Kate In Ideal Ensemble for Party at the Palace

For today’s Party at the Palace Kate was in a familiar frock. The Duchess’s See by Chloé knit dress was first worn during the Canada tour last fall. 

Today’s Buckingham Palace event honored children who lost a parent serving in the armed forces. The invitations featured a popup Palace.

From The Telegraph’s story by Hannah Furness:

In the words of Prince Harry, Buckingham Palace had not seen that much fun, ever.

He should know – and with water balloons, facepaints, cupcakes and the RAF Falcons parachuting onto the palace lawns, who would argue?

From Robert Jobson’s Evening Standard story:

Guests enjoyed performances by the pop star Jess Glynne, the magician Lance Corporal Richard Jones, winner of Britain’s Got Talent, and the ventriloquist Nina Conti. Children also took part in breakdancing and beatboxing workshops.

Charities involved in the event included Child Bereavement UK (William is the royal patron of the organization), Winston’s Wish, Scotty’s Little Soldiers, and the SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association).

Kate meeting some of the children.

From The Daily Mail’s story:

The sprawling garden was transformed into an open-air festival for the guests, who brought a surviving parent or guardian.

Harry shows his skill at spinning plates.

But then he encountered a real pro: Spiderman. (That’s 3-year-old George Hinchcliffe.)

Back to the Evening Standard article:

George’s father, Captain Richard Hinchfliffe, who served with the Royal Armoured Medical Corps, died in an accident as a civilian in 2015 shortly after leaving the RAMC.

His mother, Abigail Hinchcliffe, said it was “very emotional” to be at Buckingham Palace and watch her son playing with Prince Harry.

William with party-goers.

Kate chatting with one of the guests.

A bucket of balloons. More precisely, water balloons.

Why were they needed? So Kate could help launch them into the air with a giant slingshot, something she found very entertaining.

The trio also posed for photos. Below you see the Duke, Duchess & Prince with Samantha Davidson and her children, Jayden 8, Jamie 6, Amelia 4.

This is one of those occasions where the Duke, Duchess and Prince all seemed to enjoy themselves immensely, despite the losses faced by all the special guests.

Harry spoke briefly to those attending the event: People has more.

Prince Harry made an emotional speech to the party, telling the guests, “Today was organized to celebrate you guys. We’re here to remind you that we as a family, and as a nation will never, ever forget the sacrifices that all of you here have made.

“We wanted to give you an opportunity to know that you are part of, sadly, a very large group of fantastic people. The three of us, and all of our family, wanted to thank you so, so much for everything you’ve done. “I can assure you that Buckingham Palace gardens have not seen this much fun, ever.”

The party wrapped up in dramatic fashion.

Paratroopers from the RAF Falcons team made quite an entrance.

Now for a look at what Kate wore for today’s festivities.

Many recognized the Duchess’ dress immediately; it was first worn at the children’s party in Canada last September.

It was a good choice for today’s festivities. (This comes from someone not fond of the dress, but appreciates its convenience/appeal for Kate.)

The garment is from See by Chloé’s Fall ’16 collection. It remains in stock at Saks ($460), although the ‘small’ size has sold out in the time it took me to write the post. The fit and flare dress is knee-length, with an openworked bodice and sleeves, ruffled collar and cuffs, and back button closure. The pointelle-knit is a blend of 90% cotton/10% polyester.

Here is a look at that button back.

Kate also wore the Fleur espadrille wedges by Monsoon today; she also wore this shoe at the party in Canada.

The taupe suede worn by the Duchess is no longer available. This spring the Fleur is offered in navy suede as well as a taupe fabric; both styles are available on the Monsoon UK site (£45, about $58), but not the US site.

Completing the repeat trifecta, Kate’s Orione belt by Acne Studios, long ago sold out.

We saw the return of Kate’s Kiki McDonough Diamond Hoops and Annoushka Pearl Drop earrings.

This look worked well for the Duchess. The knit dress is comfortable, the full skirt works well when Kate is kneeling, and the wedge shoes made eminently good sense for walking on the grass. One more photo.

We’ll leave you with this 2-minute video from The Telegraph; it includes Kate & Harry launching their water balloons.

The Duchess of Cambridge fires water balloons at Prince William pic.twitter.com/V0KrOzYnVE

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) May 13, 2017

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With a “welcome” to all our new followers it occurs to me it’s time for a comment policy reminder. We’ve been seeing an increase in comments specula, something we avoid. I feel dreadful not publishing them when people have gone to the time and effort of sharing their thoughts, thus the need for a quick refresher. From the policy:

Healthy, respectful discussion is not only desired, it is encouraged. A debate on the length of a hemline or the merits of a sheath over a fit and flare silhouette isn’t just enjoyable, it’s educational. In those instances, and almost all others, people agree to disagree. They do so politely, even warmly. It is not okay to refer to someone as a fool. Nor is it acceptable to belittle another’s opinion, or to label it as stupid, idiotic, ridiculous or to use any other pejorative term in responding to someone’s comment.

The site’s primary purpose is style-related; this is not the place for discussion about Kate and William’s marriage, Kate’s weight or speculation on whether or not she is expecting. Trial and error over the years has shown that weight debates have a propensity to go off the rails very quickly. Saying “I think the dress is too big on her” or “the suit jacket should have been taken in” is different from “She looks gaunt,” or “Kate’s bones stick out,” or comments of that nature. It’s a fine line, but one we’re sensitive to here. 

Comments referring to the Duchess (or anyone else) as a moron, a nitwit, a disgrace or other derogatory terms are simply deleted. That doesn’t translate into sycophancy. It’s merely the difference between saying “I don’t think the dress is cut right” or “it’s not a flattering look” and saying “She looks like an idiot, “I can’t believe she would wear such a trashy dress,” or “she looks dumpy.” In some cases it’s a matter of tone; because this is the written word we need to remember one can’t hear vocal inflections. In summation, we have worked hard over the years to create a community here at WKW, and will continue efforts to ensure civility is maintained as we evolve.

We’ll see you next week, and then a week from today for Pippa’s wedding (!).

LINKAGE:

• Visit Child Bereavement UK’s website here; the organization’s Facebook page is here; its Twitter feed here and Instagram page here
• The Scotty’s Little Soldiers website is here; its Facebook page is here; the charity’s Twitter feed is here & Instagram page here
• Learn more about the SSAFA by visiting the organization’s website here; the group’s Facebook page is here; Twitter feed is here and Instagram page is here
• The Daily Mail’s story is here; The Daily Telegraph’s piece is here; The Evening Standard’s story is here; The Express article is here & The Sun’s story is here
• Simon Perry’s People story is here; the Hello! piece is here
• The Fug Girls coverage is here; PopSugar’s photo galleries are here and here