Kate in Icy Blue Temperley for Tea, On To The Rainforest

Catherine stunned onlookers in a tiara and an icy blue gown as she joined her husband, Prince William, for a royal tea party at the British High Commissioner’s residence in Kuala Lumpur. After a busy morning and early afternoon, Kate changed into an exquisite dress by Alice Temperley for the special occasion.

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Guests at the event came from a broad swatch of notables, including Hasihin Sanawi, a Paralympian medalist.

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Also at the tea, Siti Nurhaliza, a Malaysian singer and televsion presenter.  She shared this photo from the tea.

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As well a look at her invitation.

Siti Nurhaliza Instagram

Shoe impresario Jimmy Choo attended the party; more from the Daily Mail:

‘She is an absolutely beautiful person both inside and out. Very much like Prince William’s mother.’

Surprisingly the pair did not discuss shoes at length when they met but talked about the importance of education for young people, an issue Mr Choo is campaigning about on an international level and the duchess takes a keen interest in.

But he admitted that he would love to create for her. “Who wouldn’t? She is the style icon of her generation,” he said. “She also told me how much she was loving visiting my country which made me very proud indeed.”

Now for a look at what Kate wore.

The Duchess’s dress featured an intricately embroidered overlay atop a blue silk lining, creating the ‘Wedgewood’ effect many thought of when first seeing the piece. It is a custom version of the Temperley ‘Aster Flower’ dress from the designer’s fall 2012 collection. In addition to the elegant embroidery, it features a boat neckline, flared skirt and three-quarter sheer sleeves. The dress remains available (in one size only) at Harrods, priced at £1550 (about $2500 USD).

The Duchess stuck with her LK Bennett Sledge pumps and carried her Natalie bag.

Kate styled her hair in another updo.

And wore the UFO diamond and aquamarine earrings.

Following the tea, the Duke and Duchess headed to the airport for their flight to Sabah.

The couple was honored at a reception at their hotel, the Shangri-La.

On the itinerary for tomorrow (today, actually):

The couple takes a helicopter to Sabah’s Danum Valley where they will have a chance to meet Royal Society scientists and volunteers working in the rainforest, they will traverse parts of the jungle themselves.
Kate and William then head to a private lodge for lunch, their official engagements for the day completed.

The quieter schedule couldn’t come at a better time as the situation over photos published in France intensifies. Both William and Kate did a remarkable job yesterday at all of the public events they attended, but the tension started to show as they walked to their airplane yesterday; the photo below left is from Thursday’s State Dinner before the couple knew about the photos, and on the right, we see Kate as she and William are leaving Kuala Lumpur.