Kate Middleton's Solomon Islands error as she wears Cook Islands dress to cultural celebration
A right royal wardrobe gaffe! Kate's Solomon Islands error as she wears Cook Islands dress to cultural celebration (but the nations are 3,000 miles apart)
- Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended Solomon Islands party as part of their Diamond Jubilee tour of the Far East and South Pacific
- Cook Island clothes were accidentally laid out for them
PUBLISHED: 12:29, 26 September 2012 | UPDATED: 14:40, 26 September 2012
- Being over- or under-dressed to an event is something all women worry about on occasion.
So it must be nice if somebody is on hand to lay out the most suitable clothes for you.
Unless, of course, the event is being held to celebrate the culture of a particular nation in the South Pacific. And somebody lays out traditional clothes from a different nation. And you are one of the most photographed women in the world. And you accidentally offend over half a million people.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in Honiara, Solomon Islands, on 16 September, wearing gifted clothes that are actually from the Cook Islands.
So spare a thought for the Duchess of Cambridge who, during a recent party in the Solomon Islands, wore what she had assumed was a traditional national dress to an event celebrating the islands' culture...only to later discover that the dress was actually from the Cook Islands, some 3,000 miles away.
The sartorial agreement between the government of the Solomons and Clarence House was that the Duke and Duchess would attend the event wearing, respectively, a traditional handmade shirt and traditional dress.
But the gaffe occurred thanks to a woman named Kethie Sunders, an over-enthusiastic member of the Solomon Islands' welcoming committee, who laid out the wrong clothes in the young royals' suite.
Kate and William pose wearing traditional Cook Island clothing during a visit to Honiara, Guadalcanal Island, one of the Solomons.
The Solomon Islands, where Kate and William attended the party, and the Cook Islands, 2779.78 miles away, where the clothes they accidentally wore were actually from.
Ms Sunders nipped in to the bedroom before the Duke and Duchess arrived, excitedly adding some more gifts of clothing to the ones already laid out inside.
But when the royals arrived, their entourage noticed that the clothes in the suite - a bright blue patterened shirt for William and an elaborate strapless fuchsia dress for Kate - did not match the descriptions of the ones that had been agreed on.
Kate wears the traditional Cook Island dress while she talks with the wife of the Governor General of the Solomon Islands, Lady Grace Kabui, in Honiara.
A spokesman for Clarence House told MailOnline: 'We saw they weren't the same design of the traditional clothes we were told would be gifted.
'So we checked with the Solomon Islands government to ensure the right ones were worn.
'We were reassured the clothes were correct, and so the Duke and Duchess wore them to the event.
'It was not learned until later in the evening that the clothes weren't from the islands.
'But it was understood that the Duke and Duchess intended to wear traditional Solomon Island clothes and this was appreciated. No offence was caused.'
An official from Government House of the Solomon Islands said: 'We are incredibly frustrated t! hat this situation has come about and see Kethie as entirely to blame.
'It was completely inappropriate for her to go to Their Royal Highnesses' room, which she filled with various things, causing confusion.'
Kate did not manage to wear the actual Solomon Islands dress during the tour, since her outfits had already been planned out for the whole trip, but she did return to England with both dresses.
Her spokesman said: 'She still has both dresses, they were a gift, and she also has lovely memories of her wonderful time in the Solomon Islands.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2208813/Kate-Middletons-Solomon-Islands-error-wears-Cook-Islands-dress.html#ixzz27aKdb3R7
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