The Princess of Wales wowed royal fans earlier this week when she attended the state banquet in honour of President Donald Trump, wearing an exquisite couture gown by British designer Phillipa Lepley. Her look featured a full-length, hand-embroidered gold Chantilly lace evening coat layered over a silk crepe gown. The coat was adorned with hand-embroidered roses in couched gold cording, accented with French knots and satin-stitched blooms. Gold is a surprising colour choice for the Princess, one she has only worn on a handful of occasions.
The decision, however, was no coincidence. Every detail of a state visit is carefully planned and executed, and the colour of Kate's gown was no exception.
In the latest episode of A Right Royal podcast, co-hosts Andrea Caamano and royal editor Emily Nash were joined by US journalist Chapman Bell to discuss the significance of Kate's choice – and Donald Trump's well-known love of gold.
"He built Trump Tower, he likes gold. This was a masterclass in diplomatic dressing on her part," said Emily Nash. She continued: "Phillipa Lepley was also doing her bit to boost British fashion as a veteran wedding dress designer in the UK."
"I even noticed the cutlery was gold," Chapman added. "They really went to town. He likes glitz, he likes glamour – and it was on display."
Many expected the Princess of Wales to choose a gown in white, blue, or red, as royal women often wear colours representing the visiting country's flag.
© Corbis via Getty Images"Usually you'd expect red, white, and blue in this situation, but they also needed to make it different from the French state visit, which again used those colours," Emily added. "This was a really neat way of doing it – even down to the flowers on the table."
© GettyElsewhere in the episode, Andrea and Emily discussed Prince Harry’s visit to the UK and his reunion with not one, but two, members of the royal family. They also spoke about the Duchess of Kent's funeral at Westminster Cathedral and why Prince Andrew’s appearance was particularly awkward for the Prince and Princess of Wales.
