Kate Middleton's BAFTAs Dress: See the Stunning Red Carpet Pics!

Well, it’s official! Kate Middleton and Prince William certainly know how to do a royal red carpet takeover. On Sunday, Feb. 18, the pregnant mother-of-two and her beautiful baby bump arrived at London’s Royal Albert Hall for the 2018 BAFTAs — and she looked dazzling at the star-studded event. Kate, 36, was joined by her 35-year-old husband, William, and the pair made a very graceful entrance as they stepped out at the annual award show.

The proud mom to Prince George, 4, and Princess Charlotte, 2, turned to her favorite designer Jenny Packham to dress her for the outing. Kate, who is expected to give birth in April, highlighted her bump in a flowing emerald green gown, which featured a sweetheart neckline paired with a pretty black ribbon belt. To complement the Hollywood-inspired outfit, Kate went for a smoky eye, natural makeup, and wore her hair in soft waves. She completed the look with a pièce de résistance: royal jewels. Duchess Kate donned a matching emerald and diamond necklace and earrings.

kate middleton baftas dress getty images

(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Why didn’t Kate Middleton wear black to the BAFTAs?

While Kate was definitely a vision at the BAFTAs, her choice of dress color did create quite the stir. This year, the British Academy Film Awards took a stand against sexual misconduct, pay disparity, and discrimination that occurs in the entertainment industry. Following the same lead as their former red carpet predecessors like the Golden Globes, celebrities opted to wear black in solidarity with the profound Time’s Up movement. Since Kate is a member of the royal family, she is discouraged to take a political stance on any issues — members of the monarchy aren’t even allowed to vote!

In fact, the monarchy’s website states, “As head of state, the Queen has to remain strictly neutral with respect to political matters.” It’s also ill-advised for the British royal family to don the color black unless they are at a funeral or it is Remembrance Day. But Kate is still known to be a bit of a fashion risk taker. In the past, she’s worn dresses with hemlines above the knees and loves casual jeans and wedges — but this time around, the future Queen played it safe.

The soon-to-be mom-of-three has also been highly vocal about supporting women’s issues, focusing her royal efforts on mental health and motherhood. “Personally, becoming a mother has been such a rewarding and wonderful experience,” she said in a speech last year. “However, at times it has also been a huge challenge. Even for me who has support at home that most mothers do not.” Fans still believed Kate did her part in supporting the BAFTAs movement. Kate did wear green, which many noted could be a nod to the UK’s Suffragette flag colors and her subtle black ribbon on her gown may have been her way of playing ode to the evening’s significant dress code.

Kate and William were deemed guests of honor at the event. This is the second time we’ve seen Prince William, who is the President of BAFTA, step out for the awards with his wife. William presented the evening’s most prestigious accolade, the Fellowship award, to director Sir Ridley Scott. Last year, Kate made her debut on the red carpet in a custom-made, floor-length gown from British designer Alexander McQueen. She braved 2017’s arctic temperatures with the off-the-shoulder design to show-off green and violet embroidery and satin ribbon detailing.