Kate Middleton divides opinion wearing green dress to the Baftas

Is it too political for a royal to show their support for the Time’s Up movement?

The Duchess of Cambridge has divided opinion by wearing a green dress at the Bafta Awards.

The majority of attendees at last night’s film awards ceremony donned black to take a stand against sexual harassment in support of the Time’s Up movement, in a similar fashion to last month’s Golden Globe Awards.

With that in mind, many are questioning whether it was appropriate for the Duchess of Cambridge to appear on the red carpet dressed in a dark shade of green as opposed to black.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend the 71st British Academy Film Awards (Chris Jackson - WPA-Pool/Getty Images)

Tradition dictates that the royal family, or more specifically the reigning monarch, must remain politically neutral.

So, it should arguably come as no surprise that the Duchess of Cambridge chose to wear a green Jenny Packham dress, as she cannot make what is perceived to be a political statement.

While she may be restricted by her position as a member of the royal family, the question of whether decrying sexual harassment is a political act, rather than simply a moral one, is debatable.

So, is it right that the Duchess of Cambridge arrived at the Royal Albert Hall in London in a green gown?

Some have speculated that she did give a subtle nod to the Time’s Up movement by wearing a black ribbon around her waist and carrying a black Prada clutch.

However, neither she nor the Duke of Cambridge wore Time’s Up pins that other celebrities could be seen displaying, such as Lupita Nyong’o, Natalie Dormer and Sir Patrick Stewart.

When questioned about the Duchess of Cambridge's dress choice in the winners room at the Baftas, Allison Janney, who picked up the gong for Best Supporting Actress for her role in I, Tonya, defended her decision.

“I would never judge anyone’s choice. She looked absolutely beautiful and I’m so happy for them that she’s pregnant again,” she said.

“I think she’s an extraordinary woman and she can wear whatever she wants to wear.”

People have been quick to share their opinions on the matter on social media, with some saying that criticising the Duchess of Cambridge for her attire does not align with the positive message of empowerment being spread by the Me Too and Time’s Up campaigns.

“I know the Royals aren’t supposed to get involved with ‘protests’ or anything… but would it really have been THAT bad for Kate Middleton to wear black???” one person wrote on Twitter.

In January, it was reported that guests at this year’s Baftas would be following an unofficial dress code to wear black.

More than 190 of Britain’s leading actresses, including Emilia Clarke, Noma Dumezweni and Saoirse Ronan, signed an open letter in support of the Time’s Up movement.

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