The Duchess of Cambridge swapped her khaki jungle outfit for a floor-length shimmering gown by royal favourite designer The Vampire’s Wife on the third day of her Belize trip with her husband Prince William.
Kate, 40, dressed in the £2,500 pink gown by the British designer for an evening reception in celebration of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which she paired with silver heeled sandals and a Mayan embroidered clutch bag.
She partnered the floor-length organza gown, named the Light Sleeper dress, with gold disc diamanté drop earrings and a natural make-up look.
The Vampire’s Wife, which was launched by former model Suzie Cave in 2014, is famed for pretty prairie dresses infused with a dose of gothic glam – and are loved by the royals including Kate who previously wore one of the label’s gowns in Dublin during a three-day tour of Ireland in March 2020.
The royal previously cut a relaxed figure when climbing Belize’s most spectacular Mayan ruins alongside the Duke of Cambridge.
The couple were visiting 3,000 year-old Caracol, a sprawling ancient archaeological site, located in the foothills of the Maya Mountains, close to the border with Guatemala, during the third day of their Caribbean tour.
Kate dressed down in a pair of £70 khaki trousers from Dutch brand G-Star RAW, which she teamed with a recycled white John Lewis T-shirt and her £57 Superga 2750 trainers.
The minimal shoes have been worn by the mother-of-three on multiple occasions, including at her Back to Nature Garden at Chelsea Flower Show in September 2019, while the T-shirt was sported by the royal in September 2020.
Proving once again to be a fan of High Street fashion, Kate initially donned the white top when meeting parents in London, who were helped by peer support networks during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kate, 40, dressed in the floor-length £2,500 pink gown by the British designer for an evening reception in celebration of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which she paired with silver heeled sandals and a Mayan embroidered clutch bag
William and Kate attend a special reception hosted by the Governor General of Belize in celebration of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee on March 31
She partnered the floor-length organza gown, named the Light Sleeper dress, with gold disc diamanté drop earrings and a natural make-up look
The Duchess of Cambridge swapped her khaki jungle outfit for a floor-length shimmering gown by royal favourite designer The Vampire’s Wife on the third day of her Belize trip with her husband Prince William
The dress featured a waist-tie detail at the back and waterfall-style organza sleeves
The couple were visiting 3,000 year-old Caracol, a sprawling ancient archaeological site, located in the foothills of the Maya Mountains, close to the border with Guatemala, during the third day of their Caribbean tour. Pictured, Kate
Kate completed her look with a pair of sunglasses and left her hair down, while tucking the white T-shirt into the khaki trousers. She paired the outfit with a brown belt.
The Duke of Cambridge, 39, also sported sunglasses and a matching khaki shirt and trousers for the outing.
The site the couple visited is situated deep in the heart of Belize’s Chiquibul National Forest.
The highlight of their trip was the chance to view the Caana, or ‘sky palace’ which towers 141 foot tall and was built by hand.
There was only one reaction on Kate’s lips as she surveyed the landscape that stretched out before her when she and William stopped to take in the view: ‘Wow.’
The couple were guided by the country’s director of architecture Allan Moore, who accompanied the couple as they walked into a clearing where the palace was contained.
Kate (pictured with William), 40, dressed down in a pair of £70 khaki trousers from Dutch brand G-Star RAW, which she teamed with a recycled white John Lewis T-shirt and her £57 Superga 2750 trainers
The minimal shoes have been worn by the mother-of-three on multiple occasions, including at her Back to Nature Garden at Chelsea Flower Show in September 2019, while the T-shirt was sported by the royal in September 2020. Pictured, Kate during her outing
The Duchess of Cambridge wore her brown locks in a straight hairstyle and partnered her ensemble with a pair of simple gold hoops
He told them: ‘It’s like looking at the inside of Buckingham Palace. This is just a small fraction of what we have here.’
The original settlement dates back to 400BC, developing into a more prosperous city by 200AD.
Once home to 100,000 people, it measures a staggering 75 square miles and is five times larger than even the country’s biggest modern inhabitation, Belize City.
Its name derives from the Spanish for snail shell because of the spiralling access road that led to the site.
Mr Moore showed the couple some ancient Mayan carvings, with the couple pointing out lizards, fish nibbling on water lilies and a feline shape which he explained could have been a jaguar, a resident of the jungle area surrounding them.
He also walked them round to an area where the ancient Maya used to play ball games.
Proving once again to be a fan of High Street fashion, Kate (left) initially donned the white top when meeting parents in London, who were helped by peer support networks during the Covid-19 pandemic
Kate completed her look with a pair of sunglasses and left her hair down, while tucking the white T-shirt into the khaki trousers. She paired the outfit with a brown belt
The couple happily posed for photographs with the palace behind them, briefly taking their sunglasses off in the 31 degree heat.
Then it was time to start the long trek to the top, walking up a side part at first with a wooden handrail.
At the first stop off point they stopped to peer into the remarkably well preserved ruins of ancient homes and peppered their guide with questions.
They were then invited to stand on their own in a gap in the terrace to pose for pictures surrounded by the historic site.
As they caught a glimpse of the vista the couple marvelled at what they saw. ‘Wow,’ Kate said.
William got the giggles when, as he turned back away from the view – which was being captured by a group of photographers – he found another set of snappers the other side of them.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with archaeological expert Allan Moore at Caracol
As they caught a glimpse of the vista the couple marvelled at what they saw. ‘Wow,’ Kate (pictured) said
‘We got one [ group] one side and another the other. You are in each other’s photographs,’ he laughed.
The couple then continued on their climb accompanied by their own personal photographer. Mr Moore told them as they climbed the steep steps up: ‘People often like to try and run up here.’
‘What, they race?’ Exclaimed William. ‘You must be very fit if you are doing this three times a week Allan!’
Caracol was discovered by a Belizean logger in 1937 when the country was then British Honduras.
Archaeologists spent several decades excavating it, discovering monuments, tombs and extensive terrace systems.
One of the highlights is the Caana, or ‘sky palace’ – towering 141 foot tall – which is not just the highest building in Caracol but still the tallest man made structure in Belize.
William got the giggles when, as he turned back away from the view – which was being captured by a group of photographers – he found another set of snappers the other side of them. Pictured, Kate
The Duke of Cambridge, 39, also sported sunglasses and a matching khaki shirt and trousers for the outing
An impressive pyramidal structure, it sits at the heart of Caracol’s ceremonial centre.
The ancient builders are believed to have erected the structure so that its high priests and rulers could be closer to the sky.
Mr Moore described Caana as a ‘residential temple palace’, adding: ‘This is flagship Maya site.’
He explained how the Maya people were the early destructors of the jungle as they burnt down much of the vegetation in the area to create Caracol.
After they eventually left Caracol the jungle grew back and surrounded the structures, which meant they weren’t discovered until the late 1930s.
Asked what he hoped William and Kate would take away from their visit, he said: ‘I want to emphasise the spectacular being of the Maya structure. It shows the historic potency of our civilisation to build these kind of structures.’
Asked about what Belize felt about the British monarchy, he said: ‘It’s as relevant here as it is in the UK. It’s symbolic and we respect that. And some people like having a monarchy far, far away.
‘As an archaeologist I cherish what is rare. As a good Belizean I welcome the prince and his wife. We are known to be a hospitable nation. They will enjoy this.’