So good she bought it twice! The Duchess of Cambridge dazzles in £995 black cocktail dress at ceremony for children's mental health charity (and it’s the SAME one she wore in red on her Canada tour) 

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The Duchess of Cambridge displayed a pair of gym-honed arms in a striking black cocktail dress by Preen tonight.

Hours after attending a tea party in honour of the Natural History Museum's iconic Dippy the Diplodocus, Kate, 34, was back on duty at the Place2Be Wellbeing in Schools Awards at Mansion House in London, in her role as patron of the charity.

The Duchess wore a wasp-waisted, flared black dress, which looked virtually identical to a red number by the same British design duo that she wore on her tour of Canada in September. 

The Duchess wore a black cocktail dress by Preen with a bejewelled belt and vertiginous black Prada heels in London tonight

The Duchess looked radiant in the black cocktail dress by Preen, which she wore with a sparkly Temperley belt 

She added a bejewelled black belt by Temperley and vertiginous black heels by Prada to Preen's £995 Finella frock.

She first attended a reception to meet the finalists in each category before taking part in the ceremony, presenting the Child Champion and Young Person Champion Awards.

The Awards honour those who have shown a remarkable commitment to championing children and young people’s mental health.

Place2Be is the UK's leading children's mental health charity providing in-school support and expert training to improve the emotional wellbeing of pupils, families, teachers and school staff.

It works directly with more than 282 primary and secondary schools across Wales, Scotland and England, reaching a school population of over 116,000 pupils.

The Duchess has been Patron of Place2Be since 2013, reflecting her interest in child mental health and the importance of early intervention. 

The Duchess of Cambridge, who is a patron of the children's mental health charity, mingled with families at a reception in London ahead of the ceremony 

The dress she chose for the awards ceremony appeared to be a match for another Preen dress she wore in Canada in September - that time in red

The Duchess of Cambridge wore an elegant black cocktail dress by the British label Preen to an awards ceremony tonight 

The Duchess was seen chatting to people involved with the Place2Be charity at a reception ahead of the ceremony

Place2Be is the UK's leading children's mental health charity providing in-school support and expert training to improve the emotional wellbeing of pupils, families, teachers and school staff.

It works directly with more than 282 primary and secondary schools across Wales, Scotland and England, reaching a school population of over 116,000 pupils.

The Duchess has been Patron of Place2Be since 2013, reflecting her interest in child mental health and the importance of early intervention. 

The Duchess looked elegant in the black midi-length cocktail dress, which she teamed with simple Prada heels 

The Duchess was smiling as she arrived at the awards ceremony at Mansion House tonight, where she was due to present awards to children who have overcome challenges with the help of the Place2Be charity 

Keep it chic in Kate's dress by Preen by Thornton Bregazzi

£995

Preen by Thornton Bregazzi Finella pleated midi dress

Shop it here at Harvey Nichols

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The Duchess of Cambridge had a busy day today in London. First she attended a children's tea party at the Natural History Museum followed by the Place2Be Awards this evening.

To start off her stylish day, Kate stepped out in a floral dress by L.K.Bennett, but she rounded things off in this gorgeous Preen dress and lattice Prada pumps.

If you think back to September, the Duchess actually wore this exact dress in Canada in red and she obviously loved it enough to snap it up in another colourway too! We have to say we're pleased as this Preen by Thornton Bregazzi dress was our favourite outfit of Kate's all year!

The even better news is that it is available to buy at Harvey Nichols now - click right to buy. The party season is just around the corner so there's no better time to invest in a black dress that can be worn again and again. And just like Kate, you can add some festive sparkle by pairing with a glitzy belt!

If this dress is a little out of your price range never fear. Fashion Finder has lined up some more affordable options in the carousel below to help you look royally stylish for less.

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Despite Storm Angus blowing a gale across the UK the Duchess of Cambridge stepped out in a floaty LK Bennett dress as she arrived at the National History Museum this afternoon 

Earlier today the Duchess looked elegant in a printed tea dress as she stepped out in South Kensington this afternoon to say a very special goodbye to one of the area's oldest residents.

Despite the Storm Angus blowing a gale Kate, 34, wore a light dress costing £375 from British brand LK Bennett as she arrived at the Natural History Museum on Tuesday . 

The Duchess was visiting the museum to give a Dippy, The Natural History Museum’s world famous Diplodocus, a royal send off.

After 40 years standing guard at the entrance to the London landmark, the dinosaur is being evicted in January, but not before a series of parties to celebrate his iconic status.

This afternoon Kate, who is Patron of the Natural History Museum, joined a tea party to mark Dippy’s last few weeks on show before he embarks on a nationwide two-year tour – one of two engagements today for Prince William’s wife.

She arrived in high spirits this afternoon clearly delighted to be joining in the day's festivities. The royal appeared to have cut her thumb as she was spotted wearing a plaster on her thumb, but did not let that put a dampener on her day.  

The museum had invited Oakington Manor Primary School in Wembley, which is working with one of the Duchess's charities Place2Be, to join her for the party.

Kate, who is patron of the world famous museum, seemed to be in high spirits upon her arrival despite the fact she appeared to have cut her thumb and was wearing a plaster 

What do you think? Kate decorates a dinosaur egg at the museum where she is attending a tea party to celebrate Dippy the Diplodocus's final months in the building 

Fun and games: The royal is well known for her love of the art world so it is unsurprising that she took every opportunity to join in with the crafts this afternoon 

One of the Kids: Youngsters from the school - and the Duchess - took part in activities including dino-inspired crafts and a mini fossil dig from the Museum’s Dino Scene Investigation schools activity

Any advice? The Duchess and her primary school pal swap art tips during this afternoon's craft session 

I like your thinking! A young school girl watches as Kate adds decorations to her dinosaur egg on Tuesday 

Youngsters from the school took part in activities including dino-inspired crafts and a mini fossil dig from the Museum’s Dino Scene Investigation schools activity.

The charming royal could be seen chatting with members of the primary school as they coloured in cardboard versions of the famous dinosaur.  

Kate, who has been a patron of the museum since 2013, told the children: 'George loves the T Rex because it's the noisiest and the scariest.'

Pupil Elizabeth, 10, said the duchess told her that the young prince 'likes dinosaurs and volcanoes', while Anastazja, 10, added: 'She said he was learning about that in school.'

The duchess could also be heard asking the children if they had seen the films Jurassic Park and Jurassic World, which she thought were 'brilliant' and that she remembered seeing the original film as a little girl and that she 'really enjoyed it'. 

She did not seem phased by the fact that there was plenty of paint at hand to spoil her pricey frock and was happy to get stuck in. 

They then joined join Museum Director Sir Michael Dixon and the Duchess to cut a celebratory cake before a final ‘good luck’ photo with the Diplodocus.

The students were barely able to contain their excitement as the posed with the Duchess, all dressed up in white lab coats and sporting a Place2Be badge in honour of the occasion.  

Dippy first arrived at the museum more than a century ago - in 1905, to be precise - and for the last four decades has been one of the first attractions seen by visitors as they walk into Hintze Hall.

Who's hungry? The Duchess slices into an enormous Diplodocus cake served to her and the children of Oakington Manor at the Natural History Museum this afternoon

Both the Duchess and the children looked eager to tuck into a slice of cake in hour of Dippy's departure 

The Duchess and the children were joined by Museum Director Sir Michael Dixon as they cut the cake this afternoon 

Get digging! The Duchess joins the school children for a mini fossil dig during this afternoon's activities

What did you find? The Duchess quizzes young archaeologists over their findings after their mini fossil dig 

Feeling maternal? The mother-of-two appeared to enjoy the children's company immensely this afternoon 

The Duchess of Cambridge visited the Natural History Museum this afternoon to join Oakington Manor school (pictured) for a special tea party to say goodbye to Dippy, The Natural History Museum’s world famous Diplodocus before it is moved in January

The Duchess and the school took one last final ‘good luck’ photo with the Diplodocus before it is sent on its tour in January

Earlier this year, however, it emerged that despite his iconic status, bosses at the London institution had decided the 83ft long exhibit was no longer relevant enough to take pride of place in their great entrance hall. From summer 2017, Dippy will be replaced by the 83ft long real skeleton of a blue whale, suspended in a diving motion from the ceiling.

The whale, previously the centrepiece of the Mammal Hall, and a resident of the museum since 1891, is seen as a more realistic symbol of ‘environmental destruction and hope’.

Despite the fact more than 32,000 people signed a petition calling on the museum to change its mind, Dippy's last day on will be January 4, 2017.

From early 2018 the Diplodocus, who, in fact is a model made up of 356 plaster cast bones, will be travelling the length and breadth of the country on a mission to inspire those who might not ever visit a traditional museum.

Getting crafty: The charming royal could be seen chatting to the students of Oakington Manor as they took part in dino-orientated activities 

Need a hand? The Duchess seemed keen to get involved in this afternoon's activities - unphased by the fact she was wearing a £375 dress 

How interesting: Kate leans forward to listen as a museum helper teaches the children more about dinosaurs 

The Duchess of Cambridge is Patron of Place2Be, the UK's leading children's mental health charity providing in-school support and expert training to improve the emotional wellbeing of pupils, families, teachers and school staff.

The charity works in 282 primary and secondary schools across Wales, Scotland and England, reaching a school population of over 116,000 pupils. 

This evening the Duchess will attend the Place2Be awards in Mansion House. The last time Kate attended the awards she was carrying her youngest Princess Charlotte.