Kate Middleton and Queen Camilla greet the President of South Korea on Nov 21, 2023.Photo:Tim Rooke/Shutterstock; Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Tim Rooke/Shutterstock; Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Kate MiddletonandQueen Camillaare taking turns to shine!
To kick off the state visit with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and First Lady Kim Keon Hee, Kate dazzled in head-to-toe red as she joined her husbandPrince William,King Charlesand Camilla togreet their guests at Horse Guards Paradeon Tuesday morning.
King Charles, Queen Camilla, Kate Middleton and Prince William greet President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee on Nov 21, 2023.Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images
Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images
In addition, Charles and William in their navy jackets and white shirts (complete with red tie for William and blue for Charles) proved the perfect finishing touches to the South Korean flag. “I think it definitely cemented how synchronised the four of them are,” Bethan Holt, fashion director at The Telegraph tells PEOPLE adding: “There is a real sense of them being a unit together and the flag dressing really underlined that.”
Accessorized with red stiletto heels, matching wide-brimmed hat and red clutch bag, Kate’s monochrome and striking look also ticked multiple boxes. The cape was designed to work around her existing bow-detail dress ticking the re-wear box, it certainly grabbed the attention of the photographers, making her outfit pop way more than any other. It was also a practical choice of outerwear considering the chilly November weather.
Kate Middleton attends a ceremonial welcome for the President and First Lady of South Korea on Nov 21, 2023.Karwai Tang/WireImage
Karwai Tang/WireImage
However, when it came to the evening event, a state banquet held at Buckingham Palace which saw 170 guests come together for a decadent dinner at which Charles referenced K-pop stars Blackpink and BTS during his speech, it was Camilla’s look which arguably drew more attention. “Kate looked stunning but Camilla really went bold in that red velvet gown,” Holt, author of the bookThe Queen: 70 Years of Majestic Stylestates.
“I think Kate looked incredibly regal in the day; I think Camilla looked like a new kind of regal in the evening. You could feel this kind of exchange going on between them, which I think is really interesting,” explains Holt.
Queen Camilla at the State Banquet to honor President Yoon Suk Yeol of Korea on Nov 21, 2023.YUI MOK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
YUI MOK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Kate Middleton at the State Banquet to honor the President of South Korea on Nov 21, 2023.Yui Mok-WPA Pool/Getty
Yui Mok-WPA Pool/Getty
It’s not the first time that Camilla and Kate have joined forces in the name of sartorial symbolism. For the historic Maycoronationof both Charles and Camilla, the royal women worked together with the esteemed Royal School of Needlework to make sure the floral embroidery on their dresses hit just the right mark.
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While Kate has been making bold colours a big part of her daytime uniform and dramatic capes a go-to when it comes to state banquets (she wore a similar Jenny Packham dress in 2022), compared to Camilla’s more conservative choices, it’s not something that Holt thinks will be a problem going forward. “I feel like Camilla is dressing the part but I don’t think she has any ambitions to be kind of be a bold fashionista, the centre of attention where as Kate knows this is part of her role.”
source: people.com
