Upcycled Alexander McQueen gown is a triumph for Kate Middleton at the Baftas

Kate has relied upon Alexander McQueen to see her through three previous Bafta ceremonies.

The designer’s minimalist take on glamour allowed her to bridge the gap between the refined dressing required by royal protocol and the ‘wow’ factor needed when mingling with stars of the silver screen.

And last night was no exception. In fact, in a move surely no A-lister would dare to attempt, the Princess of Wales wore the same white, one-shouldered McQueen dress she wore to the awards in 2019, merely swapping the previous incarnation’s floral shoulder detailing for a long chiffon bow.

The result? Undeniably the most fashion-forward of Kate’s Bafta appearances and, arguably, of all her red carpet looks to date.

The white one-shouldered gown has undergone some minor alterations since Kate first wore it in 2019 (pictured, in 2019, and right, tonight). The floral detailing on the shoulder has now been swapped for a sweeping train of material

The Princess of Wales was dazzling in white as she walked the red carpet alongside a host of A-listers at the Baftas tonight

For someone who typically favours style over fashion, this was a rare catwalk-orientated look from Kate. The oversized bow nodded to the gloriously gigantic bows that adorned the dresses at Giambattista Valli and Valentino’s SS23 couture shows in Paris this year.

But perhaps most notable were her black opera gloves – a huge trend on recent catwalks.

The edgy gloves and the frou-frou tulle of the dress were the perfect example of cool-meets-classic, evocative of Audrey Hepburn.

To finish off her look, she opted for a pair of thrifty £17.99 cascading floral earrings from Zara.

This triumph is surely deserving of the award for best dressed.