66 thoughts on “Duchess Kate attends Place2Be awards at Kensington Palace”

1. Yikes, that awful is ghastly. Individually, maybe (though I’m so over peplums on everything) but the skirt doesn’t go with the top, the top doesn’t go with the earrings… etc etc!

   1. lol, I meant that OUTFIT is ghastly. Hahaha that in my head I changed “outfit” to “awful”

2. My first reaction was “oh, kinda nice!” but then, the longer I look, something just doesn’t *go* about the whole ensemble.

   I’m still completely perplexed at why she doesn’t take advantage of her pregnant shape and wear flattering maternity dresses. I had so much fun (on my shoestring budget) wearing things I normally couldn’t and figuring out how beautiful my body could be while with the belly. Of course, she isn’t showing much at the moment, but this outfit is not accentuating her assets.

   1. I actually think Kate is one of the few women who would look good in a peplum, because she doesn’t have huge hips, so the peplum would define that for her. But not while she’s pregnant. The extra fabric on her growing belly just makes her look even bigger than she is and not in a good way – which may be why she wore it come to think of it.

      1. Darling KMR…NO ONE ever looked good in a peplum, and no one ever will.

3. I think she looks beautiful this time!

4. As Tim Gunn would say, “That’s a lot of look”. It’s too much going on. She needs to stick with simple shapes and clean lines.

   I will give her a little bit of credit. She looks engaged with others and she did not look bored. Both are a win for her. As long as she is not grinning like a fool or twirling her hair, it’s a win.

   I asked my 16 year old son, who is a HUGE NBA fan, about Will and Kate. He drew blanks. Then I asked my husband. His response was classic. Keep in mind that my husband was born and raised in NYC. He said that the fans won’t give two shakes and it better not cut into the court action. So, there you go

   1. Yeah, I don’t think many NBA fans are going to care much about Will and Kate. I wonder if they will get any sort of applause when they are introduced or are introducing the joint initiative thing. Would be embarrassingly hilarious if they didn’t.

   2. Interesting…I actually thought she looked bored and not engaged.

5. Hello KMR and you all !
   Well, you know me, I’m Kate’s White Knight, I have to defend her ! 😉 I (most kindly) desagree with you when you say that KM doesn’t care about Place2Be. In fact, it’s an association that she supported even before she became HRH : I think we all remember this ugly disco-outfit she wore some years ago… Well, it was a party in support of Place2Be ! So, I think that it’s a cause that she cares for.
   I would like to believe that she does actually something for the associations behind the scenes, but we all actually don’t know, except if Rebecca is reading this blog… and tells us !
   The children and adults who were there yesterday seamed delighted to have the Duchess with them, and I think they took it as a great honnor to be congratulated by her. So, as they have difficult lives, I’m happy that she made their day !
   So, that’s all, know I wait for all the criticism that my comment will occur ! 😉 But don’t forget, I’m a White Knight, so I will fight back ! 😉
   Have a nice day !!

   1. Oh please, sweetheart, have a seat with that entire comment. This is a blog not a war, no one needs to fight or any of the other nonsense you mentioned.

      But please do explain how skating and falling on the floor in a tarty outfit, with stupid and medicated looks on her face, was supporting this charity?

      1. Comment

      2. Oh please, don’t do as if you didn’t notice my comment was humoristic on the knight point… Of course I won’t fight ! But I will answer !
         If you look at the photos, you will notice that everyone was dressed with “tarty outfit” so it seems the theme of the party was “Disco night” or probably something like this… So Kate would have looked stupid if she would have come with a classy little black dress !
         As far as “skating and falling on the floor”, well I supposed everyone is not as good as you with skating, that’s all… I could manage a bit, but I couldn’t be sure not to fall at one point. And the problem is, she has all the cameras on her all the time, so if she falls, or if her skirt blows up for half a minute (as mine did this morning when I went out of the underground), then you will get photos immediatly.
         For the “stupid and medicated looks”, I’m afraid we don’t see the same thing : I see a young girl, having fun with friends for a charitable cause, and who don’t think she’s too serious for that. I kind of like her courage to walk in this outfit in front of everybody, knowing that it will be in all the papers !!
         And last point, I think everyone was supporting the charity by paying the tickets to come in. At least, it works that way in France : you pay the entry, and sometimes a lotery (not sure of the name), and it benefits the association. And all the girls with their rollers were there to serve the people who came to the charity, so, yes, she was giving time for it.

         1. Was this the charity event where Kate Middleton didn’t tell Princess Beatrice the dress code so Bea was left out? Middleton bullying the York Princess, as she’d done before and did again. You know, the event when Middleton swore at Princess Beatrice and made Bea cry? All written up by the reporters covering the event.

   2. Hi Frenchgirl, so I will be your black knight since I am here to oppose you:). You are right we don’t know what she does behind the scenes for each charity, so I hope she really does take an interest in this one. She seemed far more engaged at this event than at others, so that may be telling in and of itself.

      As far as supporting the charity before she was married, the disco event she did help organize but reports were she did it to appease the Queen. This event happened after the breakup, so at this point I am sure everyone on the inside knew Will would eventually marry Kate. The Queen did not like how lazy Kate was by spending all her time shopping and going to clubs. She thought Kate should work or do something if she was going to be a royal one day. So then Kate did the charity. I know we will never know if this report is true. But it makes sense that Kate was trying to show she did more than just shop/party as all the media was commenting on her doing so. 🙂 Also, she only supported it once in the 10 years they were dating, so I am not sure how much she really cared or if she just picked something.

      1. Yeah ! A black knight to fight with ! That’s great !! You know, we French like to argue during hours and hours, so it’s nice to share points of view !
         As you so rightly put it, the fact is that no one knows what’s going on behind the scenes : does the Queen like Kate ? Does she think she is lazy ? Is she happy that her grandson found a nice wife and will have a solid mariage ? Is Prince Charles pushing Kate out of the limelights ? All these theories are fine, except that we really don’t know. So, maybe you’re right and Kate was just pleasing the Queen, but then I think Elizabeth is not as stupid as to believe that somebody is hard working just because she went to one party, one evening.
         And then everyone makes his own opinion by photos or videos which don’t show the real person : as a public person, it’s normal that Kate is playing a role. I mean everybody does : I’m not the same at the office or at home with my husband and children, nor is she. So, as far as the public person is concerned, and from what I saw in the videos of the evening, she seemed to take interest in the people and to interact with them in a kindly way. But then I could be wrong… I just try to look at the positive side !

         1. Well white knight, I guess we are not going to fight. Because I have nothing to say against what you said. I think it is good you try and look at the positive with Kate. At this event, I think you are right, she seemed genuinely interested! For me, with other things involving her I find it hard to look at the positive. I get hopefully and then she does something that makes it so hard to root for her. Anyway, I am straying off topic:). I guess this fight ends in a draw :).

   3. You are 100% correct that we don’t know what Kate does behind the scenes with Place2Be or any of her other charities. But I will mention that Kate became Patron of Plaec2Be in 2013 during her second round of patronages – the first being in 2012. Kate may have supported Place2Be once before she was married, but if she was that interested in supporting them why didn’t she support them as a royal right away? Also, if Kate were doing much behind the scenes, I feel like her press office would be leaking that to the press to garner her positive PR. But I don’t know.

      You’re right that we don’t know what she’s like behind the scenes. She could be a super outgoing person who is a ball to hang out with, she could be a super b*tch, she could be a submissive wife to the hotheaded prince with little personality of her own. The Queen and Charles may love her; we don’t know. We have a bunch of theories based on what we’ve seen, but we could be totally wrong. I’d love for her to prove me wrong because it would actually be a positive thing. When people think a person is great and then the person is proved horrible, then that sucks. But if people think a person is not great and then the person is proved awesome, that would be fantastic!

      Back to whether she cares about Place2Be or not: In my opinion, it does not matter how much she does behind the scenes, if she does not show the public how much she cares about her patronage, then her work is moot. The royals are all about public image and they need to be SEEN doing good work. Granted most of the royals are largely ignored by the press, but Kate is not and she needs to show the public how useful she is. If she visited this patronage more than once a year I would be more likely to believe people when they say she’s super dedicated.

      I would love to say that Kate is super dedicated to her patronages. I wanted her to succeed. I still want her to succeed. I still hope every time we see her that she’s going to come out and wow me. Until now I’ve been largely disappointed. I want her to change that.

      Re the White Knight: It’s great to have opposing opinions. Opposing opinions make one think more about one’s own opinion.

      1. One charity event in a decade if dating. Golly, hold her back, she must really care! I mean really. She is the only royal for which behind the scenes has ever been counted. Her numbers are so low they had to throw in a couple of those. That tells you how much she’s “working behind the scenes” as in not at all.

         There’s the teacher who said she’d basically never cracked a book. The charities (pre-marriage) who said she never RSVPd to say she wasn’t coming to charity events (rude). Getting caught shopping after failing to attend a meeting for her OWN charity. Her gaining the nickname “Middlebum” because she loved mooning boys at school. Hand-writing a thank you to Wimbledon for free seats, typed form letter to a dying child signed with an eSignature. Pictured shopping multiple times when she claimed to be too sick to work. The cousin who said she struggles to find other people interesting. Telling a charity recently that she couldn’t attend an event because of morning sickness — but she’d left on vacation to Scotland 2 days before. Her bullying of the York girls. The Palace guard who was fired for saying how much of a bitch she was to the staff.

         We do have accounts as to what she might be like. People can continue to ignore those facts, but they are there for the finding.

         1. lol, I forgot about the palace guard calling her a bitch. Like I said, we have theories from what we’ve seen, and I personally don’t think Kate’s a caring person at all. Which, in my opinion, is fine for a normal person – if they want to be selfish and not give a shiz about anyone else, that’s fine – but Kate is a royal and royals are supposed to act a certain way.

         2. Well you’ve basically said everything I would say lol

6. PS : I hated the outfit.

   1. We agree there 🙂

7. She had her hair half back!!!

   1. I think I just heard a choir of angels sing Hallelujah!!

   2. I love the hair with the braids.

8. I want to love the skirt because of the color. But I can’t focus on her ensemble because I keep looking at that belt. It is hideous. That belt looks like something you should wear with dungarees. Does she realize they make belts for evening wear?
   And little miss in the red? Her hair is killing it. It’s curled, swept to the side and pinned back from her face.

   1. That particular belt has looked ugly with all her outfits she’s worn it with. It’s just a hideous belt in general. Not something to go with such a delicate skirt.

9. Wow this was not what I was expecting tonight. I think on paper the outfit should have been a win, the colors work well together but the fabrics and styles were too dissimilar and don’t get me started on the belt!! I frequently put together outfits that again on paper should look great but then I’ll pass a mirror out and about somewhere and freeze, OMG, did I really leave the house looking like this?!?! So this happens to the best of us…sigh.

   1. I think what’s throwing me off are the hideous belt and the fabric difference. The top is so stiff while the bottom is so flowy.

10. The outfit is too many things going on at once. At least the hair was out of her face, but as for looking bumpy, I think the belt, bad posture and peplum top created more than what was really there.

    1. I don’t think she’s showing that much – as was evident when she did the SportsAid event. She probably wore the peplum to trick the eye and think she belly is bigger than it is. The belt with the peplum doesn’t make sense. Why draw attention to the waist via the belt when she’s trying to draw attention to the belly via the peplum?

11. Love the skirt and the peplum. I agree with KMR, the outfit is top-heavy. Should be teal teplum with fitted black skirt, black hose and black shoes. And no belt since the top is fitted already.

    1. That would have looked great. You would make such a better stylist for Kate than Natasha Archer.

12. She mixed designers but oops they didn’t match :(. She looks good with that bit of extra weight though

    1. She does look better when she has some extra weight on her.

13. Today is the 67th wedding anniversary of the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen. Their marriage is the longest of any Royal Couple, if anyone cares.

    1. Quite a feat for Her Majesty and His Royal Highness. I hope they make to 70 years; that would be amazing.

14. Hi all,

    I just wanted to share with you that yesterday both Queen Letizia and Queen Rania made very powerful, moving speeches on world wide malnutrition and addressed the problem of religious extremists respectively. How is it that these women are taking the time and energy to use their royal platforms to speak out on important topics and aren’t receiving more attention? I happened to find out about their speeches as I was reading an article about the clothes they wore to present their speeches. How upside down is that??? The more I read about these incredible women the more and more disillusioned I am with the Duchess.

    1. Yet and everyone keeps praising the Duchess for smiling and showing up. Such a joke!

    2. Lauri, you may also enjoy Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, especially her work with microfinance for the UN.

15. Can we have a post about the Royals’ staff warning the American press they have to follow a dress code when in the presence of W/K during their November visit! What a nerve. We’re not a colony any longer last time I checked, and since when do guests dictate to the hosts? Also, maybe someone should give Kate the dress code. Yeesh.

    http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2014/11/royals-hill-to-dc-press-clean-up-199063.html

    1. OH MY GOSH. I just read it. That seems so rude to me that they are dictating what journalist in America are allowed to wear. They are guests of this country and one that is not their subjects. The journalist can damn well wear whatever they feel like it. How absurd. That made me so mad.

    2. WTH? You mean to tell me the office of the Duchess of Flashing is telling journalists how to dress? Cup of hipocricy, anyone?

       1. That’s certainly the pot calling the kettle black. I’d like to see how the American journos will react to that dress code.

    3. Journalists shouldn’t cover them on their trip then.

    4. Un-freakin-believable.

    5. Dress Code notifications happen for all press events, here at home or abroad. It’s standard courtesy.
       It’s an absolute non-story, whipped up to provoke outrage.

       1. Ah, ok. Good to know.

       2. Exactly.

16. Kate-STAND UP STRAIGHT. Her posture is horrible!

    Does her cheeks look different to anyone else? I know she is pregnant, but it does not look like pregnancy weight to me. Her cheeks look fuller and not in a natural way. Maybe it is just her makeup. Did anyone else notice that?

    1. Yeah, I noticed that she looks “rounder/fuller” – her cheeks, her nose, her chin – but I just attributed it to her pregnancy and healthier weight.

    2. Pregnancy weight plus a crap ton of blush. Her cheeks puffed out when she was pregnant last time, too, but she’s wearing a ton of blush in these photos which adds to the look of puffiness.

17. Duchess Catherine always looks like she dashed out late to church without looking in the mirror: too girly, too stodgy, gaps and strange jewelry and a little bit confused. Prince William seems to be looking for a (baby)momma and he found her. Now she’s a Duchess.

18. Man, those two pieces bring some fugly into Royal circles. And those earrings…. Don’t get me started.

    Is she planning to dress badly on purpose now that she’s being made to work more?

    1. Or her “stylist” former PA Natasha Archer is just really terrible at the job she’s not qualified for.

19. Honestly, I believe the belt on this outfit was a deliberate attempt to emphasize her “bump.” And yes, she susceptible posture in general, but in more and more photos she is arching her back in an attempt to emphasis same “bump.” Whether it is for sympathetic PR, or to silence critics who believe she used a surrogate last time, I don’t know. But she is very clearly doing it.

    1. That was supposed to be “terrible posture” not “susceptible posture.” I need to stop posting with my Kindle. Sigh.

    2. She definitely pushes her pelvis forward when she stands. She’s always done that a bit but more now that she’s pregnant again.

20. OMG! Kate looks demented! Did she dress in the dark? From a kid’s dress up box? The top and skirt do NOT go together! Maybe without that belt it could have been n outfit that flew under the radar but with the belt? OMG!
    Was Tash not around? Or is this Tash’s style? Yikes! And can someone please take the sharpie pens away from Kate so she stops ringing her eyes with them?

    1. I think Tash is just horrible at the job she’s not qualified for. Kate needs a real stylist.

21. thats the reason shes always hiding the more you see her the more all her flaws become visible!

22. NBA donates 1 million to charity for Kate/PW to sit in the audience!! WOW, I think that is fantastic! You see, they are good for something!! I can’t comment on the dress and top, so I will say I love the earrings!

23. No comment because she is pregnant and I understand the feeling of not being comfortable in your body as it continues to change while you are pregnant. Finding clothes that fit can be challenging.

24. Dress is horrible. Yes, KMR, the pieces do not go well together. Just awful!
    The black top needed a black skirt. Or, as previously, and beautifully written, the colors should have been reversed. Blue top and black skirt. Now, that would have been lovely.
    I never liked Kate’s wedding dress, either. It was a mixture of several different looks that did not seem to go together to me. The delicate sleeves and the harsher looking bodice and skirt didn’t do anything for me.
    I think she definitely needs a new stylist. And, a totally new and more refreshing look. Everything she wears is so tried and true. She’s young. She appears to have much more slack given to her by the Queen than Princess Diana ever did. So, make a statement, Kate. No flashing. No, over the top looks, but truly, get a look that will be exciting, yet classic. Even during pregnancy, you can shine, Duchess.

25. Worst outfit she’s worn IMO

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