How Kate Middleton transformed sheer runway couture into state banquet royal glamour

Despite the British downpours, the Princess of Wales stepped away from the predictable autumn occasionwear palette of black, navy and jewel tones in favour of something considerably sunnier at Windsor Castle on Tuesday night - a yellow Elie Saab gown with an unlikely detail.

Attending a state banquet in honour of Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq, Catherine wore a dress from the runway, featuring a sweeping cape, a braided neckline and a softly pleated skirt. The romantic silhouette was classically royal but there was another design element at play - the fabric’s subtle leopard print.

The dress is from Elie Saab’s spring/summer 2025 collection, The Allure of the Wild, which explored the natural world through fluid silhouettes, earthy shades and leopard-inspired motifs. The pattern is a departure from the gowns Catherine often chooses for formal engagements, offering a little more personality than initially meets the eye. 

However, the dress was noticeably altered from the original runway piece to make it royal-appropriate. The sheer skirt was updated with an opaque lining, and the neckline appeared to have been adjusted for modesty.

"A sheer gown on a runway only has to work for a few minutes, whereas a dress for a state banquet must withstand movement, sitting, stairs, strong lighting and flash photography while looking impeccable from every angle," says Amanda Wakeley OBE, fashion designer and author of Style DNA: How to Dress with Confidence. "It is an extremely technical process because the alterations must be almost invisible.

"The greatest skill lies in preserving the designer’s original sense of lightness. A successful alteration should never announce itself, you should simply see a beautiful, effortless gown. In reality I would imagine the gown was made from scratch for the Princess which is a much simpler process than retro fitting extra panels and linings."

Yellow has been a recurring presence on the runway for several seasons, and the colour softens the drama of the cape, giving the gown an ethereal quality. The Princess also wore a Roksanda dress in a sunshine shade this year for her highly anticipated return to Royal Ascot.

"Colour is an incredibly immediate form of communication, and this soft, luminous yellow feels optimistic, warm and welcoming," says Amanda. "Against the grandeur of Windsor Castle and the formality of a state banquet, it brought lightness and a sense of modernity.

"A darker jewel tone might have felt more conventional and ceremonial, whereas this yellow made the overall impression feel open and approachable. It communicates confidence, warmth and positivity, which are all extremely powerful qualities in the context of royal diplomacy. It also provided a beautiful canvas for the diamonds and pearls without competing with them."

Catherine paired the Elie Saab design with Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot tiara, the diamond and pearl headpiece closely associated with Princess Diana, expertly anchoring the modern runway gown with a piece of royal history. She completed the look with the late Queen Elizabeth II's Greville Diamond Chandelier Earrings.

The Princess of Wales wearing Elie Saab

This isn't the first time the Princess has turned to the Lebanese designer. She wore an archival creation by Elie Saab to attend the 2023 wedding of Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan and Princess Rajwa.

Taken from the autumn/winter 2017 ready-to-wear collection, the gown had similarly been customised with an underskirt to replace its original transparency.

She joined a number of royal guests from around the world at the celebration in Jordan, including her husband Prince William, Denmark's King Frederik and Queen Mary, and Dutch royals King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, as well as Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. 

One of Catherine's most-loved Royal Ascot outfits was also a modified look by Elie Saab. She wore the two-piece to attend Garter Day in 2019, styled with a matching Philip Treacy hat and Kiki McDonough earrings. 

From the label's Resort 2019 collection, the romantic pussy-bow set featured a sweeping polka dot tulle maxi skirt and was bespoke-altered with long sheer lace-trimmed sleeves to ensure it was fully royal-appropriate.

A diplomatic welcome in green

Earlier on Tuesday, the royal family welcomed the Sultan of Oman to Windsor Castle. For the arrival ceremony, Catherine wore one of her go-to bottle green Alexander McQueen coats - likely a nod to one of the colours of Oman’s national flag.

Previously worn at the Irish Guards’ St. Patrick’s Day parade, this time the coat was styled with a bespoke matching hat by Juliette Botterill Millinery and a quilted Chanel handbag.

"Choosing one of the Middle East’s most internationally celebrated designers for Tuesday night's occasion feels like a thoughtful acknowledgement of the region’s extraordinary creative culture," says Amanda. 

"Catherine had already made a more direct reference to Oman during the daytime engagement through her green ensemble. The evening choice felt subtler, it was less about reproducing a national colour or symbol and more about recognising Middle Eastern design excellence on a global stage."