Kate Middleton Nails Her First Solo Gig Hosting A Royal Event

When Prince Charles was forced to cancel his appearance at a charity dinner scheduled for Wednesday night, he called daughter-in-law Kate Middleton to fill in for him with just 24 hour's notice.

(We'd need at least 48.)

It was her first solo Royal engagement, and she pulled it off without breaking a sweat -- or buckling under the pressure of awkward small talk with 30 total strangers.

Middleton -- ergh, the Duchess of Cambridge -- subbed in for Charles at Clarence House (former digs of Prince Harry) to host the dinner party for the In Kind Direct charity. (The Prince of Wales had flown to Saudi Arabia to console the Royal Family following the death of the Crown Prince. As for her husband, Prince William might have been otherwise occupied as a Royal Air Force helicopter pilot stationed in Wales.)

"She was completely natural, professional and charmed everyone," charity exec Robin Boles tells People. "She spoke to every single guest and was genuinely interested, and interested in continuing to help."

Sidenote: Wondering whether Middleton's gorgeous ice-blue gown was a cast-off option for the Royal Wedding reception. It looks very wedding-y. And she's way overdressed. But then again she only had 24 HOURS to find something to wear, and she is a princess, so "dressing the part, etc." Sidenote No. 2: she has a head scar from a mysterious childhood operation but you can barely notice until someone points it out.

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