Kate brought back a Diane von Furstenberg gown at tonight’s Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families gala.
The Centre is one of 8 primary partners with the Heads Together charity Kate, William and Harry created.
The Centre describes itself as “a children’s mental health charity developing and delivering pioneering care.”
Kate met with families who have benefitted from the Centre’s services.
More from The Belfast Telegraph:
Terell Llewellyn, from west London, was among those who spoke with the Duchess.
The 11-year-old, who is back in mainstream school after receiving support from the charity, said Kate told him “well done”, having previously met him a few years ago.
His father, Wayne Llewellyn, said: “It makes a difference that the Duchess of Cambridge has taken an interest in this. It’s brilliant.”
Victoria Murphy of The Daily Mirror shared this video as Kate arrived and spoke with guests.
Kate arrives at @AFNCCF Gala Dinner this evening. Speaking with @katesilverton1 on arrival pic.twitter.com/1P8a7T49Jd
— Victoria Murphy (@QueenVicMirror) November 7, 2017
In this photograph, I believe Kate is talking with Peter Fonagy, the Freud Centre’s CEO.
Richard Palmer’s Express story covers Kate’s interest in maternal mental health:
Chief Executive of the charity, Peter Fonagy, said: “She’s very interested in maternal mental health.
“One of the things that we are interested in is intervening as early as possible in children’s lives to improve their chances of good mental health throughout life.
“And she’s particularly concerned that mothers’ mental health plays a major role in this and that we are able to support mothers to support their children.”
A model was on display showing the charity’s Centre for Excellence, currently under construction.
More from the Freud Centre:
The Centre of Excellence will, for the first time, bring under one roof the very best science, education and mental health support for these families. At the heart of the Campus is a school for 48 vulnerable children who have been excluded from mainstream education and face a bleak future without the dedicated support the new Centre will provide.
Kate is the Centre’s patron, taking on that role in early 2016. Here you see her at the Centre’s Christmas party in 2015.
The Centre just launched an Instagram account, where they posted images from tonight’s gala.
Tonight’s gala was at The Orangery in Kensington Gardens. The name harkens back to an era when prosperous homes had a room dedicated to housing fragile plants during the winter, keeping things like orange and other fruit trees safe from the harsh elements.
Now to what Kate wore, the ‘Zarita’ dress by Diane von Furstenberg. Kate first wore the gown in November 2014 for the Royal Variety Performance.
The frock features a fitted bodice and waist that then broadens into a sweeping, fluted hem. 
Another look at the dress in 2014 and again today.
The Duchess had on a bracelet we’ve not seen previously.
BRACELET UPDATE: The folks at From Her Majesty’s Jewel Vault offer this insight:
The Duchess of Cambridge debuted what appears to be another piece from The Queen’s jewel collection at the Anna Freud Centre Gala Dinner this evening, the Diamond Quatrefoil Bracelet. The wide diamond bracelet features multiple diamond quatrefoil motifs, the four-lobed design popular in architecture, art, heraldry, and elsewhere. Each quatrefoil outline is filled with five individual diamonds.
Many thanks to Barbara and Susan for their comments alerting me to the HMJV post and a comment by Franck on the Royal Jewels of the World Message Board noting that HM wore the bracelet to the State Opening of Parliament in 2010.
And some comparison photos.
Kate carried her Prada clutch.
I think the poppy brooch worn tonight was first seen at an April 2012 engagement.
It is the Buckley Crystal Poppy Brooch, available at one time through the Royal British Legion.
Unfortunately, that specific style appears to be sold out. There is a similar style available that is £19.99 (about $26.)
Kate wore a familiar pair of the Queen’s earrings.
Kate wearing the earrings this evening, at Trooping the Colour in June, last December’s diplomatic reception and the Place2Be awards in November 2016.
We have a few quick ideas on the RepliKate Dresses page for anyone interested in creating their own version of the look.
NOTE: The post was updated at 8:45 pm with new info on the bracelet; this included deletion of earlier information about the piece.
LINKAGE:
- Visit the Anna Freud Centre website here, view its Facebook page here, the Instagram feed here, or follow the group on Twitter here
- The Daily Mail‘s story is here; The Daily Mirror’s story is here; The Express story is here
- PopSugar’s gallery is here; the Fug Girls report is here; Vogue’s piece is here; People’s story is here
I wondered at the first photos if the bracelet was a loan from HM. Great sleuthing to identify it! So lovely on the Duchess- I hope we’ll be seeing it more often. I must say that I loved everything about Kate’s look tonight and applaud her championing of maternal and child mental health.
Fabulous dress and that bracelet…oh the bracelet is stunning. Very happy to see DOC in such an elegant lace evening gown!
Gorgeous dress, I love this look and this silhouette on Kate. I really think lace is my favourite look on her – the peach McQueen, the black cocktail-length D&G, any of the Temperley ones – all so elegant and timeless.
I love this. This is why I love her. Just a black lace dress, something we know she likes, in a very classic design, with a knock your socks off bracelet! Her hair is great too, I love waves, it’s super polished, but but not uptight. I really love this look.
I have to say she has made me rethink my own wardrobe and if I really like something I buy it in another color now. Variety is overrated I think sometimes.
On another note, I bought the Tod’s D bag. This is my first designer bag, and I must say it’s a crazy high quality bag. It was such a great purchase. I am very happy with it, I bought the Duchesses’ exact bag. It’s pretty fantastic. If you are on the fence, I feel like it’s a bag that will never go out of style, my teenage daughter already called dibs on it when I am not using it, now that’s saying something.
Good for you on the bag, it’s great to hear how much you like it! 🙂
Bracelet and earrings combo is eye catching. Dress is elegant, but I think would look better in a long sleeve version. Kate is looking healthy & happy!
Fun to see other perspectives on preferred necklines, sleeves, etc – personally, I love this length sleeve, wouldn’t want anything competing with that beautiful bracelet!
(I apologize if this comment appears multiple times…I’m not getting any “comment awaiting moderation” notifications so I have no idea if it’s working. Cleared my cookies and trying again!)
I love reading about Kate’s mental health engagements. Based on the comments in articles, this is obviously something Kate believes very strongly in, which can only benefit those who receive services from these charities. She always seems to shine at these events as well.
I’ve loved the DVF Zarita for years. It seems like Kate had it altered or bought it a size up to accomodate pregnancy, so I’m very glad we got the opportunity to see it again! I also think pairing a black clutch was a smart choice, since it really gives the bracelet and the poppy the chance to pop. I liked her hair up with the first wearing, but I also like these big, loose waves. I think it brings the formality down just a notch to make the whole look a bit more welcoming for an event with children in attendance.
Susan, this is off-topic but I was wondering, have you ever considered adding a “random post” button to the sidebar? There have been a few times where I’ve had no idea what to put on in the morning, at which point I usually resort to copying a look from a blog, or something Kate wore. Not sure if it’s technically possible or if there’s interest from anyone else, so I thought I’d put it out there. 🙂
That is a great question. I don’t know if I can do it or not, but I’ll certainly look into it. Thank you for the suggestion! 🙂
Glad I could help! Thanks for always answering our questions. You do a great job of managing the site beyond the detailed posts. 🙂
Another great hair day for the Duchess! She looks lovely and elegant but still modern.
The diamonds are lifting this immensely.More of them certainly wouldn‘t harm the look.Not „queen-Alexandra-more“ but you know…why not showing us more of these rocks you‘ve got…
In general I always sigh when I see her in a lace dress, since she wears them so frequently and has so many of them. But this one I really liked when we first saw it and I like it again now. It doesn’t have the “doily” effect some of her lace dresses have. Bracelet and earrings look great and Kate should go for more serious jewelry at events like these. Does she only have the one pair of “significant” diamond earrings from the queen?
I wonder if the dress is a little big for her or not as slim in the waist as some of hers are. The only times we have seen this have been when she is pregnant, correct? So I wonder if something in how the dress is cut makes it more comfortable for being pregnant (I think I see a tiny bump, but even without that, being pregnant for me always meant feeling “thick” and bloated, so a bit of extra room was nice.)
I have had high tea in the Orangery, it’s a lovely place. In the weekends when the sun is out, it gets crazy busy though, with people crashing on the steps.
Also, if I were her, I would like to have a poppy with real rubies or something, that I could wear every year. I think that the charity that makes the poppies should make high end versions too, eg with real gold and gemstones. I saw they do make poppy pins and cufflinks for men in real gold.
I understand your point about the poppy, Lisa. The one Kate has does look inexpensive compared to the other jewels that she is wearing. It is, however, better looking than the paper/plastic ones that most of us wear. But I am thinking one with real rubies might be too elitist, The poppy is meant to be a symbol to show that we remember those who died serving their countries. It is not meant to be a major statement piece of jewellery
I’d say that Kate is well and truly over the horrid sickness of her early pregnancy. It Is so good to see her back enjoying an event.
The dress and indeed the whole look are very classy and elegant. The styling is perfect and the bracelet certainly adds a WOW factor. I would have preferred her hair in an updo to better show off the pretty neckline of the dress and the poppy. But all in all, her ensemble tonight is a winner.
I’ve always been quite fond of this black lace gown. It makes her look very regal. I could not remember if it was all over lace or not, so I had to look at the dress’s original post and was surprised again it was an all over lace. I am normally not fond of them, but this one is so subtle that I don’t seem to mind it.
I love that no matter how she has styled this dress, she simply looks elegant.
This dress is one of the better ones in her enormous collection of lace…the lower cut at the neck in the back makes it less stuffy. I love the bracelet. I also like that she has finally figured out how to do a smokey eye without the panda rings of eyeliner (although her blush is a bit heavy handed). The hair is still a problem. I still like the length but don’t understand why she persists with the curls that don’t work with the shorter hair. Actually, the picture where she has the straightened shorter hair above from the 2015 Christmas party shows what she SHOULD be doing with her hair right now (sans the bangs)…it is shiny and sleek and looks great blown out like that…more contemporary.
Her hair *is* curly–so it seems odd to say she “persists” with curls.
Of course it’s heavily styled for public appearances, especially events like this one, but to suggest that she’s somehow under an obligation to reverse the natural texture of her hair seems odd. It’s like arguing that she should be dying it blonde.
Her hair is, I think, naturally wavy. She curls it into these ringlet things. I would actually be OK with her leaving it wavy, as well, but I don’t think the prom curls work with this particular hair length.
I actually have stick straight hair myself, and am typically envious of people with a natural curl and wave, but I just don’t like the way the shorter hair is styled with these larger curls. If she/her stylist wants to work with her natural wave I think that would be fine, but if she is going to invest time in it I’d rather see her hair at this length blown straight.
Her hair is in fact quite curly and forms ringlets naturally: http://i2.wp.com/whatwouldkatedo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Kate-Middleton-curly-hair.jpg
She can do whatever she wants with her hair, of course, and there’s nothing wrong with having a preference. But I think it’s time we put to rest this idea that curly hair is an affectation for her. It’s how the Good Lord made her.
Good. She should wear important jewelry. She’s a senior Royal and wife of an heir to the throne. I’m glad the Queen is generous enough to loan these pieces. Otherwise, a tried and true look.
Agree, agree, agree!! Love to see HM’s jewels on Kate.
I believe this is the ‘vault’ link discussing tonight’s mystery bracelet, at least, this is one that works here in the States!
http://queensjewelvault.blogspot.com/
The whole look is beautiful! Just for something different I think red earrings maybe rubies or garnets would’ve looked nice and coordinated well with the poppy brooch.
I agree, the red earrings she wore on tour this summer would have been great to see with this dress!
Do you think she might be wearing her Jimmy Choo Black Suede Cosmic Pumps since she wore them the last time with this dress? I only assume because they are a platform shoe and match the length of the dress perfectly … unless she had an alteration done with a lower platform shoe .. either way, she looks lovely! xx
That is a really good question. I had not thought of the Cosmic, but it would make sense. I wish there were other photos, but to the best of my knowledge, we’ve seen all that are available from the pool.
The bracelet is a new loan from the Queen.
Diamond Quatrefoil Bracelet, Queen’s collection. Reference Her Majesty’s Jewelery Vault. com
Kate’s looking beautiful and so classy…say what you will about her lace dresses, this is a timeless, elegant look and she wears it well. The jewels are perfection, and I love her hair down for this particular function, I think it gives the whole look a modern, unfussy vibe that suits the tone of the event. Gorgeous all around!
I agree, the hair down works for the vibe of the event and the setting, though I overall prefer the updo we saw with the first wear. It had great texture and volume. It’s a classic dress and it deserves the rewear. Gorgeous bracelet, too. She looks great.
I’m glad she chose to wear this dress this evening and not save it to repeat on Saturday at the same event! Hopefully this means something new at the festival, just to mix it up a bit.
The Duchess looks wonderful. According to Franck at the Royal Jewels of the World Message Board, the bracelet was worn by the Queen at the State Opening of Parliament in 2010.
That dress has to be the perfect foil for the loveliest bracelet I’ve seen Kate wear so far. This is some way ahead of Tiffany Diamonds by the Yard and for me is the star of the outfit, thank you for so many photos of the piece.
Lace seems to lend itself naturally to regal dignity and poise as borne out by the number of royal ladies in Europe still turning to it. It’s a kind fabric for an increasing waistline and the dress has a forgiving cut with its princess line. I really like the contrast of lace alone over the arms against the dark body of the dress. I also love the full skirt on this DVF, with those fluted panels giving welcome movement. Kate wears it well.
Kate’s hair is also looking very good with extra waves and it’s pure pleasure to see those gorgeous earrings again. I was interested to see that Kate’s new crop leaves the back V-neck still quite exposed. The poppy works well for a spot of colour and black was to be expected in Remembrance week.
Her hair looks amazing!
Simply stunning and elegant. Also what a great cause that deserves a high level of attention.
That bracelet—yum!!! It is beautiful. Would love to know if it is from the vaults and loaned to her by QE2 or if it is the Duchess’ property.
I have always liked this DVF dress and think it looks great again tonight. Makeup was great and so was her clutch and earrings.
Her hair was verging on the dreaded ringlets, but wasn’t quite there, so I am going to say it looked great, however I renew my desire for an off-center part. I do think this look would have been fantastic with an updo, but that is just personal preference.
all in all a win.
Agree about the side part (for example, her hair looks fantastic in the photo at the Christmas engagement). The black gown is very flattering.
So happy to see Kate all glamorous for this worthy cause.
She looks so beautiful in this lace gown.
[Thank you for writing “brought back” and that she “first wore the gown in 2014”. I scratch my head at the odd headlines of “recycled gown” on news sites.]
What an elegant gown to keep enjoying. Switching the hairstyle and adding jewels was just the thing to do.
I like the bouncy hair and that brilliant diamond bracelet is QUITE the sparkler!
If you wear black lace, this is how to do it. I liked the way the updo she had when wearing this previously showed off the neckline of the dress. However, I like her shorter hair, and would like if she veered more toward waves rather than ringlet when her hair is down. She appears to be getting more comfortable at her events. Perhaps it’s the presence of children?
I mean. How lovely. There is something so wonderful about a person who knows their style and carries it off so flawlessly and confidently. Would you ever guess that she is pregnant and has been suffering so much from nausea? She looks perfect.
The jewelry is dazzling against the black. I really like her hair down with this gown. Modern and sexy, but in a totally Duchess-like way!
I agree with you Jessica. Kate carries off her own style impeccably, I think appreciating her has to be about accepting that and not expecting novelty and entertainment. I think her restrained and classic taste will stand the test of time and we’ll be able to look back on these outfits with pleasure for years to come.
Worded perfectly ElizaMo! I wholeheartedly agree.
I really like the way she styled the dress for this evening’s gala. The bracelet, in particular, is beautiful. As usual, the Duchess looks fantastic.
Might I add that I love she is parting her hair slightly off to the side again. While there were certainly some occasions when her hair was parted straight down the middle it looked lovely (the purple dress on the most recent royal tour, for example), I often felt it aged her considerably. For whatever reason, the hair slightly parted off to the side appears more youthful.
I’d noticed that the parting seems to be floating a little off-centre on the past couple of occasions. Whatever the reason for it, I agree with you that it’s very welcome, having a softening effect compared with the more severe centre part
I read somewhere once that of-center parts are most flattering on most people because just about everyone has asymmetry in their facial features. A center part highlights the asymmetry just enough that our minds see it as not very flattering. An off-center part helps to soften the harshness.