Duke & Duchess Spend the Day with President Xi Jinping & Peng Liyuan..

Today the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were joined by President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan.

photo via The Daily Mail 

They greeted the President and his wife at Lancaster House this morning.

photo via The Daily Mail 

The Duchess and Madame Liyuan seemed to be getting on well.

photo via The Daily Mail 

They are attending a creative industry event which is designed to celebrate cultural collaboration, existing and future, between the UK and China.

Both couples posed with Jackie Chan at the event today.

photo via The Daily Mail 

They also watched a performance of Matilda at the creative industry event.

photo via The Daily Mail 

Matilda was played by Anna-Louise Knight who plays Matilda in the West End.

photo via The Daily Mail 

They also spoke to actors from BBC's Poldark.

photo via The Daily Mail 

They viewed TV props from Britain's top TV shows, including a Tardis and Dalek from Doctor Who and a ballroom dress from Strictly Come Dancing.

photo via The Daily Mail 

They were introduced to a character from Kung Fu Panda 3. It will be the first film to be produced by Oriental Dreamworks.

photo via The Daily Mail 

They also watched a presentation by the Victoria & Albert Museum, which is working with China Merchants Group to create a design museum in Shenzhen in 2017.

photo via The Daily Mail 

The Duke and Duchess looked lovely today and can we all note that William's tie matches Kate's dress! Love little details like that!

photo via The Daily Mail 

The Duchess looked lovely in a plum dress. It is the Dolce & Gabbana Guipre Lace Dress which retails for £1,850. It is the first time the Duchess has chosen this label and it is lovely to see her opting for new designers!

The Duchess also debuted a new shoe designer. She wore the Gianvito Rossi Pumps in bordeaux suede which retail for £410.

The Duchess carried her Mulberry Bayswater Clutch in burgundy suede.

photo via The Daily Mail 

She also wore her Mappin and Webb Empress Earrings which are available for £3,450.

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If you want to dazzle in lace like Kate then why not opt for the Topshop's Lace Bodycon Dress by Glamorous which is available for a much more realistic price of £35.

Duchess Dazzles in Red..

Tonight was the night we have been waiting for - the Duchess in a floor-length gown and tiara!

Tonight was the Chinese State Banquet. Throughout the day the Palace have been releasing updates on the preparations for the banquet.

Doesn't the table look beautiful??

No detail is overlooked when preparing for a banquet.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended the Chinese State Banquet at Buckingham Palace. They arrived together in the back of their Bentley.

photo via The Daily Mail

It was the first time the Duchess has attended a State Banquet.

photo via The Daily Mail

The Duchess was seated next to President Xi Jinping on the head table.

photo via The Daily Mail

The Chinese national anthem was played as guests assembled in the ballroom of Buckingham Palace and toast was raised for President Xi Jinxing and his wife.

photo via The Daily Mail

The video of the guests arriving on BBC was wonderful to watch and the Duchess's dress literally sparkled as she moved.

They also revealed a picture of the menu - it definitely made me hungry!

The Duchess looked stunning in a floor-length bespoke Jenny Packham gown. The red colour is not a surprise as this is China's national colour.

photo via The Daily Mail

It is similar to the Jenny Packham Crystal Cluster Gown which retails at Harrods for £2,650.

The Duchess borrowed Queen Elizabeth II's earrings that we have seen her wear on previous occasions, including a BAFTA black-tie event in Los Angeles in 2011 and the white-tie Diplomatic Reception in 2013.

The Duchess debuted two new diamond bracelets - one on each arm. They have both been lent to Kate by the Queen.

One of the bracelets has been identified as a gift to the Queen from Prince Phillip on their wedding day. It is encrusted with diamonds from a tiara that belonged to Prince Phillip's mother.

Order of the Splendour identified the other bracelet as being a bracelet worn by the Queen Mother. It was originally a choker worn by Queen Mary, but was converted to a bracelet for the Queen Mother.

It was also the third time we have seen the Duchess wear a tiara. The first time was when she wore the Cartier Halo Tiara, loaned from the Queen, for her wedding day.

photo via The Daily Mail

In 2013, she wore another tiara, the Papyrus Tiara, to the Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace.

Tonight, she re-wore the Papyrus Tiara, also known as the Lotus Tiara.

photo via The Daily Mail

It is the name that is most likely the reason Kate chose this tiara. In China, the lotus flower represent purity of heart and mind and represents long life, humility, honour and tranquility. It is a very popular flower in China.

The Queen and the President's wife, Peng Liyuan, both looked stunning as well. It was a really sparkling night with all of the dresses and jewels.

photo via The Daily Mail

What did you think of Kate's outfit? I loved it!

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If you have a special occasion coming up that require a gown and want to emulate Kate's look from tonight then why not try the Adrianna Papell Beaded Mermaid Gown which is available for £225. The red colour was chosen by Kate because of its link to China but will also perfectly fit in with the festive period we are quickly approaching!

I will be back tomorrow with the couple's next engagement - the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be joined by President Xi and Peng Liyuan at a creative industry event at Lancaster House. The engagement is designed to celebrate cultural collaboration, existing and future, between the UK and China.

A Busy Saturday for the Duke & Duchess..

It was a busy day yesterday for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. They started the day by visiting Harrow College in London.

photo via The Daily Mail

The visit marked World Mental Health Day. They spoke with volunteers at the charity Mind and Time to Change.

photo via The Daily Mail

They took part in a Mindkit workshop which is designed to educate young people about emotional health and resilience.

photo via The Daily Mail

The Duchess spoke to lots of young people during her visit about dealing with mental health.

photo via The Daily Mail

The Duchess wore her Tory Burch Paulina Dress.

She also wore Stuart Weitzman Power Pumps.

The Duchess debuted a new pair of earrings by Kiki McDonough.

photo via The Daily Mail

They were the Lauren Yellow Gold Pave Diamond Leaf Earrings which retail for £2,200.

The Duke and Duchess seemed to have a wonderful time meeting all the volunteers and young people and their visit raised much needed awareness of mental health.

photo via The Daily Mail

Copy Kate
If you want to emulate Kate's look in a monochrome shift dress then why not try Marks & Spencer's Jacquard Shift Dress which retails for £45. Team it with black court shoes for a classic and smart look.

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The couple finished their day by watching the Wales vs Australia rugby match at Twickenham.

photo via The Daily Mail

The Duchess clenched her fists while Prince William gritted his teeth as they watched Wales play.

photo via The Daily Mail

At half-time the score was 9-6 to Australia.

photo via The Daily Mail

And unfortunately the game ended 15-6 to Australia.

photo via The Daily Mail

The Duchess went for a casual look for last nights game.

photo via The Daily Mail

She wore her Reiss Delaney Fitted Coat, that she first wore back in December 2013.

She also wore black skinny jeans and her Aquatalia Hi and Dry Boots which are available for £415.

She also kept her earrings from earlier, the Lauren Yellow Gold Pave Diamond Leaf Earrings which retail for £2,200.

Copy Kate
Wrap up warm in a grey coat this winter. Reiss have created a similar grey coat again this year. It is the Sila Soft Grey Melange Shawl-Collar Coat which is available for £265. For a more casual option there is the Topshop Marl Jersey Boyfriend Jacket which is available for £46. For a full-length option then there is the Whistles Sasha Slim Coat which is available for £195.