Kate Middleton arrives at Royal Albert Hall to observe Gary Barlow perform

It was a departure from her usual safe sartorial choices but not from her usual shops.

The Duchess of Cambridge stepped out in a black and cream lace mini-dress from Zara tonight for a pop concert organised by Take That’s Gary Barlow.

The hemline at the £69.99 high street dress was significantly higher than anything the 29-year-old has worn for a public engagement before.

Feeling chilly? The Duchess of Cambridge arrived on the Royal Albert Hall wearing a slightly short dress

Looking stylish: Kate chose to wear a brand new season Zara printed dress with a black Ralph Lauren jacket

While it showed off her shapely legs,
it also seemed to make her slightly self-conscious, and he or she should be
seen repeatedly tugging the dress down.

However, she added a splash of her
characteristic conservative style with opaque black tights and matching
heels, and completed her outfit with the classic black Ralph Lauren
jacket she wore the day after her wedding.

On that occasion she also sported a Zara creation a £49.99 cornflower blue dress which quickly sold out.

Kate and William were joined for last
night’s concert on the Royal Albert Hall by Prince Charles and the
Duchess of Cornwall, who wore an olive embroidered jacket and skirt by
couturier Anna Valentine.

Windy evening: Kate tried her best to maintain her dark hair in place as she made her way up the red carpet

The group were greeted by singer and X
Factor judge Barlow, who’s donating the profits from the evening to
the inspiration of Prince William and Prince Harry, of which Kate is a
patron, and the Prince’s Trust.

Kate wore her brunette hair in a loose curl and tried her best to maintain it in place as she made her way into the venue.

She stopped briefly to recognize the group along with her husband.

The newlyweds were little doubt inquisitive about watching Barlow perform and looking out forward to a fair night out.

Just both people: The newlyweds looked slightly unsure about what to do after they first got out of the car

Boys in blue: Kate was met by her husband and the Prince of Wales when she got out of her car

Night out together: Prince William and his wife looked in good spirits as they prepared to observe Gary Barlow perform

With the in-laws: Kate and William made their way along the red carpet with the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall

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Ready for the camera: Once contained in the Royal Albert Hall Kate posed for more photographs

The Prince of Wales wore an analogous
suit to that of his sons but opted for an identical tie instead, and his
wife also dressed up wearing a bronze-coloured pleated skirt with an
embroidered velvet jacket and black heels.

The Royals met with Barlow sooner than his performance after which made their approach to the Royal box to benefit from the concert.

The
singer is on good terms with the Royal family after he was asked to
organise an event for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations next
year.

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Nice to satisfy you: Gary Barlow frolicked with the Royal couple before preparing himself for his solo performance

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Height difference: Barlow looked fairly short as he posed with the Royal four

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Backstage pass: Barlow chatted to the royals before they took their seats within the Royal Box

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Ready for the show: The foursome made their approach to the Royal box to monitor the gig

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Pop fans: The Royal couple looked to be enjoying the festivities

The gig was a nerve-racking performance for X Factor finalist, Marcus
Collins, who was invited by his mentor to enroll in him on stage.

Earlier Barlow had tweeted a photograph of
the Liverpudlian rehearsing, saying: ‘@MarcuscollinsUK sound checking
for tonight’s performance.’

The post came a number of hours after Barlow
tweeted: ‘For anyone coming to the Albert Hall tonight we now have one more
special guest just confirmed.’

The previous night the daddy-of-three was
joined by Jason Donovan, Lulu and previous X Factor contestant Olly Murs
as he entertained the group.

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Different looks: The 29-year-old look rather different to how she usually dresses

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Rising star: Gary welcomed his X Factor contestant Marcus Collins onstage

Speaking
to the Evening Standard after Monday’s performance, Barlow said: ‘I loved
it. It’s precisely the type of night that’s whetted my appetite for solo
work.

‘Not to make solo records again… but to do gigs for special occasions like this one for the Prince’s Trust.’

The gigs are raising funds in order that the
Trust can invest £2.5million in helping five areas that were hit the
hardest in the course of the August riots in London, Manchester and Birmingham.

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Going solo: Gary Barlow performed his first of 2 gigs on the Royal Albert Hall on Monday night to boost funds for the Prince’s Trust

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Boys club: He was also joined by Xtra Factor host Olly Murs, who he greeted with a warm hug

Kate
is a patron for the basis of Prince William and Prince Harry, so
is course very fascinated by the work that it does.

At
the Princess Diana Memorial concert at Wembley back in 2007, she was
spotted singing along to Take That’s hit, Back For Good, because the band
performed it.

The song
obviously had personal meaning for her because it was just after her and
William had reunited following a break from their relationship.