William and Kate have been staying at the British Ambassador's residence since they arrived in Sweden on Monday night. Following a busy day in Stockholm, it was back to the residence just in time to change.
Before dinner, the Duke and Duchess met Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and his wife Ulla Löfven.
Rebecca noted the photo in the background is a picture of the Queen with King Carl XVI Gustaf taken some years ago - a very nice touch.
William and Victoria appear to be getting along famously. I mentioned earlier, as a future King and Queen, they are both in incredibly unique positions. They will both reign at the same time and oversee changes and the challenges of modernising. I do hope this trip is the start of a lifelong friendship between both couples.
The Duchess arriving.
A video from Hannah Furness.
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel sounded like they were having a good giggle behind closed doors before coming out for pics & the ambassador's dinner #RoyalVisitSweden pic.twitter.com/AQ2xGKbbUi— Hannah Furness (@Hannah_Furness) January 30, 2018
Prince William with Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård.
The British Embassy shared a photo of the table before guests arrived.
Guests made their way to dinner in pairs. Kate's with Ambassador David Cairns.
A video from Hannah Furness.
Dignitaries go in for dinner two-by-two, like a royal Noah's Ark #RoyalVisitSweden pic.twitter.com/x63qXD4Dz1— Hannah Furness (@Hannah_Furness) January 30, 2018
Actress Alicia Vikander in blue.
An overview of the dinner.
According to People: "Guests dined on a starter of Scottish smoked salmon with quail egg, horseradish cream on a bed of salad, followed by guinea fowl with stir-fried vegetables and mashed potatoes. For dessert, they enjoyed blackberry soufflé with chocolate ganache, before a selection of British cheeses."
The Duchess selected the Erdem Stephanie Gown for her first evening event of the tour. The silk dress comes in opulent gold Winterbourne print satin. The dress features jewel-tone florals, an Edwardian high collar, button-down bodice, bell sleeves, a trimmed skirt with a gathered hem, and a detachable belt.
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| Erdem |
A closer look at the print.
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| Erdem |
Kate's dress is sold out, but the Stephanie remains available in black floral print. The £1,945 piece is described: "Erdem envisions 1940s silhouettes with floral patterns – in this case, passion flowers – lifted from traditional Japanese screens for Resort 2018, and this black silk crepe de Chine Stephanie dress is the result. The bodice is shaped with a ruffled stand collar and cropped sleeves that end in gathered ruffle bell cuffs, bound to swing with every step." It's available at Matches, Harvey Nichols, My Theresa and Barneys New York.
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| Erdem |
The Duchess accessorised with Diana's Collingwood pearl earrings.
And Diana's triple-strand pearl bracelet.
It looks like Kate wore her Gianvito Rossi burgundy suede pumps.
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| Net-A-Porter |
And a new burgundy clutch. Middleton Maven suggests it is a version of the Jimmy Choo Celeste.
Judging by the reaction, the Erdem Stephanie gown will go down in the annals of Kate's sartorial choices...and not for positive reasons. When I saw the first photo, I suspected it would be a polarizing piece. A number of factors come into play as to why this one just didn't seem to work tonight, and the low lighting at the dinner made it incredibly difficult for media present (apparently there was unhappiness about it). Instead of photographing the dark hue it is in the product shots, it came out looking a shade of mustard. I'm a big fan of Erdem's, however it must be acknowledged the majority of his designs are busy to say the least. When one takes the gown with the floral print, bell sleeves and high neck there's a significant amount going on. For me though, it's the bottom portion of the skirt that really takes from the overall look and detracts from what could have been an elegant kimono style dress. I'm going to make a wild guess the Stephanie shall not fare too well in the post tour poll...
It reminds me of the debacle surrounding the Erdem Alouette Gown Kate wore. I said at the time, while it wasn't Kate's best look, it was good to see her trying something new and experimenting with fashion; the same applies tonight.
It's been a packed day with several different events. If you're just joining us, William and Kate kicked off the tour with a spot of bandy hockey in snowy Stockholm; click here to view the post. In the afternoon, the couple enjoyed lunch at the Royal Palace and carried out engagements and a walkabout with Victoria and Daniel. Click here to read the post!
A look at tomorrow's schedule:
Wednesday, 31 January - Stockholm -
- William and Kate, accompanied by Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel, will begin the morning at the world-famous Karolinska Institute, which accounts for over 40 per cent of the medical academic research conducted in Sweden. The Duke and Duchess will meet with leading scientific researchers and practitioners to discuss ground-breaking academic work in developmental psychology, and Sweden’s approach to managing mental health challenges, including the impact of physical activity on mental health. Their Royal Highnesses will also hear about the Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM) programme run by the National Association for Suicide Research and Prevention of Mental Ill Health (NASP). YAM is a programme run for 14 to 16-year-olds promoting increased knowledge about mental health through dialogue and role-play, and now operates internationally, including in the UK.
- The Duke and Duchess and Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel will then head to Matteusskolan, a comprehensive school in the heart of the city centre. Their Royal Highnesses will join children who have taken part in the YAM programme during one of their mental health activity sessions, and will speak to the mentors who run the training.
- That afternoon, the two Royal couples will visit one of Sweden's leading department stores – NK – to open an interactive exhibition of UK design, fashion and brands that operate in Sweden. The Duke and Duchess will learn how these brands in particular put innovation, technology and sustainable practices at the forefront of their businesses. The event will take place in NK's entrance hall, and for the duration of the exhibition the best of British brands will feature in the display windows of the store.
- From NK, Their Royal Highnesses will travel to Haga Palace, Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel's official residence, for a private tea with the royal couple.
- On their last evening in Stockholm, the Duke and Duchess will attend an event at the Fotografiska Gallery, which at night boasts glittering views over Stockholm. The event will be a celebration of contemporary culture with guests representing the worlds of music, film, television, theatre, tech, dance, art and sport, with live music, drinks and canapés. The Duke will also deliver a speech at this event. Weather permitting, they will travel to Fotografiska by boat, allowing the Duke and Duchess to take in the views of Stockholm by night as they pass around the harbour. Prior to joining the reception, the Royal couple will have a short tour of the gallery's latest exhibition by UK photographer Nick Veasey.
Did you enjoy Day One of the tour? :)
