Prince William just hosted Buckingham Palace's third and final garden party of the year on behalf of his grandmother the Queen.
At his side were his wife Kate Middleton, and his uncle and aunt the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and all the photos—to me, at least—just scream Bridgerton vibes.
OK, so the Duchess of Cambridge wore a dress with a high neckline and a waistline actually at her waist rather than the empire line favored by the young ladies of the Regency era, but other than that? I see no difference.
The duchess looked delightfully spring-appropriate in a delicate pastel shade of blue-green, a custom dress which the Daily Mail points out she has worn previously, proving once again that rewearing your clothes is cool.
She paired the dress with a matching hat/fascinator (I'm not quite clear on how much fabric is required for a fascinator to stop being a fascinator and start becoming a hat), matching Jimmy Choo pumps, and a handy umbrella to ward off the very English-summer drizzle.
Leaning further into the Bridgerton recreation was the Duke of Cambridge, in the full morning dress required at royal garden parties. He wore a long jacket, a double-breasted waistocat, a tie and a top hat to gaze lovingly at his wife:
Sophie, Countess of Wessex', outfit mirrored Middleton's with a similar-cut dress and hat, but in a brighter shade of sky blue-going-on-turquoise.
And if all of that wasn't enough debutante vibes for you, wait till you hear the history of royal garden parties."Historically, Garden Parties took the place of presentation parties attended by debutantes," reads the Royal Family's official website. Did I not tell you???
These days, guests tend to be those who have contributed to public service in some way. For example, Middleton chatted with a member of the Royal Air Force, as well as Holocaust survivor Manfred Goldberg on the day.
