The Duchess of Cambridge flaunted her bold shorter ‘kob’ hairstyle this evening at the Natural History Museum as she joined Sir David Attenborough to unveil the new blue whale skeleton. Kate, 35, wore a pale blue dress for the glittering gala and although she was seen without any extravagant jewellery or a tiara she still managed to steal the show.
The Duchess showed off her fresh glossy new hairstyle which is noticeably shorter than her earlier looks.
She also opted for a youthful open-toed high-heeled shoe with a purple clutch purse.
Kate’s gown is a £637 stretch-crepe Preen dress by designer Thornton Bregazzi. She wore £550 scalloped suede sandals by Prada.
The Duchess first unveiled her new-look shorter hair at Wimbledon earlier this month.
The new hairstyle, around six inches off the overall length, created a real buzz and was soon dubbed the ‘kob’.
The Duchess, who is a patron of the museum, and the famous naturalist are among the first to see the 25-metre long skeleton suspended from the ceiling in the revamped Hintze Hall.
The whale skeleton has replaced Dippy the Diplodocus, which first went on display there in 1979. When the museum announced it was dismantling the dinosaur display, 14,000 people signed a petition to stop the move.
But the museum went ahead, and soon the famous fossil will be going on a nationwide tour of museums and galleries, including a stint at Norwich Cathedral in 2020.
The Duchess will also tour Hintze Hall’s 10 other new displays chosen from the museum’s collection of more than 80 million specimens.
These displays aim to cover the history of Earth, and include a 4.5 billion-year-old meteorite, as well as the full skeleton of a mastodon, a distant relative of the mammoth.
Hintze Hall will reopen to the public on Friday following six months of refurbishment, and its displays will include a dinosaur fossil – an 120 million-year-old Mantellisaurus, found on the Isle of Wight in 1917.
Dippy’s replacement, the blue whale, is the largest known animal on Earth.
After coming close to extinction, the animal became protected under international law in 1966, after which the blue whale population slowly began to increase.
Last night Kate joined the royal family at a state banquet for the King and Queen of Spain. She has drawn criticism for playing it safe in the fashion stakes, but on Thursday night the Duchess of Cambridge proved she is not afraid of pushing the boundaries as she attended a glittering state banquet held in honour of the King and Queen of Spain.
Kate, 35, looked sensational in a dusty pink custom-made Marchesa gown as she joined Prince William, the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and other senior royals to welcome King Felipe VI and his wife Queen Letizia to Buckingham Palace on Wednesday night.
The breathtaking floor-length dress featured a plunging V-neck in scalloped lace, which was a surprisingly revealing choice for the duchess and a departure from the conservative cuts she usually favours.
Despite her unusually daring choice, Kate ensured the spotlight remained firmly on the guest of honour, lingering in the background away from photographers as Queen Letizia took up a spot front and centre.
Kate drew further attention to her decolletage with an eye-catching diamond and ruby drop necklace, the ruby boucheron bandeau, which once belonged to the Queen Mother. The jewels fell just inches above the lowest point of the V-neck.
The garment’s sheer bell sleeves added to its drama, which was offset by its soft colour and delicate lace fabric.
In keeping with royal tradition, Kate donned a tiara for the state dinner. The diamond and pearl Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara, which she wore to her first state banquet last year, was a piece beloved by William’s late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
Kate finished the look with a favourite pair of diamond and pearl drop earrings.
The gown is markedly more daring than the dresses Kate chose to wear to her last two evening events, which both took place in March this year.
Daily Mail
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