A Royal Visit to any country is nothing short of a national event. It takes months of preparations prior a Royal Visit and a lot goes into consideration starting from the itinerary to photography as well as dress code. Once the Royal couple gets an official invitation to visit a country and they accept the invitation, that is when the planning of the tour begins full fledgedly. The Royal Visit is usually planned as per the affairs that are important to the host country while also taking into consideration the personal interests of the royals. Once all the preparations are done and the schedule has been set, the British police visit and checks everything for security reasons. The photographers also play a huge part in documenting the Royal Visit, so much so that they also have to take care of the camera angles and make sure they get the proper shots covering the day to day activities of the Royal couple in the hosting country.
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge; Prince William and Kate Middelton were on a 5 day Royal Visit to Pakistan from October 14 to October 18, 2019. They were officially invited by Foreign and Commonwealth Office. This has been more than a decade that the Royals had visited Pakistan, hence making this tour a highly anticipated and speculated event all over Pakistan. People of Pakistan have a special place in their hearts for Lady Diana. She has enjoyed the status of being an icon in Pakistan and this is the reason even after so many years, she is highly respected and is always remembered in good words. For the first time in her official capacity, Kate Middleton visited Pakistan and had all eyes on her. Now when the Royal Visit is over, it can easily be said that she has succeeded in filling Lady Diana’s shoes and has earned the same love, appreciation and place in the heart of Pakistani nation.
Dress code is one of the most important aspects of the royal protocol, this is why a lot of factors are considered before designing the wardrobe for Duke and Duchess. According to royal protocol, the duchess must wear the national and traditional clothing of the country she is visiting. The ensemble also has to represent the significant symbols such as a national flower or emblem. Symbolic colors related to the host country’s tradition and culture are also represented through the clothing during the Royal Visit. This is the reason why the moment Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton disembarked from the aircraft the very first time, she had all eyes set on her for the upcoming days and events because she not only looked like a vision but let the Pakistanis know that she was going to pay respect to the traditional attire of Pakistanis by embracing it gracefully during her Royal Visit.
Prince William and Kate Middleton have been the talk of the nation. As the Royal tour proceeded and pictures started circulating on social media, people of Pakistan felt joyful seeing how beautifully Kate Middleton was embracing Pakistani fashion and cultural dresses. Kate has always garnered love and appreciation for the way she gracefully projects herself and during the Royal Visit to Pakistan, this is exactly what she did. Kate Middleton has left a long lasting impression and she will be celebrated in Pakistan for years to come. Renowned fashion designer Maheen Khan was the woman with vision and she was responsible for the Pakistani wardrobe of Kate Middleton. While Maheen Khan designed the majority of her dresses, Kate Middleton also wore pieces carefully picked by Lady Diana’s favorite fashion designer Cathrine Walker during her Royal Visit to Pakistan. Kate Middleton looked absolutely stunning and the way she carried traditional dresses with sheer elegance and charm made people respect her even more.
Here’s the Look Book of Kate Middleton during the Royal Visit to Pakistan:
Look 1
The touchdown of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Pakistani Air Force Base Nur Khan was a huge moment of pride and joy for the people of Pakistan. Everyone was keen to see the beginning of the Royal Visit and it was that moment when Kate Middleton drew everyone’s attention to herself. She was dressed in a beautiful ensemble designed by Cathrine Walker, Lady Diana’s favorite designer. The very first dress was plain long shirt paired with trousers but the gradient colors were gorgeous and took the dress to a whole new level. The detail of cowled layers on the neckline and the back were Cathrine Walker’s way of representing the Pakistani dupatta. This beautiful dress played with gradient palette of blue and it was flared with fitted sleeves. It had pleats that sit perfectly on Kate Middleton’s tall and petite frame. This dress was modest and showed the entire world how Kate Middleton paid respect to her host country by being mindful of its culture and traditions. Kate Middleton kept her jewelry simple, she only wore a pair of sparkly earrings. Also, her 12 carat sapphire engagement ring that once belonged to her mother in law Lady Diana is always a classic piece of jewelry that grabs the attention.
Look 2
The very next day, Kate Middleton was seen in a gorgeous periwinkle blue suit with white embroidery on neckline and a dual-toned chiffon dupatta. Maheen Khan designed this gorgeous dress while also keeping in mind the comfort for a long day of activities and events that Kate had to be a part of. The V neckline and bell bottom sleeves made this dress stylish because the rest of the dress was simple and elegant. Kate wore gorgeous dangling earrings to complete her look and wore her hair in gorgeous waves. Another aspect that has to be paid special attention to while designing the wardrobe for Royal Visit is the weather condition of the hosting country. In October, it happens to be hot during the day, that is why most of the outfits designed by Maheen Khan were summer appropriate. On day 2 of the Royal Visit, Kate Middleton and Prince William visited a school in Islamabad, followed by Margalla Hills National Park where they met students of different schools to see the projects they were working on that will help Pakistan achieve its sustainable development goal.
Look 3
Kate Middleton and Prince William then had a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan. Imran Khan was also a friend to Lady Diana, therefore this meeting was more personal and friendly. On this day, Kate wore a beautiful buttoned green tunic designed by Cathrine Walker, trousers by Maheen Khan and a tassel dupatta by Bonanza Satrangi. The small dangling earrings that Kate wore were by Pakistani jewelry designer Zeen. Kate wore a pair of green heels and held a green clutch. This overall look was formal and looking at the color palette, it clearly shows that she was representing Pakistan’s national flag. Kate half tied her hair that helped her in achieving a formal look for the meet.
Look 4
Kate Middleton and Prince William attended a reception and dinner hosted by the British High Commissioner to Pakistan in Islamabad. This w as a star studded event where the big names from different fields were invited to welcome the Royal Couple to Pakistan at Pakistan Monument, Islamabad. Kate and William made a unique and special entrance to the event in an auto rickshaw. It was the organizers way of letting them enjoy the experience and both of them looked high spirited and cheerful when they came out of the rickshaw. Kate Middleton and Prince William stunned everyone when they made an appearance in traditional formal Pakistani attire. Kate wore a glistening emerald green dress and looked like a total stunner. This gorgeous dress was designed by Jenny Packham. It was heavily embellished with sequin work all over the gown. The neckline and waistline had a beautiful pattern which also was designed on the sleeves. Kate Middleton also wore a dupatta to give this gown a Pakistani look. Kate wore bespoke earrings by O’nitaa and her footwear was a classic Jimmy Choo.
This is the first time in the history of the Royal Visits that Prince William wore a traditional outfit of the hosting country. Usually Prince William wears suits or trousers and shirts during his visit but Pakistani fashion designer Nauman Arfeen, owner of the label Naushe Mian had the honor of designing this gorgeous traditional sherwani for Prince William. They both looked like a Pakistani couple in their gorgeous traditional outfits.
Look 5
On day 4 of the Royal Visit, Kate Middleton and Prince William went to see the beautiful valley of Chitral. They both visited the Chiatibo Glacier in Broghil National Park to see the melting glacier, a result of the global warming. On this day, William and Kate kept their attire stylish but casual. Kate Middleton wore a brown buttoned dress shirt and brown skirt. She paired it with a sleeveless leather jacket and wore long boots. Kate also added a beige shawl following the dress code protocol. Kate tied her hair and wore Missoma 18ct Gold Plated Chandelier earrings with a similar design to the traditional Pakistani jewellery. Even though Kate kept her attire western during this visit, her little detailing of adding those earrings showed how keen she was on representing Pakistani fashion throughout her visit.
Upon her arrival, Duchess was given a regimental cap of Chitrali scouts and she also received a traditional shawl which she immediately wore. William also received a traditional chitrali cloak. After their visit to the Chiatibo Glacier, they paid a visit to Bumburet and a community of the Kalash people. This is where Kate received a second Kalashi headpiece and stole. She wore the entire time she was with the people of Kalash. Kate and Willaim got to experience and enjoy Kalashi folk dance.
Look 6
After completing their visit to beautiful valley of Chitral, the Royal Couple arrived in Lahore. Kate wore a beautiful white custom shalwar kameez by Gul Ahmed, wore a dupatta designed by Maheen Khan and completed the look with nude JCrew’s Lucie Suede Pumps and Mulberry clutch. Kate wore a pair of Asprey London’s Small Oak Leaf Earrings. This gorgeous shirt piece was not only beautiful but it had a significant meaning to it as well. The shirt had jasmine embroidered all over, representing the national flower of Pakistan; Chambeli.
At the beginning of the day in Lahore, the Royal Couple visited the SOS Children’s Village, which provides a family structure for vulnerable children, who are given a home and cared for by a caretaker to help them develop into happy and confident adults. They also celebrated a birthday party of one of the 150 children at the SOS Children’s Village.
After that, they visited the National Cricket Academy and spent time with the cricketers and tried hands on a few batting shots themselves. Kate swapped her heels for a pair of plimsolls to show off her sporting skills during a game of cricket. Kate arrived with her hair curled and luscious but like a true sportswoman, she then tied her hair in a ponytail to prevent the locks from distracting her. It was so good to see Kate Middleton and Prince William enjoying the game of cricket and having a good time with the cricketers.
Look 7
After visiting the National Cricket Academy, Kate Middleton had a change of clothes and was then ready to visit the state-of-the-art Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital and Badshadhi Masjid. Kate and William spent time with the children at the hospital and being a princess that she is wore a toy tiara to cheer a little girl who is a patient at the Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital.
After the visit to the hospital, Kate and William went to Badshadhi Masjid and attended a little ceremony organized for them over there. On this day, Kate Middleton wore a beautiful flowy shirt and trousers designed by Maheen Khan. Once again, the designer kept the heat of Lahore city in her mind while designing this gorgeous chiffon dress. It was a beautiful shade of turquoise with gold motif on the neckline of the shirt. The dupatta had a gold finishing that Kate gracefully draped over her head, in order to pay respect to the Holy place Badshahi Masjid. The dresses designed by Maheen Khan were simple but they were enough to make a statement of Pakistani fashion all over the world. Kate Middleton wore these beautiful dresses with grace and elegance, doing complete justice to the beauty of traditional Pakistani attire.
Look 8
After an eventful day, Kate and William left Lahore. On her way back to Islamabad, Kate Middleton wore a monochromatic shirt designed by Elan. It had embroidery all over and looked comfortable, casual and chic at the same time. It was a loose fitted short shirt. The black motif embroidery highlighted the beautiful traditional embroidery work which is the essence of Pakistani fashion. Kate paired it with Gul Ahmed trousers and a dupatta designed by Maheen Khan. She once again wore her JCrew’s Lucie Suede Pumps and carried a Smythson Black Panama East West Zip Tote. Kate looked gorgeous in loose curls, the hairstyle that she carried the most during the Royal Visit.
Look 9
The royal couple finally arrived in Islamabad from Lahore after two failed attempts of landing at different airports in Islamabad due to bad weather conditions. Prince William and Kate Middleton didn’t look tired or traumatized by the unexpected delay in the schedule and when they later arrived, they both looked well-rested and calm. On the last day, Duke and Duchess visited Army Canine Centre in Islamabad which reflects the U.K. Defense Animal Training Centre in the England. They got to spend time with the bred and trained dogs and had a good time, this was more of a casual outing.
Kate Middleton looked absolutely graceful, sporting a monochromatic look yet again. She wore a simple plain white shirt, trousers and dupatta, but the article of clothing that amped up her look was the Beulah London’s Papilio jacket. It was a basic black jacket with buttoned details in the middle, a huge slit at the front and enough flare to sit well on the perfect figure of the Duchess. She wore a Russel and Bromley’s black flats and drop filigree earrings by Accessorize. The Royal Couple bid farewell to the Pakistani nation today and the Royal Visit has come to an end.
The Royal Visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Prince William and Kate Middleton was of significance importance. It helped the entire world to see the positive side of Pakistan, it showed them the hospitality of Pakistani nation, the beauty of Northern Pakistan, the passion for Cricket, huge state of the art organizations that run on charity, the capabilities of Pakistan as a nation and last but not the least, the beautiful Pakistani fashion. Which of the looks of Kate Middleton were your favorite? Do share with us.