Tonight, Queen Elizabeth hosted a reception for NATO leaders and their partners at Buckingham Palace. The Queen was joined by Prince Charles of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duchess of Cambridge and other royals to welcome the NATO leaders. Prince William is on an official visit to Kuwait and Oman so he didn’t attend the reception.
Allied Heads of State and Government were gathered in London to commemorate the 70th anniversary of NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Joining them are The Earl of Wessex, Princess Royal, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and Princess Alexandra. From Wikipedia,
On 4 March 1947, the Treaty of Dunkirk was signed by France and the United Kingdom as a Treaty of Alliance and Mutual Assistance in the event of a possible attack by Germany or the Soviet Union in the aftermath of World War II. In 1948, this alliance was expanded to include the Benelux countries, in the form of the Western Union, also referred to as the Brussels Treaty Organization (BTO), established by the Treaty of Brussels. Talks for a new military alliance which could also include North America resulted in the signature of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949 by the member states of the Western Union plus the United States, Canada, Portugal, Italy, Norway, Denmark and Iceland.
NATO is an intergovernmental military alliance between 29 North American and European countries. The organization implements the North Atlantic Treaty that was signed on 4 April 1949. Since its founding, the admission of new member states has increased the alliance from the original 12 countries to 29 with North Macedonia in the process of becoming the 30th member state.
In 1949, the United Kingdom was one of NATO’s twelve founding members and London was the home of NATO’s first headquarters. Leaders will take decisions to further strengthen the Alliance and continue its adaptation.
The Duchess of Cambridge talking to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau whom she met during the 2016 Canada visit.
A lovely shot of Queen meeting with the guests.
For the evening, The Duchess of Cambridge wore a green dress. Her outfit causes a bit of confusion. Initially, it was thought that Catherine chose a bespoke Emilia Wickstead crepe de Chine dress.
But then Daily Mail reporter Rebecca English got the confirmation that the dress was actually Alexander McQueen number.
Musicroyal on Twitter shared this picture that shows the dress.
Catherine’s dress featured a high neckline, front placket, shirt-style cuffed sleeves with slightly padded shoulders and a pleated skirt.
Catherine paired her dress with Queen’s Diamond Pendant Earrings.
The Duchess of Cambridge will next attend the Diplomatic Reception on December 11.