If you ask me, it’s going to be a while until the Princess of Wales lives down her terrible appearance at Sunday night’s BAFTAs. She’s worn stupid clothes before, and she’s shown that she has a consistently bad eye for styling, but her BAFTA ensemble was a whole new level of style f–kery. Maybe that was the point, though? She wanted attention. So she threw a roll of toilet paper across her shoulder, donned her opera gloves and the cheapest-looking Zara earrings she could find and she got herself some attention. While I definitely think that’s part of it, I also just think… Kate is terrible at styling herself, and she hires stylists who don’t know what they’re doing. It’s a matter of taste, and in Kate’s case, it’s a matter of class. She’s too middle-class to understand that she shouldn’t be dripping in diamonds and pearls at funerals and Remembrance Day wreath-layings. She’s too tasteless to understand that the BAFTAs is the event for which she should bring out her bling. Plus, she knows that everyone will fall all over themselves to praise her, no matter what she’s wearing. Speaking of:
The Princess of Wales, 41, attended the BAFTA Awards alongside Prince William on Sunday wearing perhaps her most daring red carpet look to date — including a dramatic pair of full-length opera gloves. Princess Kate refashioned a white Grecian-inspired Alexander McQueen dress (her wedding gown designer!), which she wore to the same event in 2019, by swapping the corsage detail on the shoulder to a flowing sweep of white chiffon, making the look instantly feel more fashion-forward. But it was her bold choice of accessories for the star-studded event — in particular, the contrasting full-length black velvet opera gloves — which stole the show.
“Opera gloves are transformative; they have enormous leverage,” Genevieve James, creative director at royal glove supplier Cornelia James, tells PEOPLE. “They turn any event into an occasion and a dress into a statement.”
James, whose independent family business has been supplying gloves to the royal family for over 70 years, is unable to confirm that Kate is wearing her design (their identical “Melissa” black velvet style retails for $216). But Kate does have several styles from the brand, which she most recently wore in Boston in December.
Exuding old-school Hollywood glamour, the elegant accessory gave a nostalgic nod to red carpet events of the past when the likes of Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe and Rita Hayworth rarely attended an event without their immaculately fitted gloves, often in silk or sometimes bejeweled.
“Imagine Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s without the gloves — it’s just another little black dress. With the gloves, it becomes iconic and emblematic of our age — always relevant, always contemporary,” says James, who supplied the late Queen Elizabeth II with her signature white gloves for decades.
Kate also went bold (and budget-friendly!) in her choice of earrings for the event, which was attended by celebrities such as Cate Blanchett, Viola Davis and Julianne Moore and held for the first time at the Royal Festival Hall in London’s Southbank Centre. The rose gold effect, oversized floral earrings from Zara cost just $28. Featuring rhinestone appliqué, the statement earrings are — of course — sold out.
The cheapness of the Zara earrings is perhaps Kate’s f–k you to the event, correct? Kate looks for excuses to raid the Royal Collection or the Diana archives, but on the rare occasion when she’s supposed to circulate with A-list celebrities wearing their finest frocks and jewels, suddenly Kate TPs herself and wears cheap Zara earrings. It’s just so bizarre. As for this glove-maker crowing about the importance of gloves… lol, no. I mean, the thing about Audrey Hepburn wearing gloves is that her gloves always looked chic and appropriately styled for the outfit. Kate just threw on a pair of opera gloves with no connection to her dress.
As for the butt-touching thing… she really did graze William’s ass, and the British tabloids have been calling all of their “body language experts” to spread the good word that Kate is sassy and she has so much chemistry with William. It’s weird how none of the body-language experts suggest that Kate is perhaps giving the audience a subtle confirmation to William’s oft-rumored sexual needs.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 19: Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William, Prince of Wales, attend the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2023 at The Royal Festival Hall on February 19, 2023 in London, England. The Prince of Wales, President of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), and The Princess will attend the Awards ceremony before meeting category winners and EE Rising Star Award nominees.,Image: 757164889, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon 
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 19: Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William, Prince of Wales, attend the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2023 at The Royal Festival Hall on February 19, 2023 in London, England. The Prince of Wales, President of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), and The Princess will attend the Awards ceremony before meeting category winners and EE Rising Star Award nominees.,Image: 757165016, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon 
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 19: Catherine, Princess of Wales (C) and Prince William, Prince of Wales, (C-R) speak to Emma Baehr, BAFTA Director of Awards & Content, (2nd L) and Jane Millichip, CEO of BAFTA, (2nd R) as they take their seats ahead of the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2023 at The Royal Festival Hall on February 19, 2023 in London, England. The Prince of Wales, President of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), and The Princess will attend the Awards ceremony before meeting category winners and EE Rising Star Award nominees.,Image: 757165063, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 19: Catherine, Princess of Wales, attends the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2023 at The Royal Festival Hall on February 19, 2023 in London, England. The Prince of Wales, President of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), and The Princess will attend the Awards ceremony before meeting category winners and EE Rising Star Award nominees.,Image: 757165097, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon 
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 19: Catherine, Princess of Wales, attends the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2023 at The Royal Festival Hall on February 19, 2023 in London, England. The Prince of Wales, President of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), and The Princess will attend the Awards ceremony before meeting category winners and EE Rising Star Award nominees.,Image: 757165111, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon 
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 19: Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William, Prince of Wales, attend the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2023 at The Royal Festival Hall on February 19, 2023 in London, England. The Prince of Wales, President of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), and The Princess will attend the Awards ceremony before meeting category winners and EE Rising Star Award nominees.,Image: 757166868, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 19: Catherine, Princess of Wales, speaks to Charlie Mackesy (L), Peter Baynton (3rd L), Hannah Minghella (C) and Daniel Marc Dreifuss (C-R) after the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2023 at The Royal Festival Hall on February 19, 2023 in London, England. The Prince of Wales, President of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), and The Princess will attend the Awards ceremony before meeting category winners and EE Rising Star Award nominees.,Image: 757239422, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon 
LONDON, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 19: Catherine, Princess of Wales, speaks to Daniel Barrett (R) after the EE BAFTA Film Awards 2023 at The Royal Festival Hall on February 19, 2023 in London, England. The Prince of Wales, President of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), and The Princess will attend the Awards ceremony before meeting category winners and EE Rising Star Award nominees.,Image: 757239485, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Chris Jackson / Avalon 
London, UNITED KINGDOM – The Prince and Princess of Wales attend the BAFTA Film Awards 2023 at the Royal Festival Hall, London, UK. Pictured: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince of Wales BACKGRID USA 19 FEBRUARY 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
London, UNITED KINGDOM – The Prince and Princess of Wales attend the BAFTA Film Awards 2023 at the Royal Festival Hall, London, UK. Pictured: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince of Wales BACKGRID USA 19 FEBRUARY 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* 
London, UNITED KINGDOM – The Prince and Princess of Wales attend the BAFTA Film Awards 2023 at the Royal Festival Hall, London, UK. Pictured: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince of Wales BACKGRID USA 19 FEBRUARY 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication* 
London, UNITED KINGDOM – The Prince and Princess of Wales attend the BAFTA Film Awards 2023 at the Royal Festival Hall, London, UK. Pictured: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince of Wales BACKGRID USA 19 FEBRUARY 2023 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcWhlaIR1e8%2BroKeblajAoLfArZysl5KWs7WtvqCjqK6Voq6ssdGYpqmdopasqLjOr5ysl5GnsqDA0ZqlrJ6fp7qiwMivnGg%3D