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| Photo used with kind permission of MEDIA-MODE.COM |
Kate received flowers and chatted with members of the crowd. I think many of us (myself included) expected the dinner to be a much more formal affair. However I'm quiet optimistic we will see a tiara yet :)
Prince William inspected the Guard of Honour at the Istana Palace. You can watch a brief video of the inspection here.
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| UK In Singapore Twitter |
The Duke and Duchess then joined a reception of guests before dinner where they met with the Prime Minister and President.
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| Photo Used with kind permission of MEDIA-MODE.COM |
The Istana is the official residence and office of the President. Meaning 'palace' in Malay, it is where the president receives and entertains state guests. The 106 acre estate was once part of the extensive nutmeg plantation of Mount Sophia. In 1867, the British colonial government acquired the land and built a mansion to be the home of the British Governor. This continued until 1959 when Singapore was granted self-government.
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| Channel News Asia Twitter |
A Swan Lake on the grounds of Istana.
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| Wikipedia |
The couple sat down at the state banquet with President Tony Tan Keng Yam.
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| The Strait Times Twitter |
William gave a speech and spoke about his grandmothers fond memories of Singapore.
'Before we left London, my grandmother told me how very warmly she remembers her three state visits to this remarkable country'.
Guests raise their glasses for William and Kate.
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| The Strait Times Twitter |
Kate wore the purple and cream Printed Wool Silk Dress by Singaporean born designer Prabal Gurung (With thanks to Carly and Patricia) We mentioned the talented designer was a strong possibility in the recent What Will Kate Wear During South-East Asia Tour? post and It's wonderful Kate chose a piece by the talented designer for a formal event. Mr Gurung's celebrity clients include Michelle Obama and Sarah Jessica Parker and his designs focus on 'quality and innovation'.
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| Prabal Gurung |
The Spring/Summer 2012 dress is currently reduced from £1,770 to £710 and is described as
'Largely purple and cream Rorschach floral printed wool-silk dress from Prabal Gurung. Bateau neck. V-back leads into a concealed zip. Three-quarter-length sleeves. Full silk lining'.
A look at pieces from the Spring 2013 Resort Collection
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| Style.com |
Kate carried her £450 Anya Hindmarch Bespoke Maud Clutch.
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| Anya Hindmarch |
The Duchess wore her black Prada pumps.
Kate completed the look with her diamond cluster drop earrings and diamond bracelet.
You can watch a video from the dinner at The Telegraph.
A wonderful day and an amazing start to the tour. If you haven't seen today's earlier post on the couple's arrival and visit to the Botanic Gardens you can do so by clicking here.
Thank you all for reading x
Amazing dress!
ReplyDeleteThat dress is amazing. Its wild yet modest - perfect for a princess
ReplyDeleteWOW! I love the dress - I was surprised it wasn't full length for some reason I had that in my mind...
ReplyDeleteYour coverage is awesome, I just had some lunch and no mention of the tour on BBC news....thank goodness for the red button on sky but even they didn't have this yet.
This time difference is a challenge!
I want to know how Kate wears new shoes that don't seem to need 'wearing in'???
PPx
No ball gown? No tiara? Obviously the state dinner was meant as a different type of social event than media announced. The dress is nice, but I´m bit disappointed as I was expecting tiara+gown. Neither any particular hair do..chm :/
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely love the dress and make-up and hair !!! Brilliant...
ReplyDeleteDo also hope for more formal evening wear along the way.
Theresa
Oh Charlotte you are always the best and the first!!! Thank you!!!
ReplyDeleteAnother very pretty dress! It looks very nice at her! Good choice!
I had hoped for a while to see the duchess in one of that designers dresses. So lovely!!
ReplyDeleteTotally in love with her dress!! gosh the girl knows how to select her designers!!I noticed there weren't any wild crowds like there were in Canada..Hopefully they will come as the tour comes along,,Kate looks gorgeous as always!!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely beautiful dress...
ReplyDeletethe pictures are simply simply gorgeous, Charlotte!!!
ReplyDeleteThis dress is STUNNING!!! I am so happy so see her wearing something dramatic. I am still hoping for a tiara.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all your comments, you are all very kind. I think Kate looked lovely today and the tour is off to a brilliant start :)
ReplyDeleteDon't like the dress, sorry..
ReplyDeleteGreat dress but the hair and makeup looks terrible.
ReplyDeleteI am not very fond about the print in the dress. But she looked fantastic as always! Thank you Charlotte for such a great effort! I know it must not be easy to stay woke up until early in the morning just to keep us posted. Thank very much!
ReplyDeleteThe colours on Kate were spot on! So radiant! She is lovely, William is also looking very good :) Looking forward to the rest of the tour!
ReplyDeleteOh that dress. Brilliant! I love the cut and the print. Very ladylike and an excellent choice. Thanks for the coverage!
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous dress! I LOVE it. Kate looked stunning this evening.
ReplyDeleteThanks for keeping us updated, Charlotte. You are the BEST!
Beautiful dress on a beautiful lady--she obviously gives a great deal of thoughtand planning to what she will wear.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the lovely photos and the speed with which you have them.
Jean
Ohh, Charlotte! Thank you for such an amazing coverage of the lovely couple! I am from Singapore too but live in the USA now. Reading your posts brought me so close to home! Love her dresses so far.......I'm sure she doesn't disappoint.......she has impeccable taste!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Bernie
WOW Bernie, that is so exciting! Thank you for letting me know :)
DeleteOhh, Charlotte! Thank you for a lovely coverage of the lovely couple in Singapore. I am from Singapore too but live in the US now. Your coverage brought me so close to home! Love her dresses so far, however, I couldn't help but wonder what Diana would have worn had she been alive to visit Singapore? The orchid named after William and Kate is beautiful.
ReplyDelete(I do apologize if you see 3 entries of my comments - it just didn't want to be published!)
Bernie
Did you realize that USA TODAY has referenced your blog?
ReplyDeletehttp://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2012/09/Will-and-Kate-in-Singapore-at-first-state-dinner-70000104/will-kate-singapore-state-dinner/70000104/1
Both of Kate's tour outfits are gorgeous...she never disappoints!
I appreciate your detailed coverage. Your information is always precise, timely, and the accompanying photos are beautiful. Thank you!!
Lovely posts charlotte :) loved Kate's outfits! We haven't seen purple on Kate very often but I think it suits her with her dark hair. Read online that Kate only drank water at the State dinner so I expect we will get yet more pregnancy rumours.
ReplyDeleteGrace
Charlotte, what's your thoughts on the speculation that Kate was drinking only water at the State Dinner because she's pregnant?
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'm not sure that it's a sign that she is already pregnant (don't think the place would want to risk exposing early pregnancy to tropical environments) but I do think it MIGHT be a sign that they are beginning to try. Alcohol is the most damaging to a young fetus in the first few weeks of pregnancy, often before the woman even knows she's pregnant. That's why many doctors advise you stop drinking once you make the decision to even start trying!
Or, she could just be following her usual pattern of not wanting to be under the influence of alcohol while she's representing the crown! Lol
Great post Charlotte, LOVE the Gurang purple dress!!!! And I thought the orchid packham dress was beautiful as well and perfect for the occasion. Thanks for all your hard work!! :)
Hello Sara!
DeleteI would think Kate wanted to keep a clear head to be honest, I don't think she's pregnant yet but I could be very wrong of course.
I love Prabal Gurung's designs, just beautiful.
I agree, I think she's just trying to re-hydrate after a long-haul flight and the heat and humidity...
DeleteSara, I'm sorry but I guess your comment about "to risk exposing early pregnancy to tropical environments" sounded really, really prejudiced.
DeleteI think she meant that there are certain diseases and parasites in that part of the world.
DeleteAnonymous 22:23 - Anytime a person goes out of their own germ environment, there is more risk of getting sick. From what I understand, it is simply because they haven't had a chance to build immunity to the different germs. Obviously, someone who is pregnant would have reason to not want to expose themselves to new germs. I do not understand what is prejudice about that. It seems to be just common sense or at the least personal preference.
DeleteAs a doctor, I can for sure that, the "tropical enviroment" doesn't bring risks to any pregnant woman. In fact, a lot of women get pregnant in these parts of the planet and can pass trough it without any "diseases and parasites". What really can make a difference is the personal hygiene. And if you are talking about Malaria, a vaccine can protect you. Actually, there are diseases and parasites in other kinds of enviroment. And I agree with anonymous, but now I can say you both were very prejudiced or you just lost the chance to keep your mouths shut. Thank you.
DeleteWhat I was saying is that when you do not live in a place you do not have immunity to things that the locals have. For instance, my father went to India and got sick because of the local water, but the people who live there have no trouble drinking it. When I moved from one state to another state, the first winter my kids were sick all the time. I was told it was likely because there were so many new germs they were encountering. I don't know. Maybe doctors disagree on this point. Anyway, I just meant that I don't think Sara was trying to say anything bad or prejudice about tropical places in particular.
DeleteI love the dress but was surprised she wore her hair totally loose for the state dinner, even though it wasn't black tie. And do others think her face is looking a lot fuller?
ReplyDeleteSo far I've loved all the dresses worn by Kate on this trip. I love dresses with floral prints, so I think it was an excellent choice by the Duchess. Kisses!
ReplyDeleteSo far I've loved all the dresses worn by Kate on this trip. I love dresses with floral prints, so I think it was an excellent choice by the Duchess. Kisses!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous, exquisite. I love how Prabal really brings together east and west in the designs. That dress is beautifully cut and the swirls of purple are just mesmerizing.
ReplyDeleteI like that this is a very daring print for the HRH. It looks great on her and she should wear more of it! Nice bling, too! I know we've seen the bracelet before, but have those earrings "been out in public" before?
Thank you, Charlotte!! Silvia
I'm in love with this dress! It looks gorgeous! I love the colors and the pattern and I love how the back pattern really flatters Kate giving her a nice bum (hehe) and hips! I love it! she looks so pretty! I often say she should pull her hair back and/or different hairdo etc. but in this case, her hair down definitely suits her better (as opposed to her hair on the first day when she had her hair different :( I didn't quite like that hairstyle) so she looks great with her in this outfit! Great day for the duchess :)
ReplyDeleteBea
That's a lovely dress and looks amazing on her. Very different from her usual choices! Glad she picked it, lovely!
ReplyDeleteIP
Great post Charlotte. Loved the dresses that the beautiful Duchess has woren today. I can't wait to see this royal tour unfold and what the Duchess has in store for us to see.
ReplyDeleteAnd I can't believe the pregnacy rumors are in full swing. This poor girl can't even have a glass of water without it being said that she might be pregnant. This is a very private thing between the Duchess & her Prince. It will happen when they are ready and until then we will just have to wait.
Now bring on the rest of the great tour!!
I too am surprised the dinner wasn't more formal but I think the dress is lovely. It's a perfect combination of wow-factor and conservative design (cut).
ReplyDeleteKeeping my fingers crossed for a tiara night! LOL. Perhaps later in the tour.
Are those mini tables next to the dining chairs for ladies to put their purses on (in the Strait Times twitter picture)? Ingenious!
ReplyDeleteWow, I did not notice that before! I agree with you! Ingenious!
DeleteWow I went back and looked at the picture and yes there were the little tables. Great idea. The women then did not have to hold their hand bags in their laps or on the table.
DeleteMeh. Not impressed. I agree, I think this dinner was reported to be something more formal than what it actually is. That being said, I think this was our best chance to see a tiara and gown. The rest of the tour's events don't appear to require that level of formality and fancy dress. Just not a fan of this dress.
ReplyDeleteHi Charlotte,
ReplyDeleteGREAT, FANTASTIC posts, Charlotte. Thank you.
This dress is definitely among my "top 20 Duchess looks". It`s absolutely stunning, and so is she. I agree with one of the comments here, her face looks fuller and to me she looks even more beautiful.
Looking forward to tomorrow!
A fan in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
PS:I was born and have always lived in Brazil. I`ve never seen or heard of any woman having pregnancy issues just because this is a tropical country.
Yes, I was born and have always lived in a city nearby Sao Paulo and I have never seen or heard of any woman having pregnancy issues just because this is a tropical country. Totally agree with you.
DeleteHaha, I love the picture of William staring intently at the guards. Can't imagine what was going through both their heads... must... not... smile...!!
ReplyDeleteThey really love their orchids over there, don't they? That's a lovely bunch in Kate's hands in the first picture.
-Sarah (looks like there are lots of us on this blog now! :) )
JUST GORGEOUS! LOVE THIS PURPLE DRESS MUCH BETTER THAN THE FIRST DATED OUTFIT AND HAIRSTYLE SHE WORE ON DAY 1.
ReplyDeletelove the dress i love the she wear purple and she wear the asia designer
ReplyDeleteGiving a touch of beauty, but very appealing, elegant.Her smile is always so people feel happy！
ReplyDeleteLove the dress! How appropriate for the occasion. Blueskygal Tucson AZ
ReplyDelete