On June 15th 2016, the Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Midleton) made her long-awaited debut at Royal Ascot. She attended with husband Prince William. The palace kept their attendance quiet until the last minute.
Information and history about the event:
The Royal Ascot is the centrepiece of Ascot’s year and dates back to 1711 when it was founded by Queen Anne. Every year Royal Ascot is attended by Elizabeth II and other members of the British Royal Family such as The Prince of Wales, arriving each day in a horse-drawn carriage with the Royal procession taking place at the start of each race day and the raising of the Queen’s Royal Standard. It is a major event in the British social calendar, and press coverage of the attendees and what they are wearing often exceeds coverage of the actual racing. There are three enclosures attended by guests on Royal Ascot week.
– Wikipedia
William and Kate took part in the carriage procession, riding with Wentworth Beaumont and his wife.
Kate’s outfit at Royal Ascot:
Knowing that Royal Ascot is famous for its fashion, Kate didn’t let us down. She opted for a white lace dress by Italian fashion house Dolce & Gabbana.
It’s D&G’s Cotton Blend Lace Dress. You may recall she first wore to the Royal Windsor Horse Show back in May?
Here’s how Net-A-Porter.com described the dress:
Dolce & Gabbana’s white dress is a romantic choice for special events or brides. This exquisite design is crafted from pretty cotton-blend lace with sheer sleeves, a nipped-in waist and tiered, swishy skirt. It comes with a smooth satin slip for coverage. Complement the midi length with heels.
Kate sported a new hat for the race meet today. It’s the Una hat by Jane Taylor millinery.
Jane Taylor describes the £1,050 hat as an “elegant mesh saucer discs with angular printed feather, & twist detail”. The hat comes in two colours, ‘Ivory Parkin’ (worn by Kate) and ‘Sinamay Black’.
Kate’s clutch bag is an old favourite. It’s the L.K. Bennett Natalie Box Clutch in Raffia.
Kate’s shoes ought to feel familiar to our regular readers. They’re the Gianvito Rossi 105 pumps in Praline. Kate now owns four pairs of these heels in different colours! (Pictured below on a different occasion).
She first debuted them at a Garden Party earlier in the year. The shoes are available to purchase in a range of sizes at Net-A-Porter
Finally, you may have noticed Kate added a little bling to her outfit today. She’s wearing a new pair of pearl earrings.
At first, we thought they were from Kiki McDonough, as Kate fans spotted a similar pair on Pinterest from two years ago. However, the company has since confirmed this is not the case. They remain a mystery for now!
Kate’s Royal Ascot outfit is reminiscent of the white and nude ensemble she chose for the Epsom Derby in 2011 (see below). In fact, Kate even carried the exact same clutch bag back then!
Memh – not liking the hat much – esp the way she tweaked the brim to give it a tipped down point – it looked much better on the model pulled down lower on the head and not worn like a pearcher like Kate has it today. The dress is nice and good thing it’s longer than what she wore to the derby a few years back.
Did Princess forget her slip?
? Not impressed.