Kate's daringly different dress

It was certainly a surprise. The Duchess of Cambridge went floor length for a pre-tour reception at Kensington Palace and everyone's jaws hit the planks as well. Kate's not known for her long dresses - we expect short from the duchess and a cocktail event really wasn't the place we thought we'd see a semi-evening dress but there it was and dividing opinion straight away.

Kate surprised with her latest dress worn at Kensington Palace on April 6th 2016

(photo Kensington Royal Twitter)

The dress is by Indian designer, Soloni, which was a rather elegant and diplomatic touch for this event where William and Kate met young Indian and Bhutanese people living in the UK.

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The length wasn't the only surprising thing about it. The top features a sheer panel in the centre with a high collar with ruffles.

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The back has a small opening while the sheer sleeves are very long ending in cuff details.

A glimpse of the back of Kate's dress during the reception at Kensington Palace

(photo Kensington Royal Twitter)

Did she need an updo here? Hair piled up would allow the top of the dress to really shine but then the ruffles on the collar might run the risk of looking ever so slightly twee with those tresses tied up.

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Overall, this is an elegant look which has the most impact from a distance and indicates that the wardrobe for India and Bhutan could well be a bit more daring than we've come to expect from the Duchess of Cambridge of late.

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And you can catch all of William and Kate's tour here and keep up with what the Duchess packs in her suitcase as well.