On Sunday, Kate Middleton and Prince William attended the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards together at the Southbank Centre in London, their first official red carpet event as the Prince and Princess of Wales. The couple have missed the awards in recent years, but they made a stunning comeback.
Princess Kate was wearing long, elegant white dress by Jenny Packham, with an asymmetrical neckline that gathered into a knot of fabric over one shoulder that then slide into a waterfall effect behind her. The bodice had a mid-waistline, with a loose flowing skirt. She wore the dress with shoulder-length black satin opera gloves and carried a black clutch. She paired the dress with gold heels that just peeked out from under her hem as she walked.
In her ears, Princess Kate was wearing a pair of oversized statement earrings made of copper petals that dropped in a chandelier style towards her shoulders. She left her hair down and wore a mostly natural makeup palette with a slight smokey eye.
Prince William wore a black suit with a velvet jacket covered in ornamental fabric buttons and featuring wide lapels over a white button down shirt and a black bowtie.
At her last appearance at the BAFTAs in 2020, Kate honored the night’s sustainable dress code, which invited guests to “dress sustainably.” The princess fulfilled that request by wearing a favorite gown by Alexander McQueen, which she was seen also seen in during a state dinner in Malaysia in 2012. She dressed it up even more for the night with a pair of gold heels by Jimmy Choo and earrings and a necklace by Van Cleef and Arpels.
The 2023 BAFTAs were hosted by Richard E. Grant and Alison Hammond, and had a star-studded guest list of nominees, including Viola Davis, Cate Blanchett, Danielle Deadwyler, Ana de Armas, Emma Thompson, and Michelle Yeoh.
Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at ELLE.com. Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.
