The Princess of Wales—formerly known as Kate Middleton—swapped her tiaras for a flower crown for King Charles III’s coronation at Westminster Abbey. Underneath her formal blue and red robes, she wore a long Alexander McQueen dress in ivory crepe, adorned with embroidery that featured rose, thistle, daffodil, and shamrock motifs to represent the four nations of the United Kingdom. The exact same flowers appeared on the royal’s wedding dress in 2011, also designed by Sarah Burton.
The royal arrived at the church with her husband, the Princes of Wales, and children Princess Charlotte—also wearing a matching floral headpiece by Jess Collett x Alexander McQueen—and Prince Louis. Prince George, who is one of the King’s Pages of Honor, walked ahead of his parents in the procession and behind his grandfather, carrying his robes.
As is tradition for the royal, Kate opted for a pair of meaningful diamond and South Sea pearl earrings, which previously belonged to Princess Diana. She has worn them on numerous occasions in the past, including the Remembrance Day service in 2022 and the BAFTAs in 2019.
Kate Middleton has mastered the art of symbolic dressing over the years, wearing red, white, and blue in recent days in the run-up to the coronation. For a visit to the Dog and Duck pub in Soho on May 4, the princess rewore a red Eponine coat with a blue lining, along with a white dress underneath. The following day, the royal chose a white midi dress by Jenny Packham for a formal lunch at Buckingham Palace, before changing into a royal blue Self-Portrait dress for a reception for heads of state in the evening.
When it comes to her jewelry, Kate often opts for poignant choices too. For the Buckingham Palace lunch on May 5, she wore Queen Elizabeth II’s Bahrain pearl drop earrings, which she was seen in at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in September. In the evening, Kate dipped into the royal jewelry box once again, wearing the Queen Mother’s sapphire and diamond fringe earrings.
This post was previously published in British
