Crowds get a thighful as Kate raises hemline with latest outfit on royal tour

Laura Butler

KATE MIDDLETON'S thigh-skimming latest ensemble is expected to create yet another hit on the high street.

Despite raising the eyebrows of traditional royalists for its high hemline, Kate's teal outfit has been deemed a roaring success by modern fashionistas.

She chose the fitted jacket (€471) and thigh-skimming, classic frock (€268) from the LK Bennett store, which has a branch here in Dundrum's Town Centre.

The duchess also wore a pair of black Episode pumps, which were picked up at House of Fraser -- but unfortunately for fashion fans, they are no longer available.

The James Lock pillbox hat which she chose for the occasion costs €340.

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As her husband William trains in the Falkland Islands, Kate has been at the queen's side to help kick off the Diamond Jubilee tour of the UK.

Greeting thousands of well-wishers while accompanying the queen and Prince Philip on a public outing to Leicester, Kate, confessed that she is pining for her prince.

When onlooker Laura Murphy (30) asked, 'How's William?', she replied: "He's fine, but I'm missing him terribly."

The duchess has been keeping herself very busy lately while her other half is abroad and has thrown herself into her solo duties, as well as getting a new pet.

"I've got a dog that's keeping me occupied ... I'm getting a lot of 'me' time with the dog," she told an interfaith worker yesterday on the city tour. Kate demonstrated how she has quickly become the perfect royal as the trio paid a visit to De Montfort University, with a stop in De Montfort Square where they watched a dance performance.

The queen, Kate and her grandmother-in-law took in some of the latest trends on the catwalk and shared a joke or two as they sat front row at a student fashion parade.

The duo are said to enjoy a special friendship.

Meanwhile, the Diamond Jubilee tour will take the queen and Prince Philip from the Isle of Wight to Birmingham, and from Merthyr Tydfil to Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The royal couple will travel around the country from March to July, by car, royal train, aircraft and the ship Leander.

The tour is expected to finish on July 25 in the South East of England.

labutler@herald.ie