Is this the best Kate has ever looked?

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It was a red carpet full of Hollywood A-listers but it was Kate Middleton who stole the spotlight on the No Time To Die premiere last night. 

The Duchess of Cambridge, 39, was at her glamorous best in a custom gold Jenny Packham gown as she joined husband Prince William, 39, and Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall in a rare joint engagement at London’s Royal Albert Hall.  

Kate outshone even the stars in the form-fitting frock, created to look like liquid metal, from one of her favoured British fashion designers – with style experts and royal watchers united in their love of Kate’s look and declaring it their ‘favourite’ the royal has ever worn. 

Speaking to FEMAIL, Laura Kay, Makeup Artist and Founder of Laura Kay London, explained the Duchess eschewed her typically ‘composed’ make-up look in favour of all out glamour, dubbing it her ‘Bond girl moment’, while Tom Smith, Celebrity Hairdresser and Brand Consultant, says that Kate has chosen a hairstyle suitable for a ‘future Queen’.

Laura said: ‘Kate steals the show! She looks like a Greek goddess and is channelling her inner Princess. This is a dramatic look for Kate who is usually reserved and composed. Although she is known to go glam for special occasions, this is undeniably her Bond girl moment.’

Mother-of-three Kate dazzled at the event in a custom Jenny Packham embellished gown – which is usually priced at £2,800. Featuring cape sleeve detailing and structured shoulders. 

She teamed her dress with bespoke £290 Onitaa earrings – which were made in Pakistan by the South Asian luxury couture label and Aquazzura £555 leather pumps.  

Looking effortlessly elegant, Kate’s dress had a bespoke 1970s-style cape attached and the royal beauty completed the look with gold earrings and shoes, with her hair coiled on top of her head. 

Her look certainly made an impression on royal fans, with hoards of ‘star struck’ social media users insisting Kate was looking ‘absolutely stunning’ and hailing her a ‘class act’. 

‘Kate Middleton can do no wrong’, wrote one user. ‘Absolutely stunning in that gold Jenny Packham gown #007’.

‘In other news: can we talk about Kate Middleton’s dress last night?! Wowza!! Star-struck She looked stunning at the Bond premiere’, commented a second.  

Laura explained that to match her dazzling outfit, the royal has ‘moved away from her signature make-up look’- ditching her flushed rosy cheeks and matte pink lip in favour of a more bronzed and dewey look. 

‘She is glowing, her skin looks dewy and complexion is flawless. She looks fresh from the spa and may have prepared the evening with a hydrating facial and massage as she looks so relaxed and confident in her skin.

‘She has embraced golden bronze and brown hues to match her outfit. Her brows are bushier like we see with Cara Delevingne, or perhaps it is a clever nod to ancient history when women used to express their power and wealth by showcasing their eye-brows.   

‘Kate has applied a bronze cream highlighter to contour the length of her face, contouring the top of her forehand, below her chin, jawline, as well as cheekbones and temples, to sculpt and add dimension. She finishes of her look with a tint of rose cream on her cheekbones for extra oomph. 

Her brows take centre stage and perhaps inspired by her sister-in-law Meghan Markle who is known for her defined brows on the red carpet. 

‘Kate appears to have used a soft pencil to build up her brows to achieve a lamination effect and brushed with a powder to add extra dimension’, said Laura.  

Kate has also opted for a heavier eye look, including fake lashes – which the make-up artists says ‘totally transforms her look’ – while her choice of lip colour is subtle but glamorous. 

‘She has opted for a deep smokey brown eyeshadow which is applied all over her eyelid as well as strategically smudged underneath, to create a smouldering effect. It is much more daring than what we are use to.’ 

‘Her lipstick choice is perfect for a formal evening event and it doesn’t over shadow her looks and she chooses a rich yet natural lip colour in gloss to add shimmer.

‘This makeup look brings Kate to the forefront of trends as the whole world is watching her. 

‘I would say Kate is pushing the boundaries and she knows only she has the power to pull this off. I suspect we will see Kate experiment with more looks in the future as she embraces her role as the Duchess of Cambridge’.’

Meanwhile Tom Smith, Celebrity Hairdresser and Brand Consultant, says that Kate has chosen a style suitable for a ‘future Queen’ by ditching her bouncy blow dry for a more elaborate up-do . 

‘This is Kate at her most glamorous – it is rare that we see her with such an ornate up-do and it certainly makes a statement’, he said. 

‘Her, statuesque look is enhanced with her hair piled up into soft curls giving her an even more elegant and regal look than normal. This is absolutely the look of our future Queen and she wears it magnificently.

‘There is a softness about the style, with almost a fluffiness to the finish which gives a warmer impression rather than a super slick look which can come off as hard or severe. 

He says that by moving her parting to the side, rather than in the centre, the Duchess has drawn attention to the detailing of her ornate hairstyle and suspects Kate used extensions to give the look more volume. 

‘Particularly with her usual natural centre parting which she usually wears down the middle and can sometimes look harsh, instead with this style, she has opted for a side parting that is brushed over to soften the style at the front.

‘This is done in a deliberate attempt to draw the focal point towards the detailing at the back of the head.

‘The hair is woven into curls and twists with no distinctive pins or securing points which gives a weightless and effortless look to what is a highly detailed ‘crown’ of hair. 

‘She surely would have had added hair in the form of extensions or hair pieces to give this level of volume and glamour but these would have likely been temporarily attached specifically for this event. She has also added subtle golden highlights to her hair which you can get a hint of in the curls and this shimmers beautifully in the light’.’

The royal foursome were introduced to screenwriters Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, and singer Billie Eilish and her musician brother Finneas O’Connell, who co-wrote the new Bond theme song.

A number of healthcare workers and members of the armed forces joined the royals in the auditorium to watch the film as a thank you for their work during the Covid pandemic.

The highly anticipated No Time To Die is the 25th Bond film and fifth and final movie featuring Craig as 007. It faced more than a year of delays due to the Covid-19 outbreak, but is being released in UK cinemas on Thursday. 

Amid screams of excitement, Kate, along with her husband, William, and the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, walked up the red carpet outside London’s Royal Albert Hall.  

Both Charles and his son were suave in black tie, while Camilla also looked elegant in a pale blue chiffon dress with silver embroidery by Bruce Oldfield. She teamed her dress with £149 Sole Bliss Carmen mid-heel court shoes in silver leather. 

Among the cast members waiting to greet the royal party were, of course, Craig, as well as villain Rami Malek and female leads Léa Seydoux and Lashana Lynch. They also met producers Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli and director Cary Joji Fukunaga

Craig was Bond-like in his charm when he met Kate. ‘You look jolly lovely!’ he said. Meanwhile, Miss Waller-Bridge remarked ‘wow!’ when the duchess walked to the line up to her.  

Stopping briefly for a photo call on the steps of the historic entertainment venue, the royal party headed inside for the first royal premiere line-up in almost two years – although there was precious little in the way of handshakes. 

William and Kate had arrived first, driven down the red carpet in a fleet of Range Rovers past one of the famous Aston Martin cars from the film, waved on by a packed crowd outside the historic venue.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall turned up shortly afterwards, again driven partially down the red carpet in a state Bentley before being taken inside to meet the actors.

Royal sources said the outing of Charles, Camilla, William and Kate could herald a ‘new era’ of collaboration and solidarity between the future king and his eldest son. 

The world premiere will benefit charities supporting serving and former members of the three intelligence agencies – the Secret Intelligence Service, the Security Service and GCHQ – as well as charities supporting past and present members of the UK Special Forces. 

Heir to the throne Charles is patron of the British Film Institute, while his son William is president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta). 

William and Kate attended the star-studded world premiere for the last Bond film, Spectre, in 2015, and were joined by Prince Harry. Charles and Camilla attended the world premiere of the 23rd Bond film, Skyfall, in 2012.

The outing of Charles, Camilla, William and Kate is likely to be seen as a sign of collaboration and solidarity between the future king and his eldest son. 

No Time To Die takes place after Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica when his old friend Felix Leiter, played by Jeffrey Wright, from the CIA turns up asking for help.

A mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading to a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.  

A number of Bond premieres have taken place at the Royal Albert Hall, including 2015’s Spectre where William and Kate and the Duke of Sussex were in attendance. 

Stars Ana de Armas, Naomie Harris and Lashana Lynch led the glamour in breathtaking evening gowns as they joined leading man Daniel Craig, who was dapper in a pink dinner jacket, at the Royal Albert Hall. 

Despite the wet weather, the stars were still dressed to the nines in showstopping frocks, with Lashana standing out in a vibrant yellow Vivienne Westwood Couture ballgown with a voluminous black skirt and dramatic asymmetric neckline. 

It was almost exactly the same shade as red carpet host Clara Amfo‘s strapless cocktail dress, which featured figure-flattering ruching, draped off-the-shoulder sleeves and a flirty calf-length hemline. 

Elsewhere Naomie opted for a sleek white column evening dress with cut-out detailing on the bodice and delicate shoestring straps. Typically sophisticated, she kept accessories to a minimum but did add a beaded strand to her hair.  

One of the fashion misses of the night was reality TV star Kimberly Gardner, who flashed her underwear in an attention-grabbing white gown with a dramatic side slit. The cut of the dress revealed the entirety of her leg – and a glimpse of what she was wearing underneath – as she walked the red carpet. 

Meanwhile Billie Eilish, who wrote the No Time To Die theme song, eschewed a glamorous evening dress for a boxy black suit in a shimmering black fabric with matching shirt, which she wore with Gucci platform slides. The oversized, baggy shape did little to accentuate her figure. 

Cuban-Spanish actress Ana de Armas stepped out in a slinky black satin evening gown with a plunging neckline and thigh slit that revealed most of her leg. The dress featured chunky chain effect straps that brought a touch of edge to the otherwise refined ensemble. 

The actress, who previously dated Ben Affleck, wore her brunette locks in a long bob with a trendy blunt fringe. 

No Time To Die star Lea Seydoux channelled old Hollywood glamour in a silver and white gown complete with shimmering cape.  

The dress featured a cut-out neckline, cinched at the waist and spilled out into a full skirt. The French actress wore her hair in a short, sleek crop that was swept to the side. The bright colours and monochrome looks were a perfect counterpoint to Daniel Craig’s dark pink dinner jacket. 

Ahead of the red carpet event, fans gathered at the Royal Albert Hall to catch a glimpse of James Bond’s Astin Martin as it made its way to the red carpet.

Crew members brought the luxury vehicle to the venue in a truck where it was rolled out hours before the star-studded event began. The car had bullet holes in the glass and scratches across the sides following Bond’s adventures.  

It has been a long road to the premiere after the film’s release was delayed several times due to the coronavirus pandemic.

 The film, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, was originally scheduled for release in April 2020, but was pushed back to November before the release was changed once again to April 2021 in light of the coronavirus pandemic.