Emma Thynn Stuns in Daring Yellow Gown at Cannes

Emma Thynn claimed the spotlight on Tuesday morning as Vanity Fair hosted a star-studded lunch on day one of the 79th . 

Opting for a daring canary yellow gown with a thigh high split, the Marchioness of Bath showed off her toned legs shortly after arriving at the resort town's Carlton Beach Club.

With a strappy, plunging neckline, the elegant gown ensured she commanded the lion's share of attention while posing for pictures during her first public appearance since arriving in the south-of-France. 

Emma, 40, appeared to be without her husband, British peer Ceawlin Thynn, 8th Marquess of Bath, as she mingled with guests ahead of this year's annual celebration of film. 

Onlookers have long accused Meghan Markle of copying the Marchioness, who also has a lifestyle programme, and like the Duchess, produces homemade jam from her Longleat estate.

Comparisons between Emma and Meghan were also drawn in the latest season of show, Ladies Of London: The New Reign.

In the opening scenes designer Lottie Kane brought up the Duchess while introducing the Marchioness to viewers.

'She is the first black woman to be married into an aristocratic family, and I think Meghan Markle , but it was actually Emma,' she said.

'I'm of mixed heritage, half-Nigerian, half-English,' added Emma, who became the Marchioness of Bath after her husband's father, Alexander Thynn, died in 2020.

'The press commented heavily on the fact that I was going to become the first woman of colour to hold this title, and I acknowledge the fact that... the only woman of colour in this position is me, still to this day.'

Greeting onlookers with a broad smile, the socialite stood out while lunching with an assortment of established Hollywood stars, among them former X Files star Gillian Anderson. 

Emmett J. Scanlan, whose acting career began on Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, was also in attendance after landing in Cannes for this year's film festival. 

On a busy day in the French town, stars including Michelle Rodriguez, Riley Keough and Halsey were among the first to arrive in anticipation of its launch on Tuesday evening. 

This year, the Cannes Film Festival will honor filmmaker Peter Jackson with an honorary Palme d'Or at the upcoming French festival.

Festival organizers announced Jackson as a recipient in March for what they hailed as "a body of work that blends Hollywood blockbusters and films d´auteur with extraordinary artistic vision and technological audacity."

The Lord of the Rings director, in a statement, called the honor "one of the greatest privileges of my career." 

Jackson recalled that he first came to Cannes in 1988 to sell his first movie, Bad Taste. In 2002, he returned to preview Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. 

'This festival has always celebrated bold, visionary cinema, and I´m incredibly grateful to the Festival de Cannes for being recognized among the filmmakers and the artists whose work continues to inspire me,' he said.

Demi Moore, Chloé Zhao and Stellan Skarsgård are among the jurors who will decide the Palme d'Or at this year's festival.

Organisers unveiled the nine-member jury that will deliberate on the films in competition at the annual French Riviera festival in May. 

As previously announced, South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook is president of the jury.

Along with him, Moore, Zhao and Skarsgård, the jurors are: Irish-Ethiopian actor Ruth Negga, Belgian director and screenwriter Laura Wandel, Chilean director and screenwriter Diego Céspedes, Ivorian American actor Isaach De Bankolé and Scottish screenwriter Paul Laverty.

Moore and Skarsgård have both in recent years co-starred in films at Cannes that ultimately earned them Oscar nominations. 

Moore's The Substance premiered at the festival in 2024. Last year, Sentimental Value, with Skarsgård, launched at Cannes. 

Last year, Cannes  

This year's edition runs for eleven days from May 12 to the 23rd.