Kate Middleton’s Recycled Trooping the Colour Outfit Was so Much More Than a Fashion Statement, Commentators Say: ‘It Allowed Kate to Keep This Secret’
Kate Middleton didn’t debut a new outfit for her first 2024 public appearance at Trooping the Colour. Nor did she go the way of one of her many pantsuit looks. Instead, the Princess of Wales, 42, did something else she’s come to be known for: re-wearing clothes. Sure, Kate received praise for her black-and-white ensemble. Although, according to commentators, repeating the outfit allowed Kate to keep her return “secret.”
Kate wore a previously seen Jenny Packham dress for Trooping the Colour
On June 15, 2024, Kate made her first official post-cancer diagnosis announcement appearance. She celebrated King Charles III’s annual birthday parade in London, England, with her fellow royals.
Kate rode in a carriage with her and Prince William’s three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6. Later, they joined him, King Charles, Queen Camilla, and other royals on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
For the occasion–Kate’s first public appearance since Christmas Day 2023—the future queen upcycled a Jenny Packham dress she wore in May 2023. According to Page Six, Kate’s dress “was updated with black trim and ribbon embellishment on the neckline, as well as a black belt.”
Kate, who is believed to still be working with her longtime stylist Natasha Archer, wore one of her go-to pairs of Jimmy Choo pumps and a black-and-white Philip Treacy hat. As for jewelry, Kate had on Cassandra Goad Cavolfiore pearl stud earrings, which she wore to Louis’ christening in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2023.
She completed her look with an Irish Guards Regimental brooch as she’s honorary colonel to the regiment. (Kate skipped the rehearsal and sent an apology letter to the regiment ahead of the official celebration.)
Not debuting a new outfit allowed Kate to keep her Trooping appearance ‘secret’
“While repeating the dress made a sustainable fashion statement, it also served another purpose,” per the outlet. Kate “went so far as to re[-]wear a dress from her closet in order to keep her return to the public eye a secret,” sources said.
“Just by reworking what she already owns, it allowed Kate to keep this secret [of her Trooping the Colour appearance] within her very closest and most trusted team,” Bethan Holt, fashion director at the UK Telegraph, said.
As for the designer of Kate’s dress, Jenny Packham, the look might’ve been a surprise to her too.
“We definitely know that Kate has tailors in-house to help make something fit her perfectly” who “could have easily added the new belt and that bow detail at the neckline,” Holt said. “So Jenny Packham may not have even known Kate was going to re-wear the dress.”
Calling Packham one of Kate’s “most trusted” designers, Holt highlighted Kate’s decision to don custom dresses made by the British designer when she left the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital with each of her and William’s kids.
“Those are very intimate, important moments, so it’s a natural decision that Kate would turn to Jenny once again,” Holt said.
Kate’s Trooping the Colour outfit also showed her respect for King Charles
Besides allowing her to keep her plans under wraps, Kate’s Trooping the Colour outfit served as a tribute to her father-in-law, the king, who, in a change from last year, had Kate stand next to him—not William as previously seen—on the balcony.
“This is only the third time the princess has repeated a dress for this event,” Susan Kelley, of the What Kate Wore fashion blog, told Page Six. It “signaled respect for her father-in-law, King Charles, as it was first worn to a high-profile pre-Coronation luncheon.”
There were “also significant emotional ties” on the other occasions where Kate repeated an outfit at Trooping the Colour. “A lot of thought goes into these sorts of decisions. And there are often messages conveyed by the princess’ wardrobe choices,” Kelley said.
