Kate Middleton stuns in emerald green velvet gown at the 2025 Royal Variety Performance

Kate Middleton chose a sumptuous, sculpted green velvet gown for Wednesday’s Royal Variety Performance.

The Princess of Wales styled the gorgeous Talbot Runhof gown with matching velvet shoes, heirloom diamond jewels and a glittering box clutch. (Fashion fans, click to skip to detailed outfit analysis ⬇)

It was Kate’s first red carpet in around two years following her hiatus from royal duties.

Before the show started, Kate collected a posy from 9-year-old twins Amelia and Olivia.

Then, Their Royal Highnesses took their seats in the Royal Box.

The pair enjoyed a performance by the cast of Paddington The Musical and watched an anniversary-celebration number from Les Misérables.

The show also included musical acts Jessie J and Laufey.

Comedian and actor Jason Manford hosted this year’s performance, while singer Katherine Jenkins led the National Anthem.

Following the show, the royal couple met with performers—including Paddington:

Kate chatting with Katherine Jenkins—

Jessie J told Kate about her own recent cancer struggle, and the two embraced.

This is the sixth time The Prince and Princess have attended the Royal Variety Performance to date.

Now, let’s talk fashion!

Kate’s outfit:

The Princess made a standout entrance in an emerald green velvet gown by Talbot Runhof.

It’s safe to say, the gown delivered all of its impact through the sumptuous texture and artful sculpting.

Kate’s worn streamlined gowns before—but this one felt different. I think the off-the-shoulder neckline and draping at the bust was a confident, perhaps glamorous choice.

The garment features subtle ruching throughout the bodice to the waist, before the fitted skirt opens up, pooling elegantly at the back.

The rich, deep jewel-tone green and the velvet fabric photographed brilliantly on the red carpet. They’re also the perfect combo for a pre-Christmas, winter look.

Vogue agrees. The fashion magazine described the look as “impossibly festive“.

A closer look at the draping/shoulder detail on the model:

The gown’s crafted from a stretch velvet.

For those unfamiliar with Talbot Runhof, let me clue you in. They are a German company, founded in Munich by business partners Johnny Talbot and Adrian Runhof in 2000.

The dress choice was timely for the Princess, given the German President will begin his State Visit to the UK in two weeks.

I’m not sure if this was deliberate. Originally, I thought it was (I had a theory that Kate’s PA showed her a rack of dresses by German designers for next month’s state banquet, and the green velvet was a close runner up—so Kate chose it for the Royal Variety instead) But now I’m leaning towards it being coincidental. The dress is SEASONS old. At least six-years-old according to fellow blogger Susan who found a Pinterest pin linking it to an old Net-A-Porter listing.

Adrian Runhof—cofounder of Talbot Runhof—confirmed Kate (or her PA) bought the dress “a few seasons ago” from an “online retailer”.

“I think she bought it a few seasons ago and found it in her wardrobe and thought, ‘Why don’t I wear this? It’s so beautiful‘”, the designer told PEOPLE.

He added that Kate looked “impeccable” in the gown.

I think the dress spoke to her. I doubt she knows who we even are, but she fell in love with it, and maybe that’s how it should be.

Adrian Runhof

Runhof also said he’d received a heads-up Kate was going to wear the dress to the Royal Variety Performance on Wednesday—but not until the last minute, around 30 minutes before Kate’s arrival:

Two hours later, our name and our dress have been posted worldwide, so we are very thankful to her.

Adrian Runhof

I know those hoping to secure the gown for their own winter black tie event will be disappointed to read that Kate bought the dress years ago—but I assure you, I have good news! The design duo confirm they’re re-releasing the dress. Hurray!

The dress, now listed on the company’s website as ‘Evening Dress Bobonne2‘ is described as a “long dress made of stretch velvet” in the colour ‘hunter green’. The price is listed as 1,698 Euro (around £1,493 GBP or $1,956 USD).

At the moment, you can select your size and register your interest by entering your email address. I imagine they’ll give you an update when the gown is ready to buy.

UPDATE: In an interview with The Hello! Royal Club, Designer Adrian Runhof confirmed the company is aiming for “mid-December delivery.”

Need something sooner? Try Harvey Nichols, Neimans and FarFetch. They have options by the same designer that you could try. Think similar vibes but in different colours and fabrics.

I don’t know if I should admit this but Talbot Runhof were a new label to me. They specialise in refined couture, elegant draping and structured evening pieces that photograph beautifully—a key reason they’re popular with high-profile clients.

Their designs have been worn by the likes of Germany’s First Lady, Selena Gomez, Helen Mirren and Oprah Winfrey.

I’m looking forward to next month’s state banquet, to see if the Princess pulls out another one of their gowns.

Right, let’s move on to that glittering diamond bracelet now. This photo affords us a really close look:

How stunning? It’s the “Queen Mary Diamond Bar Choker” bracelet. The piece was made by Cartier.

Queen Mary commissioned this sparkling piece in the early 20th century. She wears it as a choker in the following portrait:

It is Art Deco style, formed from rigid diamond bars arranged in a continuous channel.

The Royal Watcher Blog notes that the choker was not publicly seen for more than 20 years following Queen Mary’s death in 1953 until it was worn by the Queen Mother in her 75th birthday portraits. 

Following the Queen Mother’s death in 2002, Queen Elizabeth II inherited the piece. As far as I know, she wasn’t photographed wearing it. We do know that she loaned it to Kate in 2015—the Princess has worn it to several major evening occasions since. 

They’re known as the Greville diamond chandelier earrings. The spectacular, vintage pair are part of the Royal Collection.

The earrings came to the Royal Family from the famous Greville bequest—a large jewellery haul left to the Queen Mother in 1942. The Queen Mother gifted them to her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, on her wedding day in 1947.

The late monarch wore the jewels several times, including to watch the 1962 Royal Variety Performance.

Some will say Kate’s rewear was a subtle tribute to QE2, but I think it’s an accidental full-circle moment. Either way, it’s a lovely bit of symmetry.

The dramatic chandelier drops were also made by Cartier and crafted in the Art Deco style. They’re set with multiple tiers of geometric diamond panels that taper into large pear-shaped drops.

Kate’s worn them several times since 2023—she debuted them in Jordan for the Royal Wedding evening banquet.

On to shoes now. It looks like Kate wore her Manolo Blahnik BB pumps in dark velvet green.

The Princess debuted the shoes during a visit to Northern Ireland in 2020. She wore them again, a year later, during a visit to Scotland. This is the third time we’ve spotted her wearing them to date.

The shoes feature a pointed toe and are finished with a stiletto high heel. They’re made from dark green suede, a 100% leather sole and a 100% kid leather lining. Each pair is made in Italy.

The dark green shoe is no longer available to buy, unfortunately. They retailed for £595 / $725. The designer does stock the shoe in other hues, though.

Blahnik designed the BB pumps in 2008, but they remain one of the brand’s signature styles today. They were inspired by and named after French actress Brigitte Bardot.

Manolo Blahnik needs little introduction, I don’t think there’s a single person reading this who hasn’t heard of the luxury footwear designer. But just in case you missed the memo, he’s the mastermind behind some of the most elegant heels on the planet. The kind of shoes that make you feel instantly pulled-together the moment you slip them on (yet his shoes never feel try-hard).

Blahnik has been dressing the world’s most stylish women for decades, from Hollywood legends to royals including, of course, Kate.

As well as the BB pumps, Kate’s worn two other pairs of Blahnik pumps on royal engagements since joining the Royal Family. The Hangisi 105 pumps in green satin and the Calogera style in navy.

Let’s finish with Kate’s glittering clutch. The piece is by Jenny Packham, it’s the British designer’s ‘Casa’ design in silver.

The solid frame box clutch features a crystal encrusted clasp. It’s lined in silk and comes complete with a matching mirror.

Over a decade ago, Net-A-Porter sold the bag in sizes small (£325) and large (as carried by Kate, £455). They described the piece as “glamorous”. The item is no longer available for purchase.

Kate has carried the silver clutch for a handful of evening events since debuting it at the Spectre premiere in 2015. She’s brought it along for three of her six Royal Variety appearances to date, and a handful of other evening receptions too.

She also owns it in red pony hair and green sequin.

For those who haven’t followed this blog for the last decade or so, Jenny Packham is one of Britain’s leading eveningwear designers. The designer’s gowns are worn worldwide by celebrities, diplomats, royalty and brides alike. She’s known for her red-carpet ready silhouettes and a modern take on old-school Hollywood sparkle.

Kate has turned to Jenny Packham for some of her most memorable moments to date, from overseas tours to film premieres.

Let me know in the comments (or on Facebook), did you love this look?

Regular readers, thanks for bearing with me. It’s been a tough week. We’ve all been full of cold, the kids off school. I didn’t have time to write until the weekend. Thanks! It’s appreciated.