Friday 16 November 2018

The Duchess is Glowing in Roland Mouret for Royal Foundation Dinner

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended the annual Royal Foundation dinner at Victoria House in Bloomsbury Square last night.


The event is private and generally we don't see photos, however, this year we are in luck. Performer Tom Walker sang a selection of songs at the event and shared images from the night. Mr Walker said: "I had the honour of performing and meeting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for the annual Royal Foundation dinner." Below Harry and Meghan with the performer and host Anita Rani.


BBC Countryfile host Anita Rani wrote on Instagram: "Such an honour to be asked to host the annual Royal Foundation dinner last night. Brilliant the Fab Four have come together to influence change. It was a wonderful evening!" She later added: "Go Meghan and Harry! We chatted weddings and feminism. It was a huge honour to host the event last night."


William and Kate with the performer and the host. The Duchess wore her red Preen dress for the evening.


Tom Walker and Robyn Hughes-Jones take to the stage.


Victoria House is a Grade II-listed neoclassical building in London. It was constructed in the 1920s, built for, and for many decades occupied by, the Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society. The building was extensively remodelled in 2003 to create 300,000 square feet of office, retail and leisure space, including an original art deco ballroom, the Bloomsbury Ballroom function venue.


A peek inside the Bloomsbury Ballroom.


The Duchess was glowing in the rich navy silk Roland Mouret Aldrich dress (with thanks to Samantha). From what we can see it appears Meghan's is a custom full-length gown with a fully lined skirt based on the piece. Master of structure and silhouette, Roland Mouret believes that a dress is never complete until it's been worn. This elegant 'Aldrich' style is from the Resort '17 collection, inspired by the secluded Mount Street Gardens in London's Mayfair.


The elegant style is described: "Roland Mouret's metallic-navy silk Aldrich dress blends a flattering silhouette with a show-stealing fabrication. The strapless top is patterned with puckered stripes that contour the frame, while the voluminous midi skirt showcases blossoming flowers, and is just gauzy enough to reveal a hint of skin."


The eagle-eyed Laura noted Meghan accessorised with her Birks Snowstorm earrings.


And the navy clutch she's carried several times. Below, Meghan carrying the piece in New Zealand.


It was wonderful to see photos and Meghan's look from the night!

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The Royal Foundation Dinner wasn't Harry and Meghan's only engagement on Thursday. Yesterday afternoon the couple attended a Mental Health Innovation volunteers’ workshop at BBC Studioworks. The engagement was private and no photos were released by the Palace. I'm guessing we'll see footage and/or photos soon as part of a new Heads Together project. At present, the Royal Foundation is piloting a new start up - Mental Health Innovations. With £2 million invested, it is developing new tools to help people talking about mental health on digital platforms. We'll hear more about it (and I imagine Harry and Meghan's engagement) in the coming months.


In fashion news, the elegant black dress Meghan wore for the Festival of Remembrance has been identified as the £49 Marks & Spencer Double Crepe Bodycon Dress. It's described: "Added stretch in the double crepe material helps it hug your curves, while the elegant off-shoulder neckline folds down the bust to create a truly stunning piece." We've now seen the Duchess in several pieces from high-street favourite Marks & Sparks. With thanks to Elizabeth from Meghan's Fashion for her outstanding work on this one. 


As you may have heard Stella McCartney has launched her first bridal collection.


The collection includes the iconic crepe halterneck gown the designer created for Harry and Meghan's wedding reception. The £3,500 piece is described: "Just one look at Stella McCartney's gown will tell you it's fit for royalty - quite literally, as Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, wore this exact style at her wedding reception. Precisely cut from weighty crepe so it skims your curves, it has a column silhouette and long train that will look beautiful as you walk down the aisle and dance at the party afterwards. Wear it with a sleek updo to show off the open back." It's available at Net-A-Porter and Nordstrom. It's a beautiful, timeless classic.




We'll see Harry and Meghan on Monday night for the Royal Variety Performance. We'll see another gown appearance for the Duchess.

54 comments:

  1. She looks gorgeous.

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  2. She looks beautiful. She always had a glow about her. She seems like a genuinely kind person. The dress is lovely

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  3. According to meghan's fashion Dior has denied ownership of this clutch.
    http://www.meghansfashion.com/what-meghan-wore/meghan-in-new-navy-ensemble-for-centenary-of-the-armistice-service

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  4. Nicole from France16 November 2018 at 21:31

    She is gorgeous .... could it be that she wore this very dress for Prince Charles birthday party ? She wore a strapless gown .... two different pieces in the same style ?

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  5. Meghan looks absolutely lovely!!! This silhouette appears to be one of her favorites and I'm glad for that as it suits her so well. I must add that pregnancy really becomes her as she just glows every time we see her.

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  6. She looks really beautiful although I think this cut of gown needs a necklace. The cut is also not what I typically associate with Meghan but as I said, she looks beautiful.

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  7. The Duchess of Sussex does have a glow. However, she had beautiful skin before the pregnancy. Thanks, Charlotte. This being a private affair, I really did not expect pictures. The architectural info on Victoria House is interesting,

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  8. I love the style just wish that she would choose some brighter colours.

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  9. Pretty dress. I wonder if she wore it to Charles' birthday party.

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    1. One of the photographers at KP that night thought the top of Meghan's gown had a sparkly embellishment. I do hope we see it again. Perhaps the Royal Variety? :)

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  10. I like the Roland Mouret dress. Just wish we had a better pic of Meghan in it.

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  11. Love the fabrication and style of the Roland Mouret evening gown. He does such beautiful structured dresses, and Meghan wears them beautifully. A bit disappointed to hear that Stella McCartney is using Meghan's gown in a bridal collection.

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    1. Re. Stella McCartney using the dress - I’m not surprised. I love the dress, though.

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    2. I am also not sure how I feel about McCarthy including that exact dress in her bridal collection.

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    3. It seems to me that part of the very high price Meghan must have paid for her dress would be the design. For the same dress to be offered to others later means that the designer is paid multiple times for the design. Even the jeweler "retired" the design of her engagement ring.

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    4. Actually to me while the dresses are similar Meghans has some differences. The neck, draping and seams are a bit different. I also suspect Meghans is out of a much higher quality fabric. The bottom back length and flair may also be different, can not tell that from the pictures. But agree it is very close. However the basic design may be one that Stellla has had in her collections for years and Meghans was a modification of that basic design. The general design is pretty common.

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    5. Uhmmm, looking at bigger photos they may be identical. I at first thought her neck detail was a wider band and that she had more fabric in the skirt as well as slightly different seam placement, but it may just be angles and the fit on the models. So at this point I do not know.

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  12. I LOVE this dress!!!! Meghan is stunning in it.

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  13. Roland Mouret, simply fabulous choice. Meghan certainly has had some exciting engagements since her return from the tour. Lucky girl!

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  14. I am very impatient for next monday. Meghan is too beautiful. She has a very beautiful face and is very graceful.

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  15. Beautiful dress worn by the duchess. In my opinion one cannot go wrong with the ever ageless and feminine, fit and flare. Anita is stunning! Rw.

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    1. Anita is gorgeous...I thought she was Meghan for a moment!

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    2. So did I, Kiwi Gal! 😄

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  16. I have just noticed that H&M are not scheduled to attend the White-tie Diplomatic Reception on Dec. 4 as K&W are.
    Big disappointment, I am assuming it is a tiara event.

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    1. Where did you see this information?

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    2. USA Granny - that's soooo disappointing. I was really hoping Harry and Meghan would be attending. Where did you see that they aren't going?

      I've also been wondering lately when we will hear about Meghan's patronages. I guess not until the new year but I was hoping we'd get some news on that sooner than 2019.

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    3. Harry never atended before. But, surprises always can heppen.

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    4. Oh, I’m sad about that :’( I was looking forward to a tiara sighting for Meghan. I’m wondering which tiara she’ll use for these type of events 🤔

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    5. While it is not completely unheard of for other members of the family to attend, the diplo reception is not attended by the extended family, unlike state banquets. For years it was only HM & DoE and C&C attending.
      Not being in the direct line there is a possibility that H&M will never attend the diplo reception. Or maybe more likely they will only attend when Charles/William is king. Until George start attending it.

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  17. What a gorgeous gown. No further embellishments needed beyond the beautiful and happy woman wearing it. Those earrings are exquisite.

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  18. I don't think Meghan's dress is full length. It seems the same dress as pictured.

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  19. Love this dress, wish we had more photos

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  20. I’m glad Meghan chose a high street label for the Festival of Remembrance. Isn’t Marks & Spencer having trouble in the UK?

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  21. Charlotte, on Daily Mail they write Meghan's clutch is by UFO. :)

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    1. haha...:) Thank you Gaby and thanks to the poster who shared news the clutch is not Dior as previously thought.

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  22. Can somebody help me, please?
    Does Meghan hold a white scarf next to her Stella dress, please?
    https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oQRoGOz1Epk/W-8csygChAI/AAAAAAABaZQ/CHvKGgHNBPsCBvz0tD9fCO3ZK_U2UZKoQCLcBGAs/s1600/iima32.jpg
    Thank you.

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    1. DTH, that does not appear to be a white scarf. Meghan is just holding up the hem of her beautiful gown to prevent it from dragging on the ground.

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    2. She def. holds something else but the hem. It is too much material for only being the hem and what she holds is def. a different color than her dress. My five cent.

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    3. I exactly agree with the second anonymous. There is a change in color.

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    4. Hello, I believe that she may be holding a wrap/shawl of some type. It has that finished look along the edge.

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    5. It looks to me like she is holding up the skirt. If you look at her foot there is no fabric hanging down on the ground behind her, some to the side but it looks like she is holding some of the skirt up and off the ground.

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    6. I think she is pulling up and holding not just the gown on the side but also her train from the back. The finished edge we see is the edge/hem of the train. I think we can also see a bit of the lining or backing material (at the bottom.)

      I agree there is a change in color. I think there are two reasons for that. One, the lighting. What she is carrying is held farther back than the front of the gown and is getting less light on it. It's also more "bunched up" than the rest of the gown so it's shading itself. Two, while crepe doesn't have a nap in the usual sense (say, like velvet or corduroy) it is a material that CAN show subtle color changes & reflection characteristics depending on its orientation. A piece that is viewed at a 9/3 clock orientation can look slightly different if viewed at a 12/6 orientation or reversed to a 3/9 orientation. Because Meghan has the train gathered up we are likely seeing that fabric at a different orientation than the fabric in the body of the gown. I also think it's the train because if it's not, where is it? As ali said, you can see behind her by looking next to her foot. And there seems to be an open area where the train normally would be. And while this dress is styled with a small train it's still a train and has to be somewhere. I don't think what she has in her hand is large enough to be a wrap and the train.

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    7. I just watched the video. She was holding a wrap or shawl. Gorgeous picture, gorgeous couple.
      Celeste

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  23. Concerning the Diplomatic Reception on Dec. 4. I read on the DoC calendar that Charlotte provides that W&K will be attending. I then cross referenced the date on the DoS calendar that Charlotte provides and noted that the engagement was not listed. I have made the assumption that if Charlotte posted one she would have posted both if that information was available to her. I hope I am wrong. It just seemed strange for the palace to announce one and not the other. But, with that said I personally do not always understand the palaces PR thinking.

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    1. Hello USA Granny,

      As the Diplomatic Reception is private, we don't receive any advance notice on royal attendance. Based on previous years, I'm guessing William and Kate will be there. Harry hasn't attended yet. It would be an excellent surprise to see him and Meghan there :)

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    2. Charlotte, do you know if any of HM’s other children has ever attended the Diplo reception? I can find no record of it, but with no photos from inside and very few car photos, my search didn’t bring up lots of results.

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    3. Charlotte, I do take your word as they say in the USA as gospel in reference to royal sources. I am now excited with the possibility of seeing Meghan in a tiara. If that be the case hopefully, it will be interesting to see if it will be a repeat of her wedding tiara or a new choice in the offering. Also, if indeed she does appear and is wearing the same tiara it will be interesting to see if in the future that becomes hers on permanent loan. So many questions to be answered moving into her future. Thank you

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    4. Sadly, we see so little it's difficult to be sure. There was footage from the 2015 reception used for the Queen's 90th documentary. From what we could see, it seemed only the Queen, Philip, Charles, William and Kate were there. But one never knows, we could be in for a surprise on the 4th :)

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  24. Royal 👑 Watcher18 November 2018 at 03:10

    One of Meghan's best looks so far I think. This dress cold be taken in and worn again, a good investment! The rich, have fabric almost looks like artwork, so beautiful. I also really enjoy seeing the Fab Four together again, they all look so happy.

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  25. Dommage qu'on ait pas d'autres photos car je trouve Meghan splendide. Je lui souhaite une belle grossesse et de construire une belle famille.

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  26. I hope Meghan and Harry will be celebrating Thanksgiving

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  27. Love that midnight blue Roland Mouret dress! I wish there was a full length picture of Meghan wearing it. Such a pretty choice!

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  28. This is a gorgeous look for Meghan and pregnancy-friendly! I would have liked to see a sparkly necklace with this, I think.

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