Kate Middleton sparks outrage at King Charles' first state banquet, here's why

King Charles III hosted his first state banquet as His Majesty received the President of South Africa. All eyes were on the Palace. However, Britain's republican pressure group, Republic, called out the Royal Family for such a show of extravagance while the rest of the country is facing economic hardship. Kate Middleton seems to have borne the brunt of the criticism online.

Kate Middleton, a fashion icon

Kate, the Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge, has been in the public eye for many years now, and one thing that often stands out is her sense of fashion.

Speaking on an episode of the Daily Express' Royal Round Up podcast, Royal correspondent Richard Palmer explains that Kate probably feels 'very frustrated' that the focus of the press tends to land on her style choices as opposed to the causes she is championing.

He said:

There have been times when she’s made a landmark speech and you know, all people were asking about was, oh, she’s changed her hairstyle.

The podcast host added that Kate doesn't always wear high-end, designer clothes and noted that when the Princess of Wales wears something affordable, it tends to 'fly off shelves'.

Because of this, Kate's royal aides are apparently forbidden to reveal details about her style choices. The Princess is concerned that it may go down like a lead balloon, considering the current economic hardship many are facing in the UK. Palmer somewhat agrees:

It’s not a good look, is it, to turn up to a food bank in a £3,000 coat.

However, he cautioned:

There’s always a difficult balance because people expect Princesses to look like a Princess.

An extravagant choice for a lavish event

The British pro-republican group, Republic, called out the Royal Family for their 'extravagant display', accusing them of 'flaunting jewels that cost as much as a lot of people's annual salary'. Although the CEO of the group, Graham Smith, isn't surprised.

The Princess has upset many Royal watchers with her choice of jewellery at the state banquet. In particular, one piece caught the critics' eye: an Art Deco diamond set brooch. The Princess first wore it on Remembrance Sunday, which sparked a lot of outrage at the time.

One Twitter user accused the Princess of hypocrisy:

Instead of buying a £14,000 brooch while pretending to portray herself as 'one of the people', she could have donated that to a homeless veterans charity.

Another commented:

Yes, that's about right - buy yourself and show off an expensive brooch while your people starve and struggle to heat their homes.

According to an archived page on the jeweller's website, the brooch, with an estimated diamond weight of 4.5 carats, cost £14,500. Many believe the jewel was a gift for the Princess, who celebrated her 40th birthday on 9th January. Others speculate that the Duchess purchased the brooch for herself.

The fact that the Princess chose to wear the brooch again at the state banquet has reignited the flames of this debate.

Sources used:

- Newsweek: Kate Middleton Enrages Critics by Re-Wearing $17,000 Bauble

- Express: Kate stopped royal aides sharing fashion details over cost concerns: 'Doesn't look good'