Thursday, 18th November 2021—dressed in a green gown with her hair curled and swept to the side, Kate oozed sophistication at this year’s Royal Variety Performance.
The Duchess joined her husband at the Royal Albert Hall in London to watch the show, which is held in aid of the Royal Variety Charity. They help hundreds of entertainers throughout the UK who need assistance as a result of old age, ill-health and hard times.
At the start of the evening, two children presented the Duke and Duchess with a 2021 show programme and a winter posy of golden coloured flowers.
The flower posy contains foliage from the garden of the Royal Variety Charity’s care home, Brinsworth House. The charity owns and runs the home, which is for retired theatre and entertainment professionals.
The Duke and Duchess watched a whole host of entertainers from the worlds of music, comedy and theatre. Artists included the cast of Moulin Rouge and the cast of Matilda, singers James Blunt, Anne-Marie, Elvis Costello and Ed Sheeran, and comedians Josh Widdicombe, Bill Bailey and Judy Love.
Above and below, William and Kate chatting with performers after the show.
The Royal Variety Performance has supported the Royal Variety Charity for over 100 years. It’s been staged since 1912. It’s the most successful and longest-running entertainment show in the world. The Queen is Patron.
The show is attended by different members of the Royal Family each year. This is the fourth time William and Kate have represented The Queen. They last attended in 2019. A quick refresher on the gown Kate wore that evening:
And the two other times they attended, 2017 and 2014:
This year’s Royal Variety show will be broadcast in the UK by ITV on the 19th of December and then elsewhere across the world over Christmas and New Year holidays.
A video of the couple’s arrival at the Performance and footage of the pair meeting the entertainers:
Kate’s outfit at the 2021 Royal Variety Performance:
The Duchess looked fantastic in her floor-length green gown, with her hair curled and swept to the side. She added a hint of colour to her usually neutral lips, which was quite the style departure for Kate. (I don’t recall seeing her in pink lipstick or wearing her hair like this before?)
A closer look at her curls:
The gown is by British designer Jenny Packham. Our regular readers will know Kate favours the designer’s gowns. She wears them often, during public engagements and royal tours.
The green sequin-covered evening gown features pronounced shoulders and a neckline embellished with crystals. The tailored waistline is also accentuated with crystals. It also has a very short, sweeping train.
Let’s take a look at the back:
You might remember the dress from the 2019 Royal Tour of Pakistan. Kate wore it to a reception on her second day in the country.
The shimmering gown is known by two different style names: Georgia and Tenille. In 2019, during the time of the Royal Tour, Jenny Packham sold the ‘Georga’ dress in pink and lilac. A year later, in 2020, she released the green shade worn by Kate. It was renamed ‘Tenille.’
For an idea of cost, the original Georgia dresses retailed at Harrods for £3,640 GBP. At the time, the department store said the dress “exudes the timeless elegance and enchanting romance for which the brand is renowned” and called it an “utterly feminine design [that’s] dripping in head-to-toe sequins, delivering an audacious amount of unapologetic glamour”.
For the unacquainted, Jenny Packham is a British fashion designer who is known for her stunning gowns. Her ready-to-wear and bridal collections are wildly popular. And for anybody wondering, yes, Jenny is the sister of television presenter Chris Packham. Shop Jenny Packham at Net-A-Porter.
Let’s move on to Kate’s matching green clutch now. I think it’s probably by Jenny Packham too.
She’s carried similar clutch bags from the designer in the past. The gold frame box contains sequinned green fabric that matches Kate’s dress, so it seems pretty likely. Here’s a look at Kate carrying a bag with the same shape to the 2018 State Banquet:
Moving on to Kate’s earrings now. They’re the Missoma Zenyu Chandelier Hoops. The 18ct gold-plated earrings feature a bobble-trimmed fan charm suspended from hooks.
This is another item Kate first wore on the Pakistan Tour. She chose them for the third day, to visit the Hindu Kush mountain range in one of the country’s northernmost districts on the border with Afghanistan.
For anybody interested in owning the earrings, you’ll be pleased to know London brand Missoma still stock them today. They cost $162 on Missoma’s USA website and £125 on the brand’s UK website.
Missoma is a British company and family run business. It’s owned by sisters Marisa and Sophie and their mother Michelle. The first two letters of each lady’s name contribute to the brand: MIchelle, SOphie and MArisa = MISSOMA. Marisa started the company at her kitchen table. Now creative director, she heads the brand and employs a team of 30+ people and the brand is stocked in high end department stores around the UK.
Kate finished her glamorous ensemble with these sleek shoes by Emmy London.
They’re the Rebecca style in ‘greenery suede’. Here’s a clear photo of Kate wearing them on another occasion.
The dark green suede shoes feature a nubuck leather sole and 4.5” straight heel. The elegant shoes retail on Emmy’s website for £395 GBP / $405 USD (other currencies are available too). Each shoe is designed and hand-finished in London and handmade in a family-run workshop in Portugal.
Emmy London is run by designer, creative director and founder Emmy Scarterfield. Emmy designs all of the shoes and accessories for her eponymous brand. Emmy graduated from Cordwainers College in London (Jimmy Choo is another famous alumni) before working with top fashion labels in Milan for five years. She then moved back home to London to start her own business. Kate owns several pairs of shoes and a bunch of matching handbags by the designer.
Kate looks beautiful. She has many Jenny Packham gowns I admire, but I wish she had worn earrings from the Royal Vault. I don’t think it would have been too much sparkle.