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Kate Middleton looked flawless at a special Buckingham Palace lunch on Friday afternoon.

The Princess of Wales debuted a new white knee-length dress and sleek slingback pumps at the lunch and reception, hosted by King Charles for the Realm Governors General and Prime Ministers ahead of Saturday’s coronation (full outfit details down the page
).

After, Kate joined her husband and father-in-law at The Mall for a surprise walkabout. The three royals interacted with the well-wishers who lined the street.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Let’s look at Kate’s dress and accessories.

Kate’s long-sleeved white dress featured a figure flattering pencil silhouette with a mid-length skirt and back vent slit. The modest neckline and waist were finished with an eye-catching black contrast trim.

Kate’s elegant white dress is presumed to be from one of her favourite designers, Jenny Packham. The Princess owns two similar styles from the esteemed British designer, pictured below, one of which has was confirmed by the palace to be a Packham creation in 2019 (the blue one).

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Kate wore the blue version of the dress during a visit to Northern Ireland. She donned the black dress last year, during a walkabout in Windsor, following the death of Queen Elizabeth.

Over on Twitter, Emma compared the three dresses and found several similarities and differences. But Laura spotted one thing in common with all three—a distinctive zip on the sleeve—I think this is a good indication today’s dress is by Packham too.

Kate is a loyal supporter of Jenny Packham, she often wears the designer’s creations for high profile royal engagements, overseas tours and other special occasions. The Princess has been a fan of the designer since joining the royal family in 2011 and has worn dozens of her creations.

Jenny Packham is a British designer renowned for her glamorous evening and bridal collections—though she’s also created a handful daywear pieces for the Princess over the last decade or so, too.

Kate paired the dress with a chic pair of black slingback pumps from the luxury Italian brand Aquazzura—they’re new (to us, we haven’t seen the Princess wear them before).

The shoes feature a 105mm heel, a pointed toe, cutouts on the sides and and a stylish knotted detail on the heel which added a feminine touch to the whole look.

The slingbacks are available at MyTheresa, where they’re described as the “perfect after dark shoe”. Also find them at: Net-A-Porter and FarFetch.

This is the fifth, possibly sixth pair of Aquazurra shoes we’ve seen Kate wear—the company are rising up the ranks when it comes to her favourite luxury heel brands.

Kate’s diamond earrings added some serious sparkle to her monochromatic outfit. They’re the “Bahrain Pearl Drop Earrings”, straight from the royal jewel vault. These exquisite earrings feature a delicate pearl drop suspended from diamonds.

The pearls themselves were wedding gifts to the then-Princess Elizabeth from the Hakim of Bahrain in November 1947.

The late Queen Elizabeth frequently loaned the earrings to Kate during her reign.

To complete the look, the Princess carried her black satin clutch from Prada. The understated accessory complemented the striking black accents on her dress.

The black clutch features gold hardware and a gold clasp and a stone embellishment detail.  Kate’s carried the bag to 6 engagements prior to this reception since 2016.

Unfortunately, it is not available to buy.