It’s LK Bennett for Kensington Palace Dinner as George’s Jammies Steal the Show

Kate wore a favored retailer for this evening’s dinner with President Obama and the First Lady.

The Duchess was in an LK Bennett dress as she joined William and Harry in welcoming the Obamas to Kensington Palace. Below, the young royals waiting for their guests to arrive.

Kate looked relaxed as she went to greet the President and First Lady.

It was a dreary, sodden day in London.

.@BarackObama and @MichelleObama arrive at Kensington Palace for dinner with The Duke, Duchess and Prince Harry pic.twitter.com/ZdXMj24pCL

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) April 22, 2016

The person who stole the show wasn’t even on the guest list.

Prince George was allowed to wait up to meet the dinner guests. He even took a ride on the rocking chair that was a gift from the Obamas.

From Simon Perry’s story for People:

The little royal, who stole the spotlight earlier in the week in his cutest royal portrait yet, appeared in a hallway wearing a robe and pajama pants just before the start of his parents’ dinner with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

Here you can see the young Prince in a hallway waiting for the Obamas.

After George was off to bed everyone sat down for a chat. This is our first look at the drawing room of Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace since Kate finished redecorating several years ago. 

More on how the dinner date was arranged from The Daily Mail:

Explaining how the evening came about, an aide said: ‘When the Duke heard that President Obama was lunching with his grandmother he extended an invitation to join them for dinner. He was delighted that he could find time in his schedule to join them.

‘Kensington Palace has been used a lot more over the last couple of years and is very much a working building now with proper entertaining space.

‘But it is clearly the biggest thing that they have done here because it is the President and First Lady of the United States.’

The stuffed animal you see on the ottoman is also a present from the Obamas, given to George when Princess Charlotte was born. It is a replica of the family’s Portuguese water dog, Bo. (More about that in a minute.)

Mrs. Obama provided content for the Huffington Post project Kate spearheaded in February, Young Minds Matter. 

For this evening’s function, the Duchess wore LK Bennett’s Addison dress.

The piece is 100% silk, with a fitted waist, full skirt, sheer sleeves, and keyhole opening at the back neck. Here is a closer look at the fabric.

It hits mid-shin, well below the knee. The US/CAN LK Bennett website shows the dress as available in most sizes ($525) although with very low stock. On the UK/International site it is available in only one size (£325). Christin wondered if Kate’s blue belt this evening was also worn with the red/navy dress by Glamorous during the tour.

It looks like Christin is correct, it appears to be the same belt, as best one can tell from these photos. Kate accessorized with her navy suede Malory pumps from Rupert Sanderson ($675).

The Duchess wore her tanzanite earring and pendant set.

The gems were first worn last March to a service of commemoration honoring those who served in Afghanistan. 

Earlier in the day the President and First Lady were welcomed at Windsor Castle by HM and Prince Philip. From Gordon Rayner’s story in The Telegraph:

• In keeping with the informality of the occasion, the Queen was wearing a headscarf rather than a hat.
• He normally travels in a bomb-proof car with a CIA agent at the wheel, but President Barack Obama found himself being chauffeured by the 94-year-old Duke of Edinburgh when he arrived for lunch at Windsor Castle today.
• The President’s car Cadillac One, known as The Beast, was waiting out of sight in a line-up of 11 vehicles, ready to transport him later in the day.

The Obamas brought a birthday gift for the Queen, a photo album with pictures from all of Her Majesty’s visits to the United States. The album starts in 1951 when then-Princess Elizabeth met President Harry S. Truman and toured Mount Vernon.

Her Majesty’s first visit to the United States was in 1951 as Princess Elizabeth, when she toured George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and met President Harry S. Truman.

Returning to George’s stuffed dog, it is actually a stuffed version of Bo, called (aptly) Bo the First Dog. It is available at multiple outlets, we show it at Amazon.

I will update later with more photos as they become available. Addendum: I have received a number of messages and emails regarding George’s personalized bathrobe.

UPDATE Sat. am: People magazine has verified the robe is by My 1st Years. The identical robe is available at My First Years, and there’s good news: the company is restocking the robe and it can be pre-ordered. The price is £27 and the company ships internationally. A Tip of the Tiara to A Petite Princess for ID on this.

For those hoping to ‘repli-George’ following are two retailers offering similar items. The lengthier list with many more options has been moved to our What Kate’s Kids Wore post. Below you see it at WithCongratulations.co.uk, where it sells for £16.

Harlequin Designs in the UK offers it through their Amazon store.

LINKAGE:

• This link takes you to Sky TV’s special “The Queen at 90” , watching sooner as opposed to later is a good idea, it’s likely the show will be taken down soon.
• The Daily Mail’s photo-laden story is here; The Telegraph’s story is here; The Express story is here
• The Mirror has a story looking at decor in Apt. 1A, click here for that; The Daily Mail’s story detailing the decor is here