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Kate is Festive in Red for Queen’s Christmas Luncheon

Today members of the Royal Family gathered at Buckingham Palace for the Queen’s annual Christmas luncheon.

i-Images/Polaris

i-Images/Polaris

From The Telegraph:

With his father the Duke of Cambridge at the wheel and the Duchess of Cambridge in the passenger seat, the five-month-old Prince arrived in a rear-facing baby seat in the back of the car, with a mirror angled above him so that the Duchess could see his face.

The lunch, which is attended by far more members of the extended Royal family than the Queen can accommodate over Christmas at Sandringham, was the first time that many relations had met the future king.

Kate was in a vibrant red, well-suited to a Christmas celebration.

i-Images/Polaris

i-Images/Polaris

More from the Daily Mail:

The esteemed members of Her Majesty’s family descended en masse to Buckingham Palace for a festive feast this afternoon..

It’s a rare occasion which sees the entire Royal family gathered around the table. Only twice a year does the Queen summon the entire extended Royal Family to the Palace for her pre-Christmas dinner.

It is difficult to tell precisely what Kate is wearing, but The Royal Pudding suggests it is the McQueen worn for the Jubilee River Pageant last June.

Splash News/PA Wire

It certainly makes sense in terms of Kate’s penchant for repeating looks, along with her sense of color. Perth’s Fashion raised another possibility, the frock that was part of her Catherine Walker ensemble seen during the North American in 2011. (Not the coat but the dress.)R Chiang / Splash News

Another suggestion via the WKW Facebook page: Beulah London’s Elsa dress. The neckline and color of this frock are also similar, I think it is a definite possibility.Beulah London 'Elsa' Dress

As always, this was a private party and there won’t be any pictures released, so I don’t think we will ever know precisely what Kate wore. And there is always the possibility this is an entirely new garment. I remain uncommitted, not certain about any of the options.

We do know about her earrings however, Kate brought back her Catherine Zoraida Double Leaf earrings.

Mark Large - PA Wire/i-Images-Polaris

The earrings were first noted when worn for a State Dinner in Malaysia during the 2012 Jubilee Tour, shown above left. Above right we show Kate today as she arrives at Buckingham Palace with William. They may be purchased directly from Catherine Zoraida here (£140, about $230 at today’s exchange rates) or at My Flash Trash here (£168, shown as $270.48 on the site).

As for what is ahead on the royal calendar, Richard Palmer’s story in the Express has more:

The lunch party signalled the start of the Christmas break for most members of the Royal Family, although there remain one or two official engagements before the holiday period.

The Queen is expected to leave for Sandringham later this week.

Kensington Palace has not confirmed whether the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be joining her with George but other sources have suggested that William and Kate, both 31, will spend two or three days in Norfolk and later travel up to Scotland to spend time with Charles and Camilla at Birkhall on the Balmoral Estate.

Of course, we’ll look for images of William, Kate and other royals walking to church for Christmas services Wednesday morning.

LINKAGE:

  • The Daily Mail’s story on the luncheon and attendees is here, the Express story is here, and the Mirror article is here
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Kathy

Friday 20th of December 2013

The "Elsa" and the McQueen look the same except for the sleeves. Does Kate have both?

Lili

Sunday 22nd of December 2013

The "Elsa" does not have a pleated skirt. And we don't know that she owns both. People are merely speculating that she might have been wearing the Elsa. She does own other Beulah dresses.

Jennifer

Thursday 19th of December 2013

It looks like Kate borrowed from Carole and wore Carole's red dress from Pippa's book launch. See here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2525782/Pippa-Middleton-NOT-engaged-Nico-Jackson-says-source-close-Middleton-sister-rumours-circulate-proposed-India-week.html

admin

Thursday 19th of December 2013

That's another possibility, I hadn't thought of that! :)

Anne P

Thursday 19th of December 2013

Kate looks beautiful in red. It is a colour that really suits her. The red outfit she wore during queen's jubilee was lovely - didn't like the one she wore in Canada so much though. The earrings do suit Kate, but I'm not sure whether I like them enough to get a pair myself.

Dot

Wednesday 18th of December 2013

I don't think we'll ever know who Kate's dress is designed by, it may be Beulah but unless she wears it again, we won't know.

I have to say I really like those earrings, Catherine Zoraida is available on Mustique so she probably picked up the earrings there.

nancy

Wednesday 18th of December 2013

The neckline on the dress she is wearing looks more rounded to me, while the McQueen goes straighter across. Her hair down in front obviously makes it hard to tell. I am betting against the dress from Canada, both because of the season and because in the pictures it looks slightly lower. Her hair looks lovely.

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