Princess of Wales shrugs off trodden hem at Digger premiere in purple gown
The Princess of Wales kept smiling after her gown was stepped on during the world premiere of Digger in London on Tuesday evening.
She attended the Royal Film Performance, the formal screening attended by members of the Royal Family, at the Odeon Luxe in Leicester Square in central London on 22 September 2026. The Prince of Wales joined her for the evening. The film's star Tom Cruise walked the carpet alongside them. HELLO!
The Princess wore a floor-length purple gown by Jenny Packham, the British designer behind many of her red-carpet looks. The dress had a fitted bodice, long flared sleeves and a full skirt that spread as she posed for photographs.
Video from the carpet showed the skirt caught under a shoe as she moved through the crowd. She turned her head toward the person behind her, kept smiling and appeared to say "That's fine". HELLO!
Cruise stayed close to the couple on the stairs and inside the cinema. He held Kate's hand briefly as she walked down a set of stairs, as reported by The Sun. He later spoke warmly about William and Kate. "I just love them. They are lovely people and I have great respect for them," he said.
The night brought the three back together in Leicester Square. William, Kate and Cruise were last pictured together on a London red carpet in May 2022 at the UK premiere of Top Gun: Maverick, also held in Leicester Square.
The Princess paired the modern gown with historic jewels. Around her neck was the Queen Mother's Amethyst Sautoir Necklace, a sautoir being a long chain or strand worn looped. This one is a pearl strand with a heart-shaped amethyst and diamond pendant. It was first given to Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, later the Queen Mother, in 1923.
She wore it with Princess Diana's Collingwood Pearl Drop earrings, pearl drops with a small diamond stud. The amethyst necklace is rarely seen in public. It was last worn by Queen Camilla in 2012, according to Page Six.
What makes this stand out for fans is the combination. A century-old necklace last seen more than a decade ago, back on a red carpet. A bright purple gown that showed every flashbulb. And a small, gracious moment when a hem was trodden on and shrugged off with a smile.
