What The Crown Got Wrong About Kate Middleton's College Fashion Show Moment
Over the years, dozens of shows, movies, and documentaries have attempted to encapsulate the royal family's complexities, but few have surpassed "The Crown," which first aired on Netflix in 2016, in either viewership or critical reception — even if its latter seasons weren't as well-received. "The Crown" even caught the attention of the royal family, who were reportedly not exactly thrilled with the way the show chose to fictionalize their real lives. Historians and royal insiders have also called foul on some of the storylines portrayed on "The Crown," such as the timeline in which King Charles III and Queen Camilla carried out their highly publicized affair.
"The Crown" has also taken liberties with other stories, including the Season 6 dramatization of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales' early relationship. The show spun the long-accepted tale about how Prince William fell for Kate Middleton after witnessing her walk in their college fashion show at St. Andrews University. According to Tina Brown, who authored the book "The Palace Papers," William became obsessed with Kate, who was wearing a sheer dress that left little to the imagination. "Everyone noticed that he was transfixed by a smoking-hot brunette who waltzed down the catwalk in a diaphanous black-and-gold silk dress with the shortest of short skirts that showed off her figure and supermodel-long legs," wrote Brown (via Elle). Later, William reportedly made a move and tried to kiss Kate, although she didn't go through with it. However, that big moment went much more smoothly for the prince on "The Crown."
Prince William fared better with Kate Middleton on The Crown
Kate Middleton's fashion show has long been credited as the moment that she finally hooked the attention of William, Prince of Wales. However, "The Crown" took things a little further. For example, real-life Prince William is said to have been enamored by Kate's beauty and figure. According to Vanity Fair, William reportedly shared his attraction for Kate with his friend Fergus. "Wow, Fergus, Kate's hot!" William said. One of Kate's fellow models also supported this story with the outlet. "Kate was great on the catwalk," they shared. "She and everyone, including William, knew it." Later, the future couple socialized at a party where Kate eventually skirted William's advance. She was, after all, in a relationship at the time.
In "The Crown," however, their post-fashion show interaction resulted in much more. The fictional William showered Kate with compliments at the party. "That was quite the outfit earlier," he said. Kate responded by saying, "Did you like it?" He replied, "Like? You looked incredible." Kate also admitted to William that she'd worn the risqué number to grab his attention. "I just felt like doing something drastic to know if you were interested," she said. After William made a lofty declaration admitting that he was "bordering on obsessed" with her, they shared a film-worthy kiss. Another major detail that "The Crown" got wrong, or rather plainly ignored, is the fact that Queen Elizabeth II's mother didn't actually pass away during this outing, but rather a few days after.
Kate Middleton may not have picked out the dress
There's no denying the fact that "The Crown" helped to perpetuate the long-believed rumor that Kate Middleton purposefully picked out her sexy ensemble to gain the attention of her future husband. However, it also roped Kate's mother, Carole Middleton, into the sneaky move. Ahead of the fashion show episode, the fictional version of Carole actually encouraged Kate to make good use of her "assets" to tilt the cards in her favor in her pursuit of the prince. "It's our duty to make use of the assets God has given us," she said. However, there's never been any proof that Kate was in control of her own runway look (or that her mother was gunning for her to land such a large fish).
The dress's designer, Cate Todd, who attended St. Andrews University with the royal couple, also had no part in placing her design on the future princess. "I didn't know who Kate Middleton was and I didn't put her in it," Todd told People. "It was just pure chance!" However, Todd certainly benefited from the "chance event," as she later sold the design for $125,000. Plus, she's been forever immortalized as a small part of the pair's love story. "I'm thrilled," added Todd. "Everyone says that the fashion show was when the romance started, so a small part of me will always be part of royal history. It's madness!"