The entire Cambridge family enjoyed a movie date in the gardens of Kensington Palace last week. 
The Duke and Duchess, along with Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis had a sneak peek at David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet.
The film opens in theatres on Monday and premieres on Netflix on Friday, October 4th. More about the film from The Guardian’s review:
‘I am David Attenborough and I’m 93. This is my witness statement.” There is a tremendously moving sense of finality about Attenborough’s terrifying new documentary on the climate emergency. It is being marketed as a retrospective, a look back at his life and 60-years-plus career. But make no mistake about its true agenda: Attenborough is here to deliver a stark warning that time is ticking for the planet. It is a personal film – and political, too. There is emotion and urgency in that familiar soothing voice. At one point he rubs his eyes, reddened and damp.
Here is the trailer for the film.
The group watched the film outside. You get a sense of the setup in this photo from the Kensington Palace Instagram page. 
When it came time to watch the movie, it doesn’t look like the gentlemen paid too much attention to the names on their chairs. 
Sir David gave prince George a remarkable present.
More from Rhiannon Mills in her Sky TV story:
The Duchess of Cambridge has talked about Prince George’s obsession with dinosaurs in the past – now her eldest son is the proud owner of a shark’s tooth from the time of the prehistoric giants thanks to Sir David Attenborough.
In a new photograph released by Kensington Palace, seven-year-old George looked ecstatic as he handled the fossilised giant shark’s tooth given to him by Sir David.
The giant shark tooth given to George was found by Sir David during a family holiday to Malta in the late 1960s.
Of course, this is not the first time the Duke and Duchess have spent time with Sir David. Their association goes back many, many years. One of the more recent occasions was at a September 2019 ship naming ceremony. 
The RSS Sir David Attenborough, a new polar research vessel, was being formally named. 
Here you see the Duchess and Sir David at a July 2017 event at the Natural History Museum in a photo shared by journalist Jack Royston on Twitter.
The Duchess with the renowned naturalist and broadcaster at an October 2017 function at the Natural History Museum. 
Below, the Duchess, Dame Helen Mirren, and Sir David at a dramatic arts reception in 2014. 
Those on social media might enjoy following Sir David on his new Instagram account. The naturalist and broadcaster opened an account last week and quickly shattered records for gaining followers. NPR reports he “broke the world record on Thursday for the fastest time to reach one million followers on Instagram, according to Guinness World Records.” Why did he join the social media platform? “I am making this move and exploring this new way of communication (to me), because, as we all know, the world is in trouble.”
Now to what Kate wore, a new denim dress by Gabriela Hearst.
The dress is the ‘Marley’ style, from the designer’s pre-fall 2020 collection. It is 100% cotton with a cotton/silk lining. The style features a buttoned bodice with concealed placket, adjustable sleeve length with tabs, a self-belt with snaffle closure, and a full skirt accented with mother of pearl snaps on the side. The dress is available in a deep blue and lighter blue chambray. The detail shots below are in the lighter color. 
The darker blue version of the dress worn by the Duchess is offered at Luisa Via Roma ($1590); it is available in most sizes at Neiman Marcus ($1590) and limited sizes at Net-a-Porter ($1590). It is offered in a lighter blue at Matches Fashion ($1590) and in limited sizes at My Theresa ($1590). (To me the MyTheresa version looks like the lighter color, although it is difficult to tell.)
For those unfamiliar with the label, Gabriela Hearst is a New York-based designer of womenswear and menswear. More from this Business of Fashion piece.
“We have integrity in how we make our things, check who makes them and where they come from,” Hearst told MatchesFashion. “We make sure that, for our woman, things are made in the best environment, in the best possible way and that those core values are placed to the fore.”
Gabriela Hearst’s emphasis on sustainability results in a limited product offering, with demand far exceeding supply.
Just a few weeks ago, Ms. Hearst was named the 2020 Council of Fashion Designers of America Womenswear Designer of the Year.
There is a debate about which shoes the Duchess is wearing, her navy Rupert Sanderson heels, or her Emmy London pair. I will take a closer look and see if I can see any distinguishing traits that might help determine which style she is wearing.
It looks like the Duchess may have been wearing new earrings, the Pangolin Haka style ($234) in silver by Patrick Mavros. (Note: both photos below are from Patrick Mavros, that is not a shot of the Duchess wearing the earrings.)
The earrings are described this way: “these tapered earrings are hand-polished to perfection. Inspired by the symmetry of a Pangolin’s tail, the classic shape epitomizes the rare style of this exceptional mammal.” Many thanks to the UFO No More crew for this fab ID.
What a nice treat to have new photos on a Saturday! For more information on what the children are wearing, visit What Kate’s Kids Wore.
Susan, I see many people have posted about the expense of the dress. Is it possible the dress was donated by the designer? I personally love the casual but elegant look. I’m also always in awe of Kate’s hair. I’ve been to London several times, and I too have long, thick, curly hair. However, on my best day, mine could never look this amazing, especially with frequent rain.😊
Hi, Karen! While it’s likely the dress may have been purchased at a discounted price, the policy followed by British Royals prohibits accepting an outright gift. “Gifts offered by commercial enterprises in the UK should normally be declined, unless they are offered as a souvenir of an official visit to the enterprises’ premises, to mark a Royal marriage or other special personal occasion.” If interested, there is more info on the policy here: Gifts offered by commercial enterprises in the UK should normally be declined, unless they
are offered as a souvenir of an official visit to the enterprises’ premises, to mark a Royal
marriage or other special personal occasion. 🙂
Susan, thanks for getting back to me. This is very interesting and puts an end to my curiosity about donated items. I so enjoy your posts and learn something each time. Aloha!🌺🌴😎
I think the dress in overpriced, looks too loose in wrong places and is too modest. Kate is a beautifull woman and this dress washes her out. Didn’t like the shoes, lower hill would be better.
Such a happy family occasion, what a treat to see so many smiles. I can only marvel at the degree of colour coordination which has even included the young family’s prestigious visitor. The Gabriella Hearst shirtwaister is very beautifully made, if a little dull in such a uniform shade of blue. The fabrics used are light enough to preserve swing in the skirt, but don’t make for such a crisp finish as some other shirtwaisters Kate has worn.
The lighter fabric makes for easier detailing like the pearl snaps down the side and will be comfortable to wear with a silk lining. It’s not so good for the belt which, being slim, ends up looking a bit stringy. For a denim style I think something a touch sturdier is more effective. Meghan wore a denim Caroline Herrera to a polo match which boasted a particularly well-styled belt, as I recall.
With such a full skirt, covered placket, and slender belt, the overall effect is far from arresting, but very much in the present WFH zone and just right for a coordinated summer evening in the garden. Kate’s dark courts help give some definition and I think the earrings are a real treat – a neat gesture towards the conservation theme.
Susan you were wonderful in the People Royal Report! What a treat to “see” you in your element 🙂
I adore this outfit on Kate and I wonder if her wearing blue around Sir David is a tribute to his Blue Planet series? Just a thought…now back to the clothes. The dress is perfect just enough dressy and casual together and the heels help balance her height with William in the photo….flats would have made the proportions look off in the photo and I think in general with the outfit. The kids look adorable…I love Charlotte’s face ❤️ It’s a 10 from me!
What a beautiful family! The children look sharp and age appropriate. They also appear to be very well behaved.
I love Kate’s dress – it reminds me of a cowgirl skirt that I bought in Denver years ago – indigo denim a-line, midi length, with pearl snaps on the deep front pockets. I am not a cowgirl, but I wore that skirt for years in the SF Bay Area, dressed down with tees and sandals, dressed up with linen or silk blouses and boots.
Kate looks wonderful in that dress and silhouette – the midi length is so practical for public events with children – Kate can bend down or squat with no worries about what she is “showing” to the public. The color is beautiful on her. And the pearl details are elegant but playful. A solid candidate for Kate’s best looks of the year for me.
Interesting about the pangolin – supposedly the animal through which the coronavirus jumped to humans. In the UK the rules just changed to not mingling with other households, so not sure when this event was as it’s not in line with current regulations. The dress is nice and casual but not at the price tag and also second the comments about espadrilles being the better fit. What shoes was she wearing in the Natural History Museum pic?
Kia ora Adi,
The latest research exonerates the poor Pangolin. See the article below.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1567134820303245
In England we ARE allowed To mix with different households – just no more than 6 people
The poor Pangolins are critically endangered, and smuggled/poached for the South Asian market, for men who think that parts of these animals will boost their masculinitity, as well as parts of tigers, bears and the East African albino populations.
I think Kate wore these earrings to mark the plight of these animals.
I’m quite sure that the admin will not post my letter, as it will not be a direct comment to Kate’s clothes.
But I hope that you all will see this as a statement that Kate wanted to make with her choice of earrings.
As her only real voice is to make subtle markings in the way the Queen sometimes does.
What a nice event with Sir David Attenborough, and the whole family looks great and happy. I like that Kate wore a Denim Dress that is tailored and causal at the same time. From my observation Kate and her advisors purchase many outfits for various events and non-events way in advance and possibly in case something comes up, so purchasing a beautiful interesting denim dress with Mother of Pearl snap buttons that is Kate style was probably just in case there was a backyard or front yard event with this pandemic still happening. Kate wearing her navy block pumps she is able to walk on grass/garden events. I have commented before that she needs to purchase a nice pair of navy espadrilles, that are nice with dresses, pants & Capri pants. You can see William is semi causal with blazer, but needs to get these brown suede shoes he like in Navy. They are both dress respectfully with the family and event. They all look lovely 💙.
I’m a bit tired of all the midi dresses, but this is a surprisingly good one. Would have looked much better with a pair of espadrilles.
It’s fun to watch the evolution of the Cambridge childrens’ hair. Charlotte seems to be getting much more blonde, and Louis as well. Those Spencer genes are strong!
Love your observation about the hair! I wonder if Charlotte will be the next blonde in a few years, after her baby brother! How cute
I am devided in my opinion. The dress is really lovely with its fit-and-flare-style and details. It is very flattering. But the price tag of more than £ 1200 for a simple denim dress is quite expensive. Further for this particular occasion about saving the wild life it would have been better to re-wear one of her many many dresses the Duchess already has in her wardrobe. She missed to make a statement for sustainability instead of choosing a denim dress with a waste of water for the production of the cotton denim fabric.
Amen!
Agreed
A silk/cotton lining doesn’t sound plain to me, and the sustainability bit is covered in a pull-out quote above, which notes the designer’s commitment to it.
I wonder if Kate was aiming for a touch of high-end as this family gathering was standing in for a big red carpet event at the Albert Hall to launch Sir David’s film. To choose a classy dress is a mark of respect to a great man.
Let’s not focus on what her clothes cost especially this season. She can’t run around shopping like the rest of us. Also I’d imagine she has a complete wardrobe preordered for events and activities that didn’t happen. So let’s not pick at costs- let’s be thankful she’s out supporting great causes and focused on her family.
I agree, Susan.
I see this dress as an investment piece. It’s certainly beyond the reach of most women in terms of its price, but it is a classic dress that I could see The Duchess wearing for at least the next 10 years if she wanted to. It will probably last well because it is made of quality fabric. I don’t expect the wife of the future king of England to turn up wearing budget clothing all the time. I think The Duchess is rather careful with her clothing budget in that she often wears items several times, and she is mindful of not flaunting her wealth. If we didn’t know the price or origin of the denim dress, we would have applauded her for having worn a simple, classic dress that was appropriate to the occasion. I also note that Gabriela Hurst aims to produce and sell her products on the basis of sustainability, (see below), and that’s possibly one of the reasons why Catherine chooses to buy from her. By contrast, some cheap clothing is produced by what amounts to little more than slave labour, and is made of fabrics that shed synthetic fibres every time it is washed.
https://www.gabrielahearst.com/blogs/stories/about-the-brand
https://www.gabrielahearst.com/blogs/stories/sustainable-practices-timeline
I think the dress is quite sophisticated, even though denim. More casual shoes, with some heel, would probably have worked better. Mostly, her joy in her children shines through.
As a fellow Mom, this is a look I can actually get behind (minus the price tag :O). I ageee with another poster that of all her midi dresses, this is the cream of the crop. How flattering and lovely. I also agree that this look, especially in a casual garden setting could have been pulled off with navy flats.
I am on the ´pro’ side of this earring debate – a) I like the way they look and I think it goes well with the solid nature of the rest of the outfit, and b) pangolin trafficking is a huge environmental issue and so another nod to Sir David’s life work (I cannot day with any certainty that he is interested in pangolins specifically, but it does fit in with his life’s work).
Way to go Kate! Aside – wouldn’t mind seeing some RepliKates of this dress:)
What a lovely picture! This dress is absolutely gorgeous, so much so that I’m going to hunt for RepliKates for me, which rarely happens. This is such a young, chic look on Kate while also being comfortable.
The earrings are clearly a nod to Sir David, so even though they look slightly too edgy to go with the dress, I like them.
Kate is clearly not a fan of flats, but I wonder that she didn’t feel like wearing any of her cork platforms on this occasion!
I like the chambray dress: still the ubiquitous shirt dress style but has redeeming features e.g. The sleeve tabs, little buckled belt (as opposed to a skinny same material tie belt which rarely works well) and the snaps at the side. They don’t appear to go all the way down so hopefully one gets a bit of a side split effect.
The shoes seem an odd choice with this-casual dress, though. Why not a pair of canvas ‘tekkies’ a la Princess Charlotte?.
From the one picture I cannot see what earrings Catherine is wearing but the silver pangolin ‘tail’ is an excellent choice – also sadly and rapidly bevoming endangered.
I think the outfit is quite cute. I just think it’s quite ironic that she brought a new dress costing upwards of 1000 dollars to wear to a movie about climate change. I really think that is not necessary when she has thousands of other dresses to wear.
Love the dress but wish it had been one of her more affordable styles. The earrings are great as well and I appreciate the subtle nod to the sad, and often unknown plight of the Pangolin. Yay Kate!!!
I was puzzled by why The Duchess had worn the Pangolin earrings in Sir David’s presence, when the poor Pangolin is such a persecuted creature. It all makes perfect sense now that I have found the following article, (although I still don’t love the earrings).
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/9637972/Sir-David-Attenborough-picks-10-animals-he-would-take-on-his-ark.html
Agree
I thought that was just the point of wearing the “pangolin earrings”, that Kate is on board with Sir Attenborough on making the point of raising awareness of the endangered species!
Sir David Attenborough is a charming man and absolutely a national treasure, who always seems to have such a good rapport with William and Kate. His work over the decades has been most impressive. Along with the Queen and Prince Philip, Sir David shows that one can still be vital at the age of 90+.
The Cambridge family are nicely coordinated in blue. The children look adorable and George seems thrilled with the gift.
I really like Kate’s outfit, although I can’t imagine paying $1,590 for denim. This dress, however, has many lovely design details. I like the snaps down the one side, the clasp on the self belt, and the lighter contrast of the turned back cuffs on the sleeves. The earrings are interesting, but Pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, would not have been my choice, due to the yuck factor. Given that Kate is wearing denim, I think navy flats would have looked really appropriate, as the shoe selection.
I totally agree about the earrings. My first reaction was why Pangolins.
Pangolins because they are on the highly endangered list, being despicably captured, slaughtered (or smuggled live’ in huge numbers as ‘medicine’ for the south east Asian market. A perfect choice for the event. Well done, Catherine.
To answer your question about why pangolins:
Pangolins are the most trafficked mammal in the world. There is a huge black market for their scales which are used in Chinese medicine. Patrick Mavros made these earrings (and a whole series of pangolin jewelry) to raise awareness about this.
A Gabriela Hearst dress and pangolin earrings are about as on point as it gets for an event with Sir David. It’s a clear message about sustainability and conservation.
Also, I don’t know what the OP means about yuck factor re: pangolins. They’re absolutely adorable! Just google one!
My first thought was that the Pangolin earrings were a humorous reference to Sir David’s love of natural history. A friend of mine was entranced by a documentary about these remarkable creatures, which centred around a selfless woman who cares for them. I believe they are seriously endangered in the wild.
This is a lovely dress, in my opinion. I wouldn’t mind it myself!
How touching that Sir David gave George a dinosaur’s tooth that he had found himself, many years ago. All in all, a delightful family occasion. I’m looking forward to watching the program.
A further thought: I am a bit bemused as to how the earrings were identified. In the one photo of Kate on this occasion, her hair is covering all but a tiny glimpse of her earrings. Perhaps Susan had access to more pictures showing the earrings in greater detail. Or did Kensington Palace issue a press release mentioning them as part of this outfit?
Hi, Marguerite, that is a good question. I do have a hi-res picture that clearly shows one earring, but didn’t believe it merited inclusion in the post because of its tiny size. 🙂
Pangolins aren’t yucky, they are adorable! Who could resist the sight of the mother giving her tiny baby a ride on her long incredibly strong tail? They only have one baby at a time, and are extremely endangered and threatened by poaching.
Pangolins are one of the most endangered animals on earth, if “most endangered” means anything now in the midst of a tragic and terrifying extinction event.
The the adorableness of pangolins: https://www.boredpanda.com/baby-pangolins-asking-to-prom/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic
Jessica and Friends, I’ve been travelling today and just logged onto WKW. I had no idea how much people adored Pangolins. Such a response to my original posting, that I thought there was a yuck factor to wearing earrings that were meant to represent a Pangolin’s tail. I certainly have no argument about how these creatures fit into the balance of nature and it is always concerning when an animal is endangered or trafficked. But that doesn’t mean that their tails need to be showcased in jewellery. I wouldn’t want earrings that duplicated anything’s tail. Beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder and if I saw a Pangolin on the path ahead, I’d react the same way I would if I saw a rat or a snake. Pangolin’s are one of God’s creatures and as an animal lover I would certainly never be cruel to one, but I’ll keep ant eaters out of my earring collection.
Hahaha I agree with you Bonnie! Maybe it’s the fact that the earring is just a tail rather than a mini-version of the whole animal? The tail part gets me too for some reason … at least it’s all for a good cause! 🙂
I really like this dress! I think this is what all her other prairie-esque midis should aspire to. Floaty, casual, even boho, but still flattering. Interestingly, I think it would also be right at home in the Duchess of Sussex’ wardrobe!
The Duchess has worn two of my all-time favorite looks to meet with Sir David Attenborough! The pale blue gown at the Natural History Museum and that unforgettable red McQueen from 2014. Interesting that after that first meeting she has always worn light blue. I wonder if Sir David registered a preference?
This dress looks enjoyably wearable, and the chambray is a visual relief after all the ditsy prints we’ve been seeing. I could do without the sleeve tabs (in every instance), but I think the side buttons are a cute detail. The shoes seem an odd choice, both to go with the dress and to walk in the grass.
I agree with you on the sleeves! A detail I always dislike.
Agree about the shoes being an odd choice.
Fabulous dress…definitely a denim dress that only a duchess’s budget can accommodate. I think it’s a perfect dress…maybe my ideal denim/chambray dress. I have a couple of them, none quite as lovely as this. The lining sounds sumptuous.
Flats, espadrilles, trainers or a sandal would have worked so much better. Basically, ANY shoe other than stilettos!!
The Cambridges are a gorgeous family, and I love that they’re color-coordinated here. However, Kate’s ultra-long denim dress looks much more appropriate for a woman in her fifties or sixties. Sometimes outfits that aim for “boho-chic” or “retro” just look dowdy and aging, as I believe this one does.
Personally, I really can’t find anything redeeming about Kate’s look in this post, except maybe her shoes.
Not quite in my 50s, I can’t say whether I’d wear this dress in that decade, but I never saw my mother or grandmothers in dresses like this when they were in their 50s and 60s. To me, it’s a younger woman’s dress.
I am in my fifties and I wouldn’t feel comfortable in that dress. It’s lovely but made for a younger woman in my opinion. The dress is one of my favorite casual looks on Kate in quite a while.
Same here. I’d have happily worn that dress two decades ago but at 53 – no way.
I’m nearly of Kate’s generation, and I don’t know any woman my age or her age who dresses like this on the regular, except those who are very religiously observant. Not a single one.
However, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and there is no right answer about whether an outfit is good or bad.
I thought the effect of the dress was a little severe, almost 1940s utility style. And plain silver earrings, however cute a pangolin may be, are still a relatively dull choice in an outfit that could use a pop of colour. Except of course that Kate might have wanted to stay in the coordinated background and let her family take centre stage.
I agree with your take completely, ElizaMo! Great point though about Kate wanting to make her family the foreground.
Cuteness overload! Those children are such sweeties. Prince Louis probably wanted to hold the shark’s tooth, but has been taught that it’s bad manners to grab things, so he is waiting patiently for Prince George to look at it. Princess Charlotte looks thrilled. It’s lovely to see everyone looking so happy. I love that Sir David and Prince William sat in the ‘wrong’ chairs 🙂
The Duchess’s dress must be very comfortable. I can only imagine what cotton lined with silk/cotton must feel like. I love that everyone is coordinated in blue. I’m not a big fan of the earrings, but I don’t know why. Perhaps they might be a little too formal with the dress.
Sir David Attenborough is a national treasure.
Caroline A.