The Duchess Wears Alexander McQueen for Black Tie Dinner in Oslo

Kate went with another go-to designer for tonight’s black-tie dinner in Oslo.

She wore an evening gown by Alexander McQueen. Below, the Duchess and other royals proceed to dinner.

King Harald escorted Kate while Prince William was with Queen Sonja.

Before dinner, formal photo portraits were taken. Below you see (l to r): Princess Martha Louise of Norway, King Harald, Queen Sonja, William, Kate, Crown Prince Haakon, Crown Princess Mette-Marit, and Princess Astrid of Norway. Martha Louise is the older sister of Crown Prince Haakon and fourth in line to the throne. Princess Astrid is King Harald’s older sister.

More about the evening from a Hello! story:

The black-tie affair was attended by members of government, leaders in business and those from the Norwegian creative industries. William, 35, and Kate, 36, also had the chance to mingle with serving members and veterans from the Norwegian Armed Forces.

Crown Princess Mette-Merit at the dinner.

Kate was seated next to King Harald.

The King and Prince William both gave speeches tonight.

This is from the Royal Family website’s official account of today’s activities.

His Majesty underscored the close ties that exist between Norway and the United Kingdom – and between our royal houses:

The Queen and I are delighted to welcome you on your first official visit to Norway. You are family. And that makes this visit very special – for the Queen and me, and for all of us.

The news release said that “Prince William also spoke of the many ties between our two countries, ties both historical, political and economical in nature.” The full text of William’s speech may be seen here.

There were also toasts this evening.

It looked like a very elegant evening.

On Twitter, ace IDer and royal follower HeavenQRF noted that with the speeches and gowns, it almost felt like a state dinner minus the tiaras and royal orders.

Now to what Kate wore for the big do.

The Duchess was in a blush pink gown by Alexander McQueen. It looked like it was made from lightweight silk, with a round neckline, sleeveless bodice, and a sheer overlay that transforms into a cape covering the sides and back of the dress, creating a very soft, floaty feel. My friend Kelly Lynch pointed out the similarities between Kate’s dress and this McQueen style on sale at My Theresa.

The gown was embellished with hand-sewn rhinestones in a floral motif. I think there were also pearl beads and a few mother-of-pearl beads as well.

Reaction to what Kate wore from Josh Duboff’s Vanity Fair column.

But upon her arrival in Norway Thursday, Kate brought out the big guns…. with this pink gown from Alexander McQueen. Look at this gown! It has a cape. A cape! Blush pink and with a crystal flower-adorned neckline, this is immediately a classic.

The Duchess carried a Jimmy Choo clutch identical to the one she used at last night’s reception in Stockholm, the Celeste style.

The bag is made of suede and adorned with pavé rhinestones on its frame. It measures roughly 8″ x 4″ and can be used with a snake-chain shoulder strap or carried as a clutch.  It is available at Jimmy Choo, as well as at Nordstrom, and also at Saks.

Kate carried the bag in the ‘vino’ colorway to the black-tie dinner in Stockholm Tuesday night.

We saw the return of the Queen’s diamond drop earrings this evening.

As well as the “Wedding Gift Bracelet,’ so called because it was a gift from Prince Philip to HM when they were married in 1947.

Here is a much better photo of the bracelet than what was available tonight, it is from this post.

It appears Kate wore her platinum ‘Cabrina’ lamé heels by Oscar de la Renta. (Thank you, Sara, for pointing this out.)

The Duchess wore her hair up, and I believe we saw the return of a net to help keep it in place.

I thought this was one of Kate’s best looks on the tour.

Here is a link to our first post for the day. Did you have a favorite among the four different ensembles?

Here is the schedule for tomorrow as the tour wraps up and the Cambridges head back to London.

• Friday, February 2:
  • The day begins with a visit to Hartvig Nissen School, where an extremely popular tv show called Skam (Shame) is filmed. The show focuses “on teenagers and the challenges young people can experience growing up, such as identity issues, bullying, relationships, sexual assault, and eating disorders.”
  • Next on the agenda for Kate and William, a private lunch at Skagum, the official residence of Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit.
  • The Crown Prince and Princess will join Kate and William for a visit to Oslo’s famed Holmenkollen Ski Jump overlooking Oslo. They will walk through The Ski Museum and watch a demonstration by Norway’s under-18 ski jumpers.
  • The final event of the tour is an event organized by the Norwegian Ski Federation, at which Kate and William will watch a group of nursery schoolers at a ski school lesson. “The Duke and Duchess will join children taking part in a number of outdoors activities, from experiencing Sami tents, to roasting sausages on an open fire.”
  • The Duke and Duchess then head to the airport where they will board their flight home to London.