The British Fashion Awards were underway Monday evening at Royal Albert Hall. But the big news was an unannounced appearance from the Duchess of Sussex (Meghan Markle). The 37 year-old Duchess who is expecting her first child in the Spring with Prince Harry stunned the crowd wearing a black one-shouldered gown.

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Meghan presenting the award tonight! ?

A post shared by Meghan Markle (@hrhofsussex) on Dec 10, 2018 at 2:19pm PST

Clare Waight Keller, 48, won the prestigious award for Womenswear Designer of the year. Waight Keller designed Meghan Markle’s wedding dress for her special day and thanked the Duchess in her acceptance speech for the opportunity.

Meghan showed up for the ceremony to give her designer friend her award. The Duchess started off by saying to the audience, “It is such an honor to be here celebrating British fashion and British fashion designers in my new home of the U.K.”

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“I recently read that the culture of fashion has changed from where it was once ‘cool to be cruel’ to now where it is ‘cool to be kind’. I feel especially proud to announce tonight’s winner, who is a British designer leading on the global stage with vision and creativity, but also with incredible kindness.” – The Duchess of Sussex presents @clarewaightkeller with her award for British Designer of the Year – Womenswear at the @britishfashioncouncil Fashion Awards. The award recognised Clare Waight Keller’s formidable contribution as a British fashion designer to the industry this year and was decided by a panel of over 2,000 international industry experts. Clare is the Creative Director of International fashion house @givenchyofficial.

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Waight Keller thanked the Duchess in her speech saying, “This woman is so amazing. I got to know Meghan on such a personal level. To have someone like that trust you on such a personal moment in their life… I can’t thank you enough because it was the most beautiful moment.”

The Duchess was glowing during the evening cradling her baby bump. The black one-shoulder dress was believed to be Givenchy. Meghan wore her hair tied back in a simple bun and kept her makeup minimally. She completed the look by wearing a gold “Karat” heel by Tamara Mellon and a gold cuff bracelet by Pippa Small.

Meghan also had her nails painted dark for the event, going against traditional protocol that frowns upon any Royal members wearing anything but nude shades.

Waight Keller was the mastermind behind Meghan’s iconic wedding dress she wore when she married Prince Harry on May 19th when they exchanged vows at St. George’s Chapel.

The designer was the first female to take over the French fashion house. Waight Keller was asked by the palace to design the bride’s dress. The Duchess wished for a dress that was, ‘elegant aesthetic, impeccable tailoring, and relaxed demeanor.’

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