The Belgian royal stepped out in a Princess of Wales-approved dress

 

Queen Mathilde of Belgium, 51, was a lady in red as she stepped out in Brussels with her husband King Philippe at the weekend.

The couple made a glamorous appearance at the Queen Elisabeth International Music Competition of Belgium for Violin. Mathilde turned to royal-approved fashion designer Jenny Packham for her ruby gown, covered in head-to-toe sequins.

Retailing for £3,407, the fitted ‘Sungem’ gown features a boat neck, short sleeves and a rhinestone embellished waist with cascading beadwork down the length of the skirt. Mathilde’s bold claret dress also comes in pale pink, gold, and green colourways.

Matching red heels and a bouquet of scarlet and pastel pink flowers completed her look. The royal wore her blonde hair in an old Hollywood glamour updo which didn’t detract attention from the dress, and sported a glowing beauty blend including a flawless base and long lashes.

Meanwhile, Philippe wore a classic black suit and patterned tie, keeping all eyes on his wife. The royal couple got married in 1999 and now share four children: Princess Elisabeth, Prince Gabriel, Prince Emmanuel and Princess Eléonore, but they appeared to leave their kids at home for their latest date night.

Fans may have noticed that Mathilde’s regal red look was not dissimilar to some of the Princess of Wales’ iconic evening dresses. Kate has stepped out in Jenny Packham on several occasions, including shortly after her royal wedding in 2011.

The then-Duchess of Cambridge wore a blush pink and silver sequinned gown at a gala dinner at Kensington Palace, featuring the brand’s trademark embellished waist – much like Mathilde’s latest look.

She was then draped in silver sequins at the Tusk Trust Conservation Awards at the Royal Society in London in 2013, before famously channelling a Bond girl in her gold caped dress at the James Bond film No Time to Die premiere in 2021, and rocking a ravishing red gown at the Diplomatic Corps reception in December 2022.

The designer – who started her business with her now-husband, Mathew Anderson – has dressed many A-list ladies, from Sandra Bullock to Angelina Jolie and Blake Lively, but she doesn’t like to comment on her royal clientele.

“We were dressing UK pop stars and TV personalities, and I got to the point where I was very frustrated because I wanted to be dressing A-stars,” she recalled to Luxury London.

“So we had to recalibrate. For two years we stopped dressing people that we didn’t think we should dress – it’s so awkward saying that! – but you have to.”