Kate Middleton is an international fashion icon who is well-known for dressing in a diplomatic way. This year the Princess’s bespoke coat for the event made a number of subtle but clever nods to the military uniform of the Irish Guard. The nod was particularly apt, as Kate is their new honourary Colonel in Chief.
On Friday, Princess Kate and Prince William visited the Irish Guards at the St. Patricks’s Day Parade in Aldershot. This is a long-running annual tradition for the royal couple but was Princess Kate’s first time visiting as the Irish Guard’s new honourary Colonel in Chief.
On St. Patrick’s Day, Princess Kate upheld her usual duties of handing out the traditional sprigs of shamrock to both the Irish Guards and their mascot, Seamus the Irish wolfhound. She also received a salute from the regiment for the first time and both William and Princess Kate gave a speech.
To celebrate her new honorary title, Kate wore a surprisingly different outfit to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. For the last few years, she has worn a dark green outfit to visit the regiment but this year she wore a bright teal.
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Green is the traditional colour of St. Patrick’s Day, but the teal colour of Princess Kate’s outfit ties in with part of the Irish Guard’s uniform, which is the blue feathered plume the guards wear in their bearskin hats.
Princess Kate’s colourful coat was a £1,450 Catherine Walker garment which featured some military-like styling to celebrate her new position. The coat featured sharp pleats and strong shoulders, like those found on a military uniform.
Kate’s clever outfit had one other detail to celebrate her new honourary title. Royal commentator Amanda Matta from the TikTok account matta_of_fact has explained the significance of Princess Kate’s buttons. The royal expert said: “You see how [Princess Kate] has a row of four buttons and then a gap, and then another row of four buttons? That echoes the military uniform worn by the Irish Guards.”
Amanda added: “It’s subtle, but if you are looking for it, there it is.”
Princess Kate finished off her outfit with Gianvito Rossi pumps, and a fun Jane Taylor London fascinator hat. She wore a gold Cartier shamrock brooch, which she has worn to the St. Patrick’s parade since 2011 and was previously worn by Queen Elizabeth.
The Princess of Wales’ outfit could also have been a subtle nod to Queen Elizabeth, who was famously known for wearing bright coats.
In the documentary ‘The Queen at 90’, Sophie, the Countess of Wessex explained why Queen Elizabeth wore her colourful coats. She said: “She needs to stand out for people to be able to say ‘I saw the Queen,’
“Don’t forget that when she turns up somewhere, the crowds are two, three, four, ten, 15 deep, and someone wants to be able to say they saw a bit of the Queen’s hat as she went past.”
Princess Kate certainly stood out during St. Patrick’s Day, as explained by royal commentator Amanda Matte who described the outfit as a “really smart move.” She said: “When [Princess Kate] was the wife of the Colonel…she was wearing these dark colours to help her to blend in with the group.”
The royal export added: “She’s the only one in bright blue. Don’t ever tell me Kate doesn’t dress to stand out. She’s doing it right here. Your eye immediately knows who is the most important person, the person being celebrated.”