Duchess Kate slammed for 'truly awful' Alexander McQueen dress at State Banquet

Kate Middleton is often praised for her chic — and affordable — fashion choices. From $69 Zara finds to sophisticated high fashion gowns, the Duchess of Cambridge has been influencing royal fans everywhere with her style. The "Kate Effect" is very much real.

But the ice blue Alexander McQueen dress she donned to Tuesday night's state banquet to welcome King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands seemed to miss the mark.

The 36-year-old royal looked to her go-to designer for the black tie extravaganza. While her jewelry, including a pearl and diamond necklace from 1863, stole the show, her form-fitting gown with its drop waist was not warmly received by royal fans.

"Wow that is one horrible dress on Kate," someone wrote on Twitter. "This dress is maybe the worst dress kate ever wore," said another.

Meanwhile, many were quick to compare the gown to their prom dress from the '80s, or wonder if the Duchess of Cambridge borrowed the dress from Diana's collection. "Okay, upclose, when you can see the detailing, this dress isn't as bad but if you had told me that Kate borrowed this from the Princess Diana exhibition at Kensington Palace, I would not have been surprised!" joked one Twitter user.

Some also compared Kate to Elsa from "Frozen."

For the event, the duchess also donned Princess Diana's Lover Knot Tiara and debuted a new accessory — The Royal Family Order from Queen Elizabeth. The Order is an honor bestowed upon female members of the royal family by the monarch and includes the Duchess of Cornwall and the Princess Royal as its recipients. More on the honor in the video above.

Related: Kate's style transformation