Kate's first job as a member of the royal family, only days after returning from her honeymoon, was a brief meeting with President and Mrs. Obama (left) during their state visit to Britain in May 2011. It was an unofficial function (St. James Palace classifies William as a 'non-working member of the royal family' due to his job with the RAF), reportedly made as a favor to the US President and his wife who had requested the opportunity to meet the newlyweds. Kate wore another dress from her favorite source, Reiss, their $340 'Shola' (also called the 'bandage') dress (below). It was accessorized with a black clutch bag and a seashell necklace that was rumored to have been purchased on the Cambridge's honeymoon in the Seychelle Islands. She won rave reviews for her sleek look over Michelle Obama's 50's inspired pouffy floral dress and what one report called 'little girl' bolero. Within minutes of the dress information becoming public, Kate-mania hit again , crashing the Reiss website for 2 days and versions selling on e-Bay for three times the retail price.
However, Kate soon learned, like Diana before her, that royal clothing choice was a two-edged sword. Shortly after the information on her dress was known, stories came out that despite reports of Kate supporting British fashion, the dress was in fact made in Romania under sweatshop conditions.
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