Kate Middleton wears Meghan Markle’s signature £645 Aquazzura heels
Kate, 41, stuck to the theme of the occasion and opted for a £450 Self Portrait white midi dress with a pleated skirt and a tweed jacket as she arrived at the London building, which has been closed for three years for an extensive refurbishment programme.
Beaming as she arrived, the mother-of-three opted for simple pearl teardrop earrings and wore her thick brunette locks down in a bouncy blow-dry. She also sported her black £645 Aquazzura pumps, which are favoured by the Duchess of Sussex.
The Bow Tie Pump 105 black heels, which feature a flirty bow, were often worn by Meghan during her time as a working royal. She opted for the shoes for her first ever solo royal engagement, as well as a number of other occasions.
Meghan’s Aquazzura obsession began long before meeting her prince. Aquazzura, founded in 2012, was not a household name when Meghan started wearing the shoes.
The Princess of Wales (pictured right) once again stepped out in a pair of Meghan Markle’s favourite heels to reopen the National Portrait Gallery today. Pictured left, Meghan wearing the heels in 2018
For her engagement photocall, she wore the label’s £490 suede Matilde heels, and white Aquazzuras for the evening reception at her wedding.
It’s not the first time Kate has opted for the heels, after wearing them for the Realm Governors General and Prime Ministers Lunch at Buckingham Palace in May.
Meghan first wore the heels for the Queen’s Young Leaders reception in June 2018, shortly after her wedding.
Meanwhile she donned the shoes another time for the Centenary of the Armistice Service at Westminster Abbey on November 11 2018.
The Duchess also opted for the heels a number of times during her royal tour of Australia and New Zealand. In total, she was pictured in the heels 9 times during her time in the royal family.
The brand’s founder Edgardo is rather a prodigy. Born in Colombia and raised in Miami and London, he studied at the London College of Fashion and, at 23, worked for Roberto Cavalli.
Two years on, he set up Aquazzura — its HQ is in Florence — and the brand is known for bold patterns and metallics.
Aquazzura means ‘blue water’ in Italian and on each sole is the company’s gold pineapple logo. Sold in high-end department stores, prices range from £370 to £1,500.
Meghan wore the heels from the Italian designer a number of times during her and Harry’s tour of Australia in October 2018
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at a reception during day one of their visit to Ireland on July 10, 2018 in Dublin
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex outside St Mary the Virgin Church in Frensham, Surrey, after attending the wedding of Charlie van Straubenzee and Daisy Jenks on August 4, 2018
Kate stepped out in a pair of Meghan’s favourite heels in May (left, Meghan wearing the heels in 2018, and right, Kate wearing the shoes in May)
Edgardo lives in a 15th-century palazzo with partner, Ricardo D’Almeida Figueiredo, 46, who had a PR agency.
‘When I started the brand, it was all about Italy and the Riviera,’ Edgardo says. ‘There, you see stone pineapples outside villas. The pineapple is a symbol of hospitality ‘Then I discovered that in Asian cultures, the gold pineapple is a symbol of good fortune.’
Today, Kate chatted all things art with Sir Paul McCartney this morning ahead of the opening of a Beatles exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.
The princess met the former Beatles singer and his wife Nancy as she visited the gallery this morning to officially reopen it following a three-year restoration project.
She had a fit of the giggles as ‘Macca’, 81, who has his own photographic exhibition opening there next week focusing on The Beatles in 1963 to 64, joked about whether his wife would have been born then. At 63, she would have been born in 1959 and reassured him she had been.
The Princess of Wales erupted in laughter upon meeting Sir Paul McCartney at the National Portrait Gallery this morning, as he joked that his wife Nancy (right) might not have been around in the 1960s when he was in The Beatles
A work of art! The Princess of Wales looked radiant in a white Self Portrait dress with a pleated skirt and tweed jacket as she arrived at the National Portrait Gallery
Sir Paul, in his customary suit and trainers, greeted the princess with a handshake and introduced Kate to his wife, Nancy.
‘Hello, nice to meet you too,’ the princess said. McCartney told her that the NPG staff ‘had been amazing here, really they’ve been great’.
‘It’s amazing how long the planning is, how many conversations happen pre everything,’ Kate replied. ‘That’s true,’ the star said.
Explaining more about his exhibition, McCartney said it focused on a very specific period, 1963 to 1964. ‘When you weren’t even born’, he said, smiling, to the royal.
The doors incorporate 45 carved brass panels, representing ‘every woman, throughout time’.
After meeting the artist and the architect, Kate visited The Mildred and Simon Palley Learning Centre, which has doubled its capacity for learners as part of the project.
And, of course, she learnt about the gallery’s early years programme, as part of her commitment to improving development of children up to the age of five.
During her visit, Kate was able to see a first glimpse of some of the gallery’s new acquisitions as it reopens
The Princess of Wales stands in front of Joshua Reynolds’s portrait of Mai in the National Portrait Gallery
The Princess of Wales also viewed the Yevonde: Life and Colour exhibition as part of her tour of the refurbished gallery
Kate appeared to critique the art in the exhibition as she toured the newly-opened gallery
During her visit, the Princess visited The Mildred and Simon Palley Learning Centre where she met Rania, three, and her mother
After laughing at the ex-Beatle’s joke, the Princess of Wales shook his wife Nancy’s hand
Chatting to Paul McCartney and his wife Nancy, who was dressed in a chic blue midi dress and tan boots, the Princess laughed along with the pair
Kate beamed as she stood with the Beatles star, 81, who cracked a joke about his 63-year-old wife being 18 years younger than him
Is Kate a Beatles fan? The Princess couldn’t stop smiling in the company of the music legend
As the Princess shook the hand of Sir Paul McCartney, she beamed as the pair greeted each other
Turning to to his wife he added: ‘Oh, you weren’t either.’ Nancy laughingly looked upwards and counted before replying that she very much had been.
Kate was keen to ask McCartney how he was able to choose ‘what pieces you wanted in there’.
The singer said he had the help of the gallery’s curator and his own archivist. ‘But were there pieces that were very important to you personally?,’ she asked.
‘For me the pictures of John and George particularly, just because they are not here,’ he replied.
The encounter, in the unprepossessing surroundings of the gallery’s gift shop, was a last minute addition to the princess’s schedule given that McCartney – whose exhibition is entitled Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64 Eyes of the Storm’ – was in town.
As she arrived at the gallery to review the results of the extensive renovation project, the Princess met with renowned artist Tracey Emin.
The pair were pictured chatting as Kate looked up in awe at the new doors of the National Portrait Gallery, themselves a work of art designed by Emin.
Kate looked radiant with her hair in ringlets as she gazed up at the new doors of the National Portrait Gallery designed by renowned artist Tracey Emin (pictured)
Emin’s design incorporates 45 carved brass panels, representing every woman, throughout time
Emin led the Princess of Wales into the National Portrait Gallery through the doors she had designed
Kate opted for simple pearl teardrop earrings from Heavenly London costing £90
The Princess waved to adoring royal fans as she left the National Portrait Gallery after her visit
Standing outside the new doors, the Princess of Wales said farewell to the staff and royal fans outside the building
Kate looked regal as she chatted to a gentleman outside of the National Portrait Gallery about the three-year refurbishment
The princess was chic as ever in another black and white outfit following her appearance in an Alessandra Rich polka-dot dress yesterday
Kate’s favourite heels! The Princess is known for often choosing her Aquazzura heels, which the Duchess of Sussex also owns
Upon arrival, the Princess sat down with nursery-age children who were taking part in a multi-sensory workshop inspired by the world of Beatrix Potter in the gallert’s Mildred and Simon Palley Learning Centre.
Chatting to the mother of three-year-old Rania during a colouring session, the Princess asked about the toddler’s artistic interests.
Rania’s mother told Kate her daughter ‘loves drawing’ – while little Rania appeared too engrossed in her stickers to notice she was in the company of royalty.
As the royal took a look at Rania’s brightly-coloured creation, she pointed out: ‘Look at these! Like buzzy bees’, while the toddler nodded in acknowledgment.
Kate then asked: ‘Who is this? Can you remember? Is this Peter Rabbit?’
Rania, who was still engrossed in her stickers, replied: ‘Yeah!’ at which point Kate chuckled and told her: ‘Very nice!’
The Princess’s Self Portrait dress is designed to look like a layered two-piece, with a tweed jacket and a chiffon skirt
On her feet, Kate opted for the Aquazzura black pumps which she was spotted wearing ahead of the Coronation
The Princess stepped out of the car and shook hands with a gentleman upon arrival at the National Portrait Gallery
Kate beamed as she strolled up to the gallery, which will reopen to the public on June 22 following an extensive restoration project
The detailing on the Princess’s intricate outfit included black piping around the seams and embellished buttons
Kate appeared to be critiquing a piece of art as she stood outside the gallery, about to walk through its brand new doors
The Princess pushed her thick brunette locks behind her shoulders as she arrived
The Princess kept her jewellery simple for the occasion, opting for a pair of pearl teardrop earrings
Beaming as ever, Kate waved to royal fans who had gathered to catch a glimpse of her on her solo engagement
To accessorise, the Princess carried a classic black quilted Chanel clutch bag, which fit with her monochrome theme
The Princess of Wales brushed her hair away from her face as she arrived at the National Portrait Gallery
The Gallery’s Under 5’s Programme, which has been developed in conjunction with London Borough of Westminster, works with family hubs and state nurseries in the area to encourage creative learning.
Elsewhere, Kate had the opportunity to look at some of the Gallery’s new acquisitions such as Joshua Reynolds’ Portrait of Mai.
She also viewed Yevonde: Life and Colour, a new exhibition which explores the life and career of Yevonde, the pioneering London photographer who spearheaded the use of colour photography in the 1930s.