Joining Queen Elizabeth II and her hubby Prince William, the Duchess of Cambridge looked stunning as she celebrated the best of British and Indian culture at an event held at Kensington Palace.
The 35-year-old royal chose a sparkling metallic and pink silk dress designed by Erdem for the occasion.
The dress, which would not have been out of place at this year’s Oscars, was complemented with earrings by Indian jeweler Anita Dongre and a matching pair of platinum sparkling heels.
Kate was seen to happily chat with guests at the event.
It looks as if Kate may be taking styling cues from Cinderella – and we love it.
The royals were at the event to celebrate Britain’s ties with India.
The event was catered with a range of delicacies from both Britain and India.
The event, which marks the launch of the UK-India Year of Culture 2017, sported an Anglo-Indian theme which was reflected in the canapes on offer – raj puri, a fried bread with yoghurt herbs and boondi chocolate rock, fried chickpea flour kernels covered in chocolate as well as salmon blinis and rhubarb and creme brulee tartlets from.
Attendees were also fortunate enough to observe a series of priceless artefacts from the Royal Collection that represent Britain’s close ties with India.
One particular item, a shawl gifted to the Queen by Mahatma Gandhi, piqued William’s interest. As he bent down to inspect the offering his wife of six years lovingly placed a hand on his back – a display of affection which isn’t lost on royal enthusiasts, who have previously noted that the royal duo rarely hold hands in public.
The very-much-in-love couple showed a rare sign of affection.
The Queen, Britain’s longest running monarch, looked elegant in a purple dress designed by Stewart Parvin. The 90-year-old monarch was joined by her family, including Prince Edward and Princess Eugenie.
Big names from the worlds of sport, fashion, entertainment and the arts were all invited to the celebration – actress Ayesha Dharker, Indian cricket legend Kapil Dev and even Kunal Nayyar, the British-American actor best known for his role on the US sitcom The Big Bang Theory!, were in attendance.
Kunal explained that when he received his invitation to attend the prestigious event at the palace, he initially thought it to be some sort of practical joke.
“It was overwhelming,” he said. “I got an email in my personal inbox and at first I thought it was one of my friends spamming me. I replied and it turned out to be real. It’s incredible.”
The Queen looked elegant in one of her favourite colours: purple.
And there it is… the Queen’s trusty black handbag!
Doesn’t she look lovely?
“The evening has just been overwhelming as I got to meet the Queen and to promote UK-Indian culture, which gives me so much pride. I did get to speak to the Queen and she said how nice it was to meet me again.”
“I haven’t actually met her before so maybe she was confused or has just watched The Big Bang Theory! I just shook her hand, bowed my head and said thank you so much for inviting us.”
Londoners were also made to feel part of the special event as a peacock – the national bird of India – was projected onto the facade of the historic palace. Representing the joining of two nations, the artwork was commissioned by the British Council and the Indian High Commission.
