Kirsty Dale, the owner of Red Carpet Ready, said the Princess of Wales showed ‘pure romantic elegance’ at the BAFTAs and delivered ‘a masterclass in tonal sophistication’
Kate Middleton made a strong statement with a “symbolic return to the spotlight” as she attended the BAFTAs with Prince William on Sunday, an expert has said.
The Princess and Prince of Wales arrived at the ceremony, which was held at the Royal Festival Hall by the South Bank in London, together, marking their first joint public appearance since William’s uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was arrested on Thursday. Catherine has attended several engagements lately, after taking time off in 2024 while undergoing cancer treatment.
She looked radiant on Sunday, debuting her longest hair yet, styled in bouncy waves. After the BAFTAs, expert Kirsty Dale told The Mirror that Kate showed “pure romantic elegance” with her outfit.
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The princess, 44, donned a pink Gucci gown she had previously worn in 2019 to the 100 Women in Finance dinner gala, while her husband, 43, wore a white shirt paired with black trousers, a purple velvet jacket and a black bow tie.
According to Kirsty, the owner of Red Carpet Ready, Kate’s look was “not just a style statement” but it marked “a symbolic return to the spotlight for the Prince and Princess after a period away from public engagements and a difficult week for the royals.”
Kirsty told us: “Ethereal tones are the colour story of the season, and Kate absolutely nailed this – epitomising it beautifully in her choice of dress. She never puts a foot wrong on the red carpet, and today is no exception. The soft palette works perfectly with her hair, creating a seamless, glowing finish.”
She added: “Accessorised to perfection with chandelier earrings and a diamond bracelet, likely historic pieces from the royal collection, the look feels both timeless and intentional. She consistently shows understated regal poise: effortless yet refined.”
The expert said Kate delivered “a masterclass in tonal sophistication” at the BAFTAs. While at the BAFTAs, Kate revealed that she watched Hamnet on Saturday – and it made her feel emotional. The big-screen adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s award-winning novel is about the family life of William Shakespeare and the death of his young son.
Hamnet won the BAFTA for outstanding British film, and its Irish star Jessie Buckley won best actress for her performance as Shakespeare’s wife, Agnes Hathaway – historically known as Anne. Chatting with the chairwoman of Bafta’s film committee, Emily Stillman, and executive director of the charity’s awards and content, Emma Baehr, the princess said: “Yes, I think it was a very bad idea actually… ended up with very puffy eyes.”
She said it was “really very very powerful”, praising the “fantastic” and “raw” music score and talking about its portrayal of “intergenerational grief”. However, William said he hasn’t watched it yet as he needs to be in a “calm state” before doing so.
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