That jolt you felt through your entire body this afternoon was not something you were imagining: it’s true, Kate Middleton showed up to a glitzy premiere in a glamorous dress.

The Duchess of Cambridge arrived at the opening of the musical 42nd Street at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in a $1,375 Marchesa Notte gown, accessorizing the look with a jeweled belt and a matching maroon bag and heels. The Daily Mail seemed somewhat dismayed by a perceived lack of va-va-voom-osity in the ensemble, assessing that this is the latest in a “series of conservative ensembles” from the Duchess, “flashing just a hint of ankle while a mesh overlay kept her décolletage covered up.” A tough customer as ever, that Daily Mail.

The show is helping to raise money for East Anglia’s Children Hospices, of which Kate has been a patron since 2012. Kate met with a select group of guests before the show, and she will also be joining the cast for a group photo afterward.

Imagine performing a musical, and it’s opening night, and you’re completely nervous, and then you find out that Kate Middleton is going to be watching the entire thing from a box, and that you’re going to have to try to play it cool when you get to meet her after the show. There would be so much to be anxious about that maybe it would all just sort of cancel each other out and you’d actually be completely calm.