Kate Middleton in familiar Self Portrait dress for the 2022 Festival of Remembrance

Kate Middleton looked elegant in a Self-Portrait dress at this evening’s Festival of Remembrance (12th November 2022). As expected, the Princess of Wales dressed top-to-toe in an all black ensemble for the commemorative event.

This year’s Festival of Remembrance focused on the core values of service. Through words, song and storytelling, the performance revealed the qualities behind service that make it an essential part of life in the Armed Forces.

The performance opened with an emotional video montage of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I’m sure this tribute added an extra layer of poignancy for the royals, who turned out in full force for the event.

King Charles attended the Festival for the first time since his accession, accompanied by The Queen Consort, Camilla.

Kate joined her husband William, the Prince of Wales.

The Earl and Countess of Wessex, The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, The Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra were all in attendance too.

Kate has been a fixture at the Festival of Remembrance since 2015. She’s attended every year since except for 2020—the year organisers pre-recorded the event without an audience due to the pandemic. (Thanks to Gert’s Royals Blog for this information.)

The Festival of Remembrance is an annual event hosted by the Royal British Legion at the Royal Albert Hall. The commemorative event honours those who have served and sacrificed from Britain and the Commonwealth.

Tomorrow, the Royal Family will attend the Remembrance Day Service at The Cenotaph.  Kate’s attended the annual service since joining the Royal Family in 2011.

It’s always tricky moving from a sombre and serious topic to one that’s more frivolous. Sorry for the less-than-seamless transition into the fashion portion of my post now.

Kate Middleton’s outfit at the 2022 Festival of Remembrance:

I recognised Kate’s black blazer dress immediately, it’s by Self-Portrait:

The Princess owns the same garment in cream-white. She wore it to the Party At The Palace event during Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June earlier this year. And eight months prior, Kate wore it to a reception for the Hold Still community project (September 2021).

Matches Fashion described the black midi dress as channeling 1950s elegance.  The crepe bodice is tailored and belted to form an hourglass waist.  The floaty pleated chiffon and lace skirt falls to a midi hem.

The dress is widely sold out, but I can see it retailed at Matches for £420 GBP before going on sale for £252. If you were hoping to get your hands on the black blazer dress, don’t be too disappointed. The company have a few options in their current collection that you might like instead. See below:

Kate’s not the only royal to have worn the Self Portrait dress. Princess Beatrice wore the black dress to hold vigil beside Queen Elizabeth’s coffin in September, Flora Vesterberg (Princess Alexandra’s granddaughter) also wore the garment to the late Queen’s funeral. Both Kate and Princess Beatrice have worn it in cream, and Princess Madeline of Sweden recently wore the sleeveless cream version of the dress to an event.

Kate’s no stranger to Self Portrait, she’s worn a handful of dresses from the London-based company over the last few years.

Above: Kate wearing a cream blazer dress with pineapple motifs, a green chiffon midi dress and a white maxi dress with crochet bodice.

According to The Guardian, Self-Portrait is a “mid-priced fashion label [that] has become a hit with celebs and ‘civilians’ alike.”  The newspaper call Self-Portrait a “cult brand”.  

I suspect Kate chose her jewellery to honour and remember the late Queen Elizabeth.  She wore the monarch’s Japanese pearl choker and her Bahrain Pearl Drop earrings.

The Princess wore both pieces together for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.

Here’s how Her Majesty’s Jewel Vault describes the exquisite necklace:

The necklace includes four rows of pearls with a central diamond clasp in a curved shape, each side including three rows of diamonds that join at the top and bottom with marquise diamonds. According to Garrard: The Crown Jewellers for 150 Years, the Queen commissioned this from a set of the “finest cultured pearls presented to her by the Japanese government.” She made her first state visit to Japan in 1975; the choker was in use by at least 1982.

Her Majesty’s Jewel Vault

Kate’s worn the pretty diamond and pearl earrings frequently since 2011.  The Court Jeweller describes them as featuring “round diamond studs, from which are suspended round- and baguette-cut diamonds in an arrangement typical of the late 1940s.”  

The pearls used in the earrings were gifted to Queen Elizabeth by the Hakim of Bahrain (hence the name) on her wedding day. This article contains more information about the earrings.

Kate carried her Mulberry Bayswater wallet. Shown below in black leather (Kate carries it in suede).

The ultra-slim clutch wallet is compact but organised, with its slip pocket, zip pocket and card slots.  Mulberry sold the understated clutch with a chain strap, which can be worn on the shoulder or tucked away inside (which is how Kate chooses to carry the bag) .  The front of the bag features a gold-tone turn-key closure. The back of the bag features a patch pocket, just big enough to store a bank card or ID card.

Kate’s owned the black bag for almost a decade.  We first spotted her with it in 2013, she’s used it at more than 60 public engagements making it one of her most-carried clutch bags to date.

In fact, the Princess owns it in three different colours.

I’m sad to say the piece is no longer available to buy, Mulberry no longer carry the design. At the time of writing, they do have one pre-loved pistachio-coloured bag listed on their website.

Otherwise, the Small Darley, Iris Wallet and Amberley Clutch are modern alternatives that would work if you’re searching for something similar:

Kate’s quite the fan of Mulberry. The Princess owns at least nine bags and a handful of coats and dresses from the quintessentially British brand.

SHOES – TBC