have appeared racist and tone deaf. Didn’t you see the imagery that came out from their pictures?
The Belizean protest would have still happened because it is about land dispute and their tone deafness. Talks about the U.K. paying Reparations have been going on for years. The fact that they came to the Caribbean so unprepared and colonials from the bygone age triggered a lot of people. This was not due to the pandemic.
They look so uncomfortable in every picture, especially the first holding the glasses. His angry facials are so distracting. He looks like he wants to punch someone and I sure hope it isn’t Kate or a staff member who bears the brunt.
@D, luckily, we can probably be pretty sure it’s not Kate, because between the low-cut dresses and the short shorts, her clothing during this tour has showcased almost every inch of her. So thank goodness for that…it seems she’s escaped physical abuse, although he for sure abuses her psychologically and emotionally.
But you’re right, his anger has got to come out somewhere, and I feel sorry for anyone on the receiving end of his wrath. Because it isn’t as if he’s a normal person, a boss who is going to give some employees a talking-to for a job poorly done— he has some real anger management issues, and no one (at least in this case) deserves to be the target of unbridled rage
I like the dress.
Instead of Young helping with the speech, I’m wondering if Sara Latham (she’s still working for the Queen, right?) stepped in. The speech seemed to have a more moving forward and supportive resignation/concession feel to it than what, imo, comes out from courtiers.
The dress was too much. She should have gone for a simpler design. As for the speech, it came too late in the tour. This should have been said before they left the UK. I could believe BP intervened and gave him the speech because his first two were terrible. This tour has also made me realise why KP found Meghan and Harry difficult. It’s clear that they refused to do a lot of the tone deaf and offensive things that the aides wanted them to do and that Meghan and Harry had their own ideas of what they wanted to do on tour.
I saw this theory somewhere and completely agree — the reason they hated Meghan and called her “Duchess Difficult”, etc, was because as a woman of color, she immediately recognized this crap for what it was. Microaggression, tone-deaf, and offensive. Being who she is and true to herself, she simply wouldn’t go along with it. If she had gone along with what they wanted her to do then they would’ve been like “clearly there’s nothing wrong with our approach! Meghan’s cool with it!” I now 100% believe that’s when they pulled out the knives for her. When she wouldn’t become their tokenized face of “diversity” in the RF. My heart hurts for her even more now.
@AmyBee and @Swirlmamad, same. I never thought that Meghan was “difficult” and certainly not a bully toward the staff, but this really does expose more of what they were likely up against, and unlike Mute Kate, Meghan pushed back. Because she has a functioning brain.
I honestly think if their team had shown the Sussexes that photo of the Queen & Philip standing in the Land Rover in 1953, and told them that the plan was for them to recreate it in 2022, Meghan’s mouth probably would have dropped open and she would have outright laughed at them, thinking they couldn’t possibly be serious.
And to these people, the lack of total deference (ESPECIALLY from a WOC who they feel should be grateful she’s even allowed in the room) = “difficult.”
So, so glad they gotTF out of there.
I adore this dress but it doesn’t do anything for poor Kate , sorry Kate you are just too thin for this dress,.it needs a curvy lady with a good bust to really show this gown off, image this on Nigella Lawson or Liz Taylor.!!!
Liz Taylor could slay in this dress–deep tan, giant updo, a red or hot pink lip, and jewels galore. This is a perfect Liz dress.
Here’s Liz from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, very similar silhouette (the dress, not the wearer, obvs!). https://www.lizandliz.com/elizabeth-taylor-white-cocktail-party-dress-in-movie-cat-on-a-hot-tin-roof.html
Gorgeous!
I was going to say they look like Bond villains, but William would take that as a high compliment.
I don’t think the dress is too much, and I kind of like it, even though I usually hate bows on the shoulders. It would even be flattering on her if she ate a sandwich or two.
At de end of de day every event, picture, allowance was signed off to de press by William and Kate, no one else is to blame for this complete mess. They are what they are uneducated and stupid, that’s it, no excuses no-one in 2022 in their 40s would carry on like these two , no one. They really embarrassed themselves and their country. I think they definitely need to re group maybe William should do these trips solo, prob do much better actually, but Kate only cares about Kate, camera and more camera time, she genuinely loves herself and believes de hype, she is ridiculous ! I just think at this stage they bring out de absolute worst in each other, what other European royal actskk like these two????? They don’t push each other on and really this marriage never really was a solid happy one even for a while and should never of happened!
I love everything about this dress. To be honest I didn’t even notice the shoes, clutch, and jewelry because the dress is so beautiful.
I actually like this dress and GASP! they held hands! Must be desperate.
Is she doing Meghan hair?
That first picture is giving me fancy “American Gothic” vibes, all that’s needed is for William to be holding a pitchfork. Their faces look like thunder clouds. Anyway, the dress is nice but it looks more suitable for something like the Oscars or BAFTA. Is this “tour” over yet? Geez!
It’s a common misconception that “American Gothic” portrays a married couple when it’s actually a farmer and his daughter. So William’s Windsor genes have made him look like he fathered Kate.
Things are well past any outfits and more about content and character. Sadly both are missing in Kate. It all really starts to look like the same threads, just another event to play royal games.Stupid prizes (the rota spin) for stupid games(royal events for the peasants)…can we just not give these simple Simons undeserved praise.
I actually liked the dress and overall look but as usual she made it look bland. Also the Meghan hair cosplay has bee too obvious on this tour.
Normally I hate her tour wardrobes but there has been a few pieces that I’ve liked – the pink patterned dress, the white McQueen suite, the yellow dress (wrong occasion to wear it) and this one. Pity she can’t wear sh!t.
They must have gotten a text that said Activate Emergency Hand Holding. What a time Burger King must have had convincing the sidepiece that it had to be done to save the crown, but he promised he wouldn’t act like he was enjoying it. We know that it was for a photo op, because we saw Kate take his hand while going down the steps the other night and then drop it as soon as she was on solid footing.
I like the dress fabric and color. She didn’t stick her orders on the dress this time, I wonder if she had been planning to do so and someone told her to tone it down.
@Harper, I wonder if his sidepiece (or sidepieces 😬) actually gives a sh!t how he acts with Kate. My impression of the type of people he would get involved with (and obviously I could be wrong) is that they like the idea of being able to say they shagged the future King, but no one actually wants to make a life with him. It’s just about bragging rights.
Rose is a perfect example; no way she’s giving up her cushy life to go live in a fishbowl with that uptight family. I guess time will tell with this one, and hopefully we find out sooner rather than later, because William has gotten away with too much for too long and he really has it coming to him.
Any links of the hand holding video?
I don’t want to body shame anyone, but when Princess Diana came to events with her collarbones and chest looking like Kate’s do now, there were worldwide reverberations of alarm that she might be ill or have an eating disorder.
Chaine, I’ve been giving this a lot of thought and I do think that her body style does tend toward the slim. She exercises and eats well? as far as the type of foods that she eats. This could be her real body–no eating disorder. My collarbone looked much like Keenless’s, and I can assure you that I never abused food in the sense of an eating disorder. I’ve been wodering if Keenless actually likes that people believe she has an ed because that’s supposed to make them think of Diana. I know my thoughts on this are not popular, but it might not hurt to at least consider this. I assure you that there are people who are quite slim, but it’s not planned it’s just genetics. Let me tell you, once you hit 50 the body suddenly decides to notice how many calories are going into it. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with Keenless, assuming she’s still around.
She is thin but also muscular. Very defined arms and pec muscles.She’s long and lean but hard to know based on appearance alone if that means eating disorder. Maybe she does keto or works out a lot, but it’s presumptive to speculate.
I actually loved a lot of outfits for this tour! Cept the last yellow one which was so fug it made me gasp.
The problem with her clothing was the fact that 99% were tone deaf to the realities of living in 2022. If you know that a country would like to remove the queen as a head of state, why harken back to the days of colonialism through your photo ops? Why overdress with heavy sequins, giant gowns and flashy jewelry when your former colonies want acknowledgement that your family effed their country’s over? They have so many yes men working for them that they couldn’t figure out that the “good old days” of the British empire were horrific for the people they colonized. Disgusting and wildly incompetent.
That dress looks like a nightgown from the 40, and 50’s movies. Plus their faces says it all. These are not happy campers.
Margaret, that’s exactly what I thought when I saw it–the 1940s come to life.
The disappointment and defeat on their faces as they hold up those glasses of champagne. Sums up the tour perfectly.
The dress wore her. It needed tailoring to be more figure flattering.
The dress is good, but still no local designer …. Half of the clothes she wore in this tour were out of place or too much. Is she in a gala in this pic? If she is then alright, I just I’d like to see what others are wearing to get sure if she is in context. lol
I like the dress, but that jewelry is all wrong for it.
This tour has been such a mess that I can believe BP intervened for that speech.
I guess this is what the school stalking and waity years were all for – dressing up like a princess. Hope it was worth it!
Love the dress, can’t stand the person wearing it. The jewelry is too basic for the dress.
I love this dress and the aquamarine color is amazing. Unfortunately, it is inappropriate for the climate and occasion. Hopefully she will wear it again to some big palace gala, dripping in jewels, which is what this dress needs.
They look like they can’t wait for this to be over in every. single. photo.
The poses remind me of Lord and Lady Macbeth, scowling on their public. I remember a professor saying that Shakespeare made the Macbeths as “suburban” as possible. Now I get it entirely.
No Experience Needed, No Boss Over il Your FD Shoulder… Say Goodbye To Your Old Job! Limited Number Of Spots Open……
The clothes on this tour were so bad and ridiculous. William looked rumpled and completely lacking style when he wasn’t cosplaying Mountbatten the last viceroy. His clothes had no color, contrast and looked cheap. Dudes spending a weekend in the Hamptons dress way better then the ink blots he wore. Kate’s clothes were way too formal in weird fabrics, or just off the cruise ship to party. A lot of the colors made her look washed out and pasty. So many ugly dresses. I remember when they were in Ireland in March 2020 and she had some fug,fussy clothes there. Well now we know that was just a preview of just how bad her style is. Copying the queen’s and your late MILs looks from decades past is utterly ridiculous and shows lack of confidence in oneself. Dressing in flag colors head to toe is ridiculous. Not wearing a few local designers or artisans is a missed opportunity. She even wore the same three tired British brands she always wears, McQueen, Packham and Wickstead. Why not wear younger UK designers of Caribbean origin? Bespoke this and that is just used as cover for the high costs as well. This whole tour was a big mess and so many missed chances to give something back besides a few photo ops. This expensive, shiny, let’s dazzle the natives looks were incredibly tone deaf and just not modern.
Perfect name for this tour. It’s the Let’s Dazzle the Natives Tour! They sicken me.
“Just off the cruise ship to party” is such a perfect description for Kate’s tour wardrobe! I’m laughing so hard 😭
Well, if it isn’t Grim and Grimmer!
The Grip of Desperation hand holding is really telling!
$13,000 for that?! It looks like a necklace from target. She shouldn’t have picked THIS tour to wear her most expensive clothes. Her shoes for this event were over $2,000. They both need a basic sociology class.
That’s another thing that Charles got right & William got wrong. Charles’ degree is in Anthropology, William’s is Geography. Anthropology–or better yet, international relations–would have been better prep for the job. Then again, he’d have to have some smarts to do that.
Geography so he can pick out all the best vacation spots, maybe? Lol!
@Candy, I actually love her jewelry, but this is one dress that screams out to be worn with some of the Crown Jewels. Which is exactly why the dress was inappropriate for this event. Sigh.
Well at least Kate got the tan she wanted!
I hope it was worth it!
I begin to understand W&K’s relationship more and more….
Carole has conditioned Bill to lean on them when he feels over-whelmed and that seems to be the basis of his marriage.
If Kate wants to hang on to Prince with Teeth she needs to get the tabs to trash him more, he’ll never leave then.
The look on Kate’s face when her hand is being held by the Fists of Fury. Sadly, some of us know exactly what that look means.
Anglian neo-Gothic
Looks like 1950s Elizabeth Taylor Cosplay. And it just screams–THE COLONIAL MASTERS are here to investigate their subjects. Such poor taste. If you wore this dress to the BAFTAs or Oscars, then great. But in the Bahamas? At such a precarious time in the world? It makes no sense. So out of touch…
Beautiful dress, shame it’s wasted on a racist and jealous sociopath