Kate returns to the Goring Hotel wearing purple Erdem dress

Seven-month pregnant Kate attended the 105th Birthday Celebrations at London’s Goring Hotel today. She was photographed leaving the five-star hotel at lunchtime.  During her visit, the Duchess helped with the redecoration of the newly refurbished front hall – she added her own flourish to the artwork:

Photo: courtesy The Goring Hotel Facebook

These photos show Kate leaving the hotel.  They are snaps from Lucy Bonner and Harriet Simmonds on Twitter:

The Goring has undergone a designer transformation in honour of its 105th birthday.  The hotel unveiled its new look to guests today. From Facebook:

A number of #‎NewGoring delights are upon us; from meticulously handcrafted Fromental wallpaper, to a fleet of handsome footmen, our all-encompassing renovation has truly raised the bar for luxury stays in London.

According to Kensington Palace, Kate was not representing the royal family in a official capacity. Instead, she had received a personal invitation from the Royal Warrant-appointed hotel.

You may recall that this isn’t the first time Kate’s visited the Goring, she famously stayed at the hotel with her family the night before The Royal Wedding in April 2011. Here’s a reminder:

The Duchess also attended a meeting with the board of the 1851 Trust (the sailing charity of which she is Patron) during December 2014.

Kate’s outfit today:

Kate wore a purple printed dress by Erdem.  The style name is “Darla”.

The original dress features cutout back detailing, though we haven’t seen pictures of Kate from behind to compare. (Kate could be wearing a bespoke version of the dress with no cutout back detail). It retailed for £995 or $1528 USD.

The dress is from Erdem’s 2013 Resort collection.  Here are some similar pieces by the designer from the same year:

You may recall Kate wore another piece from Erdem’s 2013 resort collection during a school visit in April 2013, again while pregnant:

Shop Erdem print dresses:

Today, Kate styled her dress with navy blue suede accessories. She wore her Alexander McQueen heels, pictured here on a previous occasion:

She also wore her coordinating Stuart Weitzman ‘Muse’ (also known as ‘Raz’) clutch bag.

Kate finished her outfit with a pair of aquamarine and diamond pear-shaped earrings, thought to be set in 18k white gold. These are currently unidentified, but rumoured to be this pair by Asprey.

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That’s all for today.  I posted a “royal roundup” post in the early hours this morning, with an update on Kate’s Somerset by Alice Temperley dress and information about some private engagements that occurred last week.  Read it here if you missed it!