The Duchess was in a new dress today when she and Prince William met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine and First Lady Olena Zelenska. 
The audience was at Buckingham Palace. 
Today’s meeting was the first royal engagement at the Palace since the lockdown started in March.
Simon Perry notes in a People story that today’s engagement “underlines once more how William and Kate are increasingly carrying out engagements for the Queen.”
This is the first day of a two-day state visit to the UK; meetings with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab are also on the schedule for President Zelenskyy.
Now for our look at what Kate wore for today’s meeting. 
The Duchess was in a cornflower blue dress that has many of the signature elements seen in Emilia Wickstead pieces worn by the Duchess. The knee-length dress is a classic fit and flare silhouette with a vee-neck and self-belt. It has darts on the bodice and gathers at the waist like other Wickstead designs. As the House of Windsor noted, the belt is very much like other Emilia Wickstead belts.
Below, the Duchess today and at a November 2019 engagement. The skirt on today’s dress looks slightly different from that worn last year, almost as if there are pleats at the waist. I am not 100% convinced this is by Emilia Wickstead, more like 85%, but will reach out to see if we can get confirmation from the designer’s office. 
Annicke makes a great point in her comment: the Ukraine flag is blue and yellow, clearly a choice on the Duchess’s part to wear something in that color.
UPDATE: The dress is not a Wickstead design, with thanks to Middleton Maven for sharing an email with this info. As noted by Ada in a comment, the eyelets on Emilia Wickstead belts are usually metal, whereas other designers ‘match them’ to the fabric in the garment. Below, two Catherine Walker belts with eyelets matching the fabric. I am not suggesting Kate’s dress is a Catherine Walker design but wanted to show the belt. 
Kate wore her Gianvito Rossi ‘praline’ pumps ($632). 
The suede pumps have a classic pointed toe and 4″ heel.
The Duchess debuted a necklace we’ve not previously seen. 
The necklace features a pendant with what looks like a sapphire surrounded by diamonds, and suspended from it is a larger sapphire bordered by diamonds. The two photos below are the necklace, on the right, we show one of Kate’s earrings today. 
Several noted on Twitter and FB the necklace looks like it has been created using pieces owned by Diana, Princess of Wales. More specifically, reworked earrings from a sapphire suite given to Diana by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia as a wedding gift, as suggested by The Royal Watcher and Elizabeth of Kate’s Closet.
You can read more about the jewels at The Royal Watcher blog and also at The Order of Splendor.
UPDATE: Several people more knowledgeable about Diana’s jewelry have gotten in touch to let me know the earrings shown in the photo above were not part of the Saudi wedding gift.
LINKAGE:
- The Mirror’s coverage is here; The Daily Mail’s piece is here; a Hello story is here; Simon Perry’s People coverage is here; The Sun’s article is here;
Spruha Kurlekar
Monday 12th of October 2020
My favorite part about this outfit is the jewelry.
Amelie
Monday 12th of October 2020
As others have pointed out, Kate has developed a uniform for these kinds of visits, typically with dignitaries of other royal houses or heads of state. I'm surprised this isn't Emilia Wickstead because it has all the hallmarks of a Wickstead dress but it also looks like it could be Catherine Walker as well. She tends to play it safe and "classic" with visitors of high rank and I get it, it's her comfort zone. But as safe as these outfits are, they really do nothing for Kate. They aren't unflattering per se, but they are just so blah and frankly, forgettable.
First Lady Olena Zelenska's outfit is conservative but also modern looking and just so much more flattering. I think of Queen Letizia and how she manages to look on trend and amazing all the time and wish Kate would look to her for fashion inspiration.
So Kate looks presentable, but that's really it. I also really don't like the shoes paired with the dress.
Rox
Monday 12th of October 2020
She needed a touch of golden yellow then she would have honored the Ukrainian flag??. But she still looked wonderful
Daphne
Saturday 10th of October 2020
The DOC is engaging in so many lovely activities these days, and it is hard to imagine what her daily and weekly schedules look like on her calendar. This activity was a no-challenge one for her, with her experience in greeting foreign guests. Her dress is perfectly suitable for the occasion, but really, stylistically it is getting to be a bit boring - as many have remarked, she has similar dresses in her wardrobe, and the royal blue one you illustrate here is more exciting on her - and its belt is properly placed. Here it rides high, as is so often the case in her wardrobe. It is also the case that she appears to have (or could care less about) little understanding regarding how a fetchingly-colored and designed shoe can really contribute to the overall appearance. Here, these are perfectly nice shoes but do nothing to add to the effect. The ensuite jewelry, though, is beautifully proportioned and the necklace falls just right in the V. So, a fine response to a normal diplomatic meet-and-greet, but really, just imagine what another shoe choice could do to make this all come alive. These remarks aside, this occasion does show her ability, in company of her husband, to handle a formal occasion. I agree with those who welcome the interior views - what spectacular sofas!
JDrye
Saturday 10th of October 2020
I like this outfit and think that it is attractive, timeless, and appropriate. I think a sleek ponytail hairstyle, like the version she had for the Blackpool engagements in 2019, would have highlighted the necklace and earrings.