Kate Middleton
Kate Middleton and Prince William stepped out for one final night of glamour on their royal tour of the Caribbean.
The couple, who touched down in The Bahamas on Thursday after tour stops in Belize and Jamaica, attended a glittering evening reception at Baha Mar Resort on the white sand beaches of Cable Beach in Nassau.
Kate wore a shimmering turquoise bespoke silk duchess satin gown with hand-tied bows at the shoulder from British designer Phillipa Lepley that paid tribute to her host country’s flag — and gave her the ultimate Cinderella moment. William was dapper in a blue velvet tux.
Hosted by the Governor-General of The Bahamas, Sir Cornelius Alvin Smith, who represents Queen Elizabeth in the island country, the party gave the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge the opportunity to meet community leaders and notable people from across The Bahamas’ many islands.
The look marks Kate’s third glam look of the tour. She wowed in Belize in a hot pink metallic gown by The Vampire’s Wife on Monday and dazzled in a sparkling green Jenny Packham gown in Jamaica on Wednesday.
Samir Hussein/WireImage Prince William and Kate Middleton
Welcoming the couple at the reception were large screens beaming William and Kate’s candid 10th wedding anniversary photos.
RELATED: Kate Middleton and Prince William Attend Junkanoo Parade in The Bahamas: ‘That Was Amazing’
Shortly after their arrival, William carried out a duty on behalf of his grandmother the Queen and awarded Platinum Jubilee medals to heads of emergency services in The Bahamas.
As they mingled with guests, Kate talked about her and William’s outings earlier in the day.
“We spoke about how much she enjoyed seeing all the children in the school today and she hopes to come back with hers one day,” says Charlene Pick, who was at the reception with her husband Rev. Dr. Patrick Paul.
CHANDAN KHANNA/getty Kate Middleton and Prince William at a reception in The Bahamas on March 25, 2022.
Guest Christie Prosper adds, “They’re both so refreshing. She said she loved the Bahamian culture.”
During a conversation with guest Lissa McCombe, Kate said how “exciting” the couple’s sailing competition was earlier in the day on Montagu Bay.
“She had a really exciting time. She thoroughly enjoyed it,” McCombe says. “She said they nearly had a man overboard and she was at the tiller at the time — she had one hand on the tiller and one on the guy at the same time.”
The roses on the dress of guest Mildred Murphy caught Kate’s eye and she complimented her.
“She said I looked amazing and I said the roses were for the flower of England,” Murphy says.
As William and Kate moved around the room, they caught each other’s eye and William said, “Ah, hi!” and jokingly held out his hand to shake Kate’s, which made her laugh.
Samir Hussein/WireImage Kate Middleton
The reception came after a busy day, which saw the Duke and Duchess visit a local school in Nassau, meet with healthcare workers who have been working on the frontlines of the pandemic, take part in a lively Junkanoo street festival and go head-to-head in a sailing competition in Montagu Bay.
Can’t get enough of PEOPLE‘s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
Jane Barlow/getty Kate Middleton and Prince William
For the first time, the royal couple is facing significant backlash on an official tour. Although they have received warm welcomes from many locals during their visits to Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas, they are also encountering mounting tensions in the Caribbean nations where William’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, remains head of state.
The rising tide of social and economic justice movements — including calls for slavery reparations and indigenous rights expansion — are rapidly reshaping contemporary views of the monarchy at a time when it is in transition: As Elizabeth, 95, marks 70 years on the throne, William, 39, and Kate, 40, are increasingly the modern face of both the family and the institution.
