MM has really upset some of the senior people who manage the RF. I'm really not surprised by the negative comments but it will continue for a bit longer until the stories are so ridiculous that people stop paying attention. DofC did a great job putting the flames out. She probably isn't thrilled to have DofS as a SIL. I'm sure she would have preferred someone like Lady Viola Grosvenor as a SIL, which is the type of person who traditionally would have married PH, preferring someone like her because they have been raised within the culture so know what is expected. It's a very hard role to take on.
As for the dresses, thank you for the link to the fold. I found a couple of nice suits and will wait until I'm in London in Jan to try on so I get my size right.
I sent DH a link for the Catherine Walker site and he loves the evening gowns. I've been wearing the same evening gown since I was 17! He wants me to get something new. I'm not telling him the price. We can afford it but we just don't spend money on ourselves ever. I have 6-7 events a year where I need to wear a gown so it does make sense to have one lovely dress. I've sent them an email to see if I can book for January. The goal will be for the dress to take me through to 60.