'Sack the stylist': Kate Middleton's $535 red sequin gown fails to impress royal fans
While Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton has been praised several times in the past for her impeccable sense of fashion and the air of elegance with which she carries herself, royal fans were seemingly torn on what to think of her latest style statement.
The Duchess of Cambridge, 38, and husband Prince William were at the UK-Africa Investment Summit at Buckingham Palace on January 20 to welcome 21 African delegations to the Queen's home in what is supposed to be a stepping stone for them to eventually ascend to the throne, according to the Daily Mail.
And while the occasion was a welcome distraction from the ongoing Megxit furor that has rocked the royal family in the last few weeks, many didn't know what to make of Kate's $535 red gown from high-end high-street store Needle & Thread that also happens to be a favorite of Princess Beatrice.
The gown featured silver shimmering sequins inspired by vintage lace tablecloth, and the Duchess completed her look with a red clutch bag and a pair of dangling ruby earrings. She also complemented the outfit with a pair of $665 Gianvito Rossi heels.
While most praised the rest of the ensemble and her accessories, the red gown didn't have many takers, with one suggesting that Meghan Markle would have been slammed if she had turned out in the same.
"Kate gets positivity and compliments whereas the people's Princess gets abuse," they wrote. "If Meghan wore that awful dress she would receive criticism from the media and the anti-Meghan British public. Double standards springs to mind."
"Not loving Kate's dresses these days, very old fashioned and make her look older than her years," another commented. "Sack the stylist."
"Worn out curtains to hide that cracked porcelain. Guess ya can't win them all! Nope!" a third wrote, quite pointedly.
Some also seemed to suggest that Kate wasn't looking all too well and that she might be ill, writing that she was "looking a bit tired and pensive" and "looked so thin and frail."
Those comments backed reports that said Prince William was worried about his wife losing weight these past weeks due to the stress of dealing with the fallout with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
"She’s working herself into the ground and skipping meals an awful lot," an insider had revealed. "As much as he tries not to nag her, William is gently pointing out it’s time to do something about this bad habit she’s gotten into, particularly as they’re trying for another baby in 2020."
The insider added that Kate's weight had been "a topic that’s needed addressing for years" and that the "brutal truth is that Kate needs to add at least half a stone."