Kate Middleton Grew up ‘Before Our Very Eyes’ at Queen Elizabeth’s Funeral, Expert Says
Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral marked a major moment for Kate Middleton. Not only did the now-41-year-old get a new title following the monarch’s death (she’s the Princess of Wales to Prince William’s Prince of Wales), but she stepped into her more senior, grown-up role via her outfit. According to a royal fashion expert, what Kate wore to the queen’s funeral had a particular “gravitas” that “set her apart” from other “Windsor wives.”
What Kate wore to the queen’s funeral
The end of Queen Elizabeth’s reign and the start of King Charles III’s marked the beginning of a new style chapter for Kate. Prior to the monarch’s death, Kate’s outfits, according to celebrity stylist and royal fashion expert Miranda Holder, were “younger.”
“Up until this moment in Kate’s royal trajectory, we had witnessed a softer, more feminine, younger-seeming princess,” she told Newsweek. By the time of the queen’s funeral on Sept. 19, 2022, the “pressure” to strike the right note sartorially would’ve been on Kate, she explained.
“Kate’s funeral outfit was possibly the most important look of her royal career to date,” Holder said.“The world’s eyes were upon the British royal family for the queen’s funeral. And Kate, as one of the most photographed and scrutinized women in the world, would have no doubt felt the pressure to get the style sentiment absolutely right.”
Kate’s “iconic” look at the queen’s funeral consisted of a black coat dress from Alexander McQueen, one of her most often worn designers, a wide-brimmed black hat, and a mourning veil.
The coat dress alone, “a replica of the white version she wore for the queen’s Platinum Jubilee,” was, per Holder, “in itself a touching tribute to the queen whilst also retaining Kate’s signature style silhouette.”
The mother of three completed her ensemble with a selection of thoughtfully chosen jewelry. Kate wore a pearl necklace previously loaned to her by the queen for Prince Philip’s 2021 funeral, as well as pearl and diamond earrings.
Kate’s outfit at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral reflected her status as a royal ‘carrying more importance’
Holder continued, saying what Kate wore to the queen’s funeral mirrored a new “style aesthetic” reflective of her higher position.
”It was at this moment, however — in particular, the several days of public mourning culminating at the funeral — that the princess’ style seemed to grow up before our very eyes,” she said. Instead of the “younger” looks, Kate wore clothing that carried “more importance, more weight, more gravitas, in line with her new more senior role as the Princess of Wales and future queen.”
Kate’s “style aesthetic,” Holder noted, “has remained slightly more business and slightly less fun ever since.” Albeit for a slight return to the past following a series of pantsuit outfits, complete with pink gowns and dresses, polka dots, and skinny jeans.
Kate’s mourning veil at the queen’s funeral was ‘pure fashion genius’
Zeroing in on Kate’s headwear, Holder explained why her mourning veil, a sheer piece of fabric attached to the royal’s hat, was, in her opinion, a stroke of “pure fashion genius.”
It “set her apart from the rest of the Windsor wives, denoting her as our future queen,” the celebrity stylist explained. “It’s worth noting that Kate was really the only royal to wear a full-blown mourning veil as part of her hat,” Holder said. “This not only added drama to the whole look — the wide-brimmed hat was just fabulous — but also helped her to stand out from the rest of the family.”
“Notably, the veil also provided a very practical shield from the world’s media at such an emotional moment, allowing the princess to maintain the required stoic exterior whilst affording her at least a little privacy to gather herself and grieve.”
Sept. 8, 2023, marked the one year since Queen Elizabeth died at the age of 96.
