Kate Brings Back Her Break-Up Jacket

St. David's Day Events

Yesterday, William and Kate traveled to South Wales for a series of engagements in the run-up to St. David’s Day. I started this post yesterday, but I wanted to wait for the inevitable straggler folders of pictures that would come in overnight, so I apologize for the delay.

The couple were in Pontypridd, Wales, and, after a delayed start due to weather and train complications, they started their afternoon with a visit to a local bakeshop. The two rolled up their sleeves and helped to make Welsh Cakes. They look like they are a cross between pancakes and biscuits. Here is a recipe, if you want to make some this Saturday to celebrate St. David’s Day!

As you know, William and Kate became the Prince and Princess of Wales in late 2022 and attended a formal St. David’s Day parade in Windsor on March 1, 2023. It was the couple’s first visit since William become Colonel of the Welsh Guards.

Of course, by the next year—2024—Kate was completely out of the public eye as she battled cancer. So it is very exciting to approach St. David’s Day—the national day of Wales—and have William and Kate back in action together for the second time since assuming the titles!

Yesterday, Kate was wearing another McQueen coat, very similar to the one she wore in 2023 (although it is different). Underneath, she was wearing a pleated tartan skirt by Gucci and a complementing brown turtle neck. Kate accessorized with Spells of Love garnet drop earrings and was wearing Gianvito Rossi boots.

But it was the couple’s second engagement—a trip to Meadow Street Community Garden and Woodland—that really got longtime fans excited! Kate brought back her Ralph Lauren jacket she wore to Cheltenham in 2007.

For those who were not following at the time, William and Kate were photographed at the event looking a bit somber, and then they broke up shortly after their appearance at Cheltenham! So these images ran all the time in the spring of 2007 as the world waited and wondered if the split was permanent. These are also very familiar, because back in the day, there just were not that many pictures of William and Kate.

It’s amazing to think about how following Kate has changed. Before she married William, she didn’t do public engagements, so it really was paparazzi shots of her walking to and from her apartment, or skiing, or the occasional wedding or social event like Cheltenham. A big set of high quality photos like the ones that came from their Cheltenham appearance were a big deal. Anyway…for those of us who followed her way back then, this is a very familiar and beloved jacket. I am amazed and delighted to see it again so many years later.

I really hope William and Kate attend a formal St. David’s Day event this Saturday. Yesterday’s event—in Wales wearing daffodils—has been billed as an engagement “in the run-up to St. David’s Day,” so I hope that means they were just warming up!

Either way, it was wonderful to see these two out on a St. David’s Day event (wearing their daffodils!) and to see this coat back again, this time in such a different relationship context—married, overcoming life’s challenges, and thriving together.