Kate Christens the HMS Glasgow Warship in Scotstoun, Scotland.
Last Thursday, William and Kate returned to Scotland—this time to Scotstoun—to christen the BAE-built HMS Glasgow, a new warship of the royal navy. Kate was the ship’s sponsor, and she got to press the button that smashed a bottle of whiskey on the hull. Apparently, Kate asked by the ship was christened with whiskey and not champagne, and she was told “it was because the late Queen had once christened a ship with whisky from Morrison Bowmore Distillers,” so it must be Scottish tradition now.
For whatever reason, Kate always nails these military/naval events. She just knows the exact balance to bring a commanding presence and so much style. On Thursday, she took everyone’s breath away when she stepped out in this new Suzannah London coat-dress. The brand explained the luxury piece is made from Italian wool crepe and lined in silk satin.
Kate paired the new coat dress with a Philip Treacy hat she debuted at Trooping the Colour in 2022 as well as her earrings with Diana’s cabochon sapphires (which she also wore at the hat’s debut).
This hat is such a Diana throw-back to me, which I love! Both times Kate has worn the hat, it has immediately made me think of Diana’s turban hat by Peter Somerville. I am not sure why, because they are not all that similar, but I suppose it is the size and the color—the bold blue on white (although Diana’s cobalt was…wow).
I went through a big Diana phase, so I have a lot of beautiful old books on her fashion. This excerpt on Somerville says he is the one who moved Diana into broad-brimmed hats, and, indeed, many of her best large hats (in my opinion) are Somerville. I thought his comment about taking over from John Boyd is interesting, because it was Kate’s grey John Boyd that seemed to mark a transition for her to more large-brimmed hats.
In any event, I digress, but I do love a broad-brimmed hat…
This Suzannah dress was a real showstopper. Crisp navy and white with immaculate tailoring, it certainly evoked a military precision while also remaining utterly feminine. Truly Kate at her sartorial best.
A lot of people asked about Kate’s new brooch, and a great fashion account on Instagram (remisagoodboy) shared these details:
According to the Times, Kate met the jewelers who designed the brooch: “Simon Porter, of jewellers James Porter & Son, said: ‘It was an absolute honour to see her wearing it. Against a plain navy background, it really stood out.’” I am sure they are very proud. It was a wonderful event for the Princess of Wales in this her return-to-business year.
For me the stand out at this event was William and how comfortable he is taking the back seat while Kate is in the lime light at “her” event. Not something either his father or grandmother did with so much ease.
But at the same time you never get the feeling that Kate “steals” William’s lime light. Just as he was walking two steps behind here, Kate happily let William have the lime light at other times.
This event has been years in the making. Catherine has been a part of this ship’s process from the start. It’s a huge example of her role-from meeting the crew to the economic impact of the design/ building in Glasgow, historical context of the role of the ship from here on. Her role with the ship and it’s crew will be ongoing She and her team hit it out of the park with her whole presentation at the dedication. It’s engagement like this that gives the role of POW it’s power. Here it’s beautifully reflected in her clothes.