A Very Busy Weekend for the Prince and Princess of Wales: Trooping, Father's Day, and Order of the Garter
It was a very busy weekend! Saturday was Trooping the Colour, Sunday was Father’s Day, and yesterday—Monday—was the Order of the Garter. Royal Ascot kicked off today, and I am hoping that William and Kate make an appearance on one of the upcoming days. We really are in the thick of the best of the summer’s royal events.
For Trooping, Kate wore a Catherine Walker coat and Juliette Botterill hat both in bright aquamarine. William was wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, and so his plume was green. Kate’s aquamarine matched the shade of the aquamarine plume of the Irish Guards (which William has worn in the past). As you know, Kate became Colonel of the Regiment in 2022, so it was a very big nod to her regiment.
Kate’s unusual choice of color seemed to wow most fashion fans. I had to acclimate to this color a little. I am not sure it is a color that plays super well with other colors—especially in the already busy color environment that is Trooping. But it was fun and vibrant, and she stood out!
The coat’s design has split fans. I don’t feel strongly about it. It didn’t wow me, but I loved that it was new. I can see why Kate chose it. She was going for that touch of uniform/military, and the pointed shoulders, color-contrasting lapel, and the cuffs all helped to lend it that air. For me, it wasn’t the best style she has worn, but it was not a miss.
The Waleses released a posed family photo after Trooping. My memory gets worse every year, but I don’t think they have released a shot like this in the past? In any event, as we have discussed a number of times in recent years, their social media just gets better and better. This year, they posted multiple photos from the Palace portico, and I love the behind-the-scenes videos they are now providing—almost in real time—for these big ticket royal events.
On Sunday, William and Kate released two sweet pictures of William with his children to mark Father’s Day, along with a caption from George, Charlotte, and Louis. It was a little bittersweet to me, because it stood in stark contrast to Kate’s Mother’s Day post this year, when she chose to forego any picture and instead released a video ode to Mother Nature. To me, it reveals how much the attacks hurt her last year when people ripped apart her Mother’s Day photo and created such a scandal.
Monday, the Princess was out looking immaculate in a Self-Portrait dress she has worn a number of times and a new hat by Sean Barrett. This look is a complete repeat of the ensemble she wore to the VE concert—same earrings, necklace, and dress—but with a hat. What a difference a hat makes! I didn’t feel any disappointment over the recycle; she looked fabulous!
I do like this dress a lot, even though she has worn it a number of times, and I think white is a wonderful color on her. The broad-brimmed hats (I guess oversized saucer hats, really) that she has been favoring of late are so elegant, too, and make a statement. To me, this was a wonderful and fresh rewear of a look we’ve seen recently, and really is a tribute to the fashion power of a hat!
Don’t care what she is wearing atm tbh. It’s all background to the happiness she is radiating. So nice to see given her recent health challenges. God bless them all.
I thought she looked wonderful at both events! The coat for trooping was a surprise, but I loved it. I also think she wears that 5 strand pearl necklace so well. I love it on her. I think, while she has always looked amazing, her bolder style as Princess of Wales is just continuing to “knock it out of the park!”