Kate Middleton chose classic gingham for today’s DMMI Royal Charity Polo Cup.
The Princess of Wales opted for the timeless summer print as she watched Prince William play at Guards Polo Club in Windsor Great Park.
The piece is by Temperley London from a past season—an interesting choice, given that the Princess hasn’t worn a dress by the brand since 2017 and its founder, Alice Temperley, announced she is stepping away from the label just days ago. (I’ll cover this—and more fashion details—further down the page. Click to skip.)
William arrived at Guards Polo Club in a beige jacket, blue shirt and navy trousers, before changing into his familiar navy number 4 jersey and jodhpurs for the match.
It was the Prince’s 15th time on the field—the annual fundraiser has become a firm fixture in the couple’s summer calendar. Though today marked Kate’s first appearance at the fixture since 2023—she missed the last two events during her cancer treatment and recovery.
Over the years, the polo matches have raised an extraordinary amount for good causes—this year raised an impressive £1,050,000, to be shared between ten charities and causes close to William and Kate’s hearts: Wales Air Ambulance and The Royal College of Paramedics (both marking their 25th anniversaries), Shout, Tŷ Hafan, Forward Trust, Maternal Mental Health Alliance, We Are Farming Minds, The Passage, the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity—and Evelina London Children’s Hospital.
That last name might sound familiar. That’s because Kate visited Evelina London earlier this week, spending time with young patients at the hospital (see below). You can read all about that engagement (and her lovely white Suzannah dress) here.
Today, the Princess watched the polo from the sidelines, joined by William’s equerry, Squadron Leader Mike Reynolds.
Peter Phillips and Harriet Sperling—who married last month—were also among the spectators.
William’s team took the win, and after the game, Kate presented them with a trophy.
The Princess kissed her husband on both cheeks.
Then the couple strolled hand in hand back across the pitch.
Let’s move on to Kate’s outfit now.
Kate’s outfit:
Kate looked summer-ready in a sleeveless gingham midi dress. As I wrote in the introduction, it’s a Temperley London piece.
Kate wears the Stirling dress, crafted from a black-and-white gingham jacquard. The garment features a square neckline, fitted bodice and full skirt. It’s finished with a self-tie belt at the waist.
The dress comes from a past season. It was listed on Yoox—the site that sells previous seasons’ designer stock—in 2019. So, I’d say it must date back to at least 2018.
Gingham is a very English summer print—it evokes visions of picnic blankets and village fêtes. The crisp black-and-white take on the design feels polished rather than twee.
The choice of label is the real talking point, though. Just two days ago, Temperley London announced that founder Alice Temperley is stepping away from the label she established in 2000.
Alice posted a note to Instagram describing her decision:
When I heard the news, I spoke with Susan from What Kate Wore—we both noticed that Kate stopped wearing Temperley London a few years ago. It struck us as odd because the Princess favoured the brand heavily in the early years of her royal career. Temperley used to feature prominently in Kate’s roster: if she stepped out in a new piece, you’d check Temperley, McQueen and Packham first!
But until today, the Princess hadn’t worn a Temperley dress in public since 2017 (though she did wear a sweater from the brand in 2021).
So, to see her choose Temperley for her first public appearance since the announcement piqued our interest. I can’t help but wonder—is it a coincidence or a quiet nod of support to the designer?
Back to the dress. Of course, it is no longer available for purchase—but you might snag it on a designer resale site, if you’re lucky.
Let’s look at Kate’s shoes and accessories now—all repeat items.
Starting with her slingback shoes, they’re by Camilla Elphick.
The Princess wears the ‘Lucia’ style in tan.
Each pair is crafted from a neutral-tan leather and features a contrasting patent pointed toe, an angular kitten heel and the label’s signature pearl buckle.
If the style looks familiar, it should—Kate wore the black version just three days ago to visit Evelina London.
She debuted the neutral version at this same polo fixture back in 2023, before bringing them back for the Wimbledon Gentlemen’s Final in 2024. Today marks their third outing.
Sadly, you can no longer buy the Lucias new. They retailed for £270 before Camilla Elphick entered liquidation in 2025. As with the dress, your best bet now is the pre-loved market.
Kate brought back another piece she debuted at this same fixture—back in 2022—her ‘Gabrielle Earrings‘ from French retailer Sézane.
The earrings feature an oversized brown resin hoop suspended from a circular post. They originally retailed for £55.
Sézane is Kate’s go-to for statement earrings. By my count, she owns seven pairs from the brand. Seven might not sound like many—until you realise most jewellers manage just one or two appearances in her collection. Only Kiki McDonough features more heavily.
The earrings, unfortunately, are no longer available to buy. However, Sézane currently stock another bown pair that makes a similar statement.
On her wrist, Kate wore a stack of familiar bracelets, including the handmade friendship bracelet crafted by Charlotte:
The gold and white bracelet is another Sézane piece, the Stéphanie Cuff. She’s also wearing a Halcyon Days ‘Maya’ Torque bangle with aquamarine cabochons, as shown below:
The bangle features a twisted design with a small art deco section that houses the enamel cabochons.
Kate started wearing the bracelet in 2020. She’s worn it 10+ times in public, to date. It originally cost £110.
While the aquamarine and gold bangle shown here is sold out at Halcyon Days, 11 other designs remain available on the company’s website.
The Sézane open cuff is strung with creamy white howlite discs, each capped with perforated gold-plated domes.
Finishing the look, Kate brought back her trusty Ralph Lauren Sunglasses in the Black Havana colourway.
You’ll remember she wore these to Wimbledon last week, shown below.
Kate debuted the sunglasses in public at Wimbledon last summer, wearing them to both the Ladies’ and Gentlemen’s Singles Finals.
They’re currently available from LensCrafters for a very affordable $53 (reduced from $106), as well as Sunglass Hut for £96.
That’s all for now. I expect the Princess will attend the Ladies’ Singles Finals at Wimbledon tomorrow, so I’ll see you then!
In the meantime, do check out my Wimbledon style retrospective:
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