Kate Middleton stepped out onto the Top Gun: Maverick red carpet in London on Thursday in one of the riskiest looks the royal has worn to a movie premiere to date.
Kate attended the screening of the movie with her husband Prince William as it raised funds for The Film and TV Charity and represented the 75th Royal Film Performance. In the past, other senior members of the royal family have attended such events with Princess Diana a regular throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.
The screening of Top Gun: Maverick saw Kate meet the movie's leading man, Tom Cruise, who divided opinion on social media after the event when he was filmed guiding Kate up a flight of stairs by the hand.
The event on Thursday marked the seventh movie premiere that Kate has attended as a member of the royal family and did so wearing the most daring design yet.
The duchess walked the red carpet in a floor-length black evening gown cut to sit very close to the body with a plain white band forming the neckline and wrapping the shoulders.
The dress was made by one of Kate's favorite designers Roland Mouret, who she has worn on many occasions throughout her marriage. Mouret has also found another royal fan in Kate's sister-in-law Meghan Markle.
Here, Newsweek looks at how Kate's 2022 Royal Film Performance gown compares to her previous, more conservative choices.
War Horse, January 8, 2012.
At her first movie premiere as a member of the royal family, Kate wore a Temperley London black lace dress with long sleeves. The new Duchess of Cambridge was accompanied by her husband William who, due to a downpour that occurred just as the couple was walking the red carpet, had to hold an umbrella over his wife to prevent the dress from being ruined.
African Cats, April 25, 2012
The look Kate chose for the charity premiere of the movie African Cats to benefit the Tusk organization was very conservative in comparison to her previous red carpet selection. The event was held during the day, which called for a more toned-down outfit and the duchess chose a dove gray dress with three-quarter length sleeves by British designer, Matthew Williamson. Around the neckline and cuffs of the dress turquoise and gold thread embellishments heightened the look's glamor without looking overdressed.
Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, December 5, 2013
At the premiere of Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom in 2013, Kate wore a Roland Mouret (the designer of her 2022 Top Gun: Maverick gown) floor-length cream dress with a bateau neckline. The gown was again on the modest side of red carpet looks and the duchess styled it equally so with a relaxed ponytail and statement necklace.
Spectre, October 26, 2016
For the first of her James Bond appearances, Kate decided to up the ante when it came to her fashion choice. Jenny Packham designed for the royal an elegant flowing blue evening gown in pale blue chiffon which contrasted with the deep red carpet making for striking photographs taken on the night. Kate paired her gown with aquamarine chandelier earrings and a crystal-embellished clutch bag.
A Street Cat Named Bob, November 3, 2016
Self Portrait has become one of Kate's most loved fashion brands, returning over and again to their classic designs made using men's tailoring as a base. In 2016 the duchess attended the premiere of the movie A Street Cat Named Bob, which was held in conjunction with the charity Action on Addiction with which Kate is involved. She has worn the long white gown with geometric bodice and long sleeves on subsequent occasions and it has become one of the label's most famous designs.
No Time To Die, September 28, 2021
Perhaps the most famous of all Kate's movie premiere dresses to date, the gold and crystal-embellished Jenny Packham evening gown worn to the royal performance of No Time To Die was widely acclaimed by the fashion press being called by Vogue "worthy of the most glamorous of Bond girls."
Correction 05/24/22, 10:08 a.m. ET: This article was updated with the correct spelling of Roland Mouret's name.
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About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
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