Kate Middleton’s Burgundy Look Was a Diplomatic Nod to Qatar—See Every Detail

Kate Middleton looked regal in a burgundy outfit this morning as she welcomed The Emir of Qatar and his wife to the UK for a two-day State Visit.

The Princess of Wales joined her husband in greeting His Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani at Kensington Palace.

Kate once again turned to “diplomatic dressing”—the strategic use of fashion to honour cultures, build rapport, and convey respect—during this engagement. This time, she chose an outfit that perfectly mirrored the colours of the Qatari flag—deep burgundy and white—her pearl jewellery contributing to the latter.

Kate’s burgundy ensemble is also on trend according to Vogue. According to the fashion bible, the rich hue is “this winter’s key colour trend”.

Every so often, a colour becomes more than just a colour and turns into a sort of “moment”. Enter: deep burgundy.

Vogue

You might have noticed that William’s tie matched with Kate’s ensemble too, creating a unified look. The Qatari royals also coordinated their outfits, likely a deliberate choice to ensure the group photographs appeared polished and cohesive.

The royal party made their way to Horse Guards Parade, where a grand Ceremonial Welcome awaited, led by King Charles III.

Queen Camilla did not join the King at the ceremonial welcome earlier today, opting to later rejoin the royal party at Buckingham Palace. Here, she shared with guests that she has been recovering from pneumonia following a chest infection. On medical advice, she’s scaled back her participation in events to conserve energy. She did attend the luncheon at Buckingham Palace following the ceremonial welcome, and the evening state banquet.

At Horse Guards Parade, presentations were made, and the Guard of Honour, formed by the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, gave a Royal Salute as the Qatari National Anthem was played.

Something made all the royals smile. I suspect it’ll be horse related…

In keeping with tradition, The Emir, accompanied by The King, inspected the Guard of Honour while the Band of the Regiment performed.

Afterwards, Their Highnesses joined The King and Queen, along with The Prince and Princess of Wales, in a stately carriage procession along The Mall to Buckingham Palace.

Upon arrival, the royal group was met by a second Guard of Honour formed by the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards, with the Band of the Irish Guards playing both the Qatari and British National Anthems.

Following the pageantry, a private lunch was held at Buckingham Palace, attended by the senior royals and the Qatari royals. The group then viewed a special exhibition in the Picture Gallery, featuring items from the Royal Collection Trust and the Turquoise Mountain Foundation that highlight connections to Qatar.

Later, the royals will attend a state banquet at Buckingham Palace. Sadly, Kate did not attend. Understandably, the Princess is keeping work duties to a minimum following her cancer diagnosis and treatment earlier this year. She has another evening engagement later this week, hosting her Together At Christmas carol concert. I expect she wanted to conserve her energy for this event.

Let’s talk fashion now!

Kate’s outfit today:

As I wrote in the opening section, the Princess’s outfit is a masterclass in diplomatic dressing. Her outfit is a subtle yet thoughtful nod to Qatar’s national colours, blending maroon and white from the country’s flag.

Let’s start by looking at her coat. The press were told it was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, and it’s a new addition to her wardrobe. I expect Kate commissioned the piece before Sarah Burton left McQueen.

The rich burgundy coat features a unique double neckline with sharp lapels, which creates a layered effect. The structured piece exemplifies McQueen’s signature tailoring and is perfectly suited for a formal state occasion.

It’ll be a bespoke piece, made just for Kate. I’ve looked for similar McQueen coats with the same unique neckline but have come up with nothing so far.

Photos from inside Buckingham Palace show that Kate wore her burgundy Eponine London coat dress to view the Royal Collection’s display of Qatari items. I suspect she wore this garment underneath her McQueen coat. But I could be wrong. She might have changed coats inside the palace.

The Princess has worn this ankle-length coat dress twice previously, from the Together At Christmas Carol Concert in 2022, and for engagements in Wales to mark the anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2023.  The piece features a v-neckline, full-length sleeves and a buttoned belted detail at the waist. 

Last year, I wrote that the dress was a bespoke commission and you could contact Eponine to book a consultation if you’re looking for something similar.  According to their website, prices start at £3,000.

Eponine is a family run luxury fashion house specialising in unique and colourful womenswear. The company takes a ‘slow fashion’ approach, plus commits to producing locally, which enables them to keep their carbon footprint to a minimum. Kate’s a fan, she’s worn a handful of creations from the London-based company in recent years.

Kate paired the burgundy coat dress with the same Sahar Millinery hat she wore with the coat in September 2023. The hat features a large teardrop-shaped base accented with an oversized bow.  Sahar sells this hat on her website, prices start at £300 for wool felt, £450 for angora felt, and £500 for straw.

Sahar Freemantle, an award-winning milliner based in London, has seen her designs featured on screen, including in Downton Abbey. The brand also has a special connection to the late Queen Elizabeth II. In 2020, Freemantle received the prestigious QEST scholarship (Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust), an initiative founded by Queen Elizabeth and the Royal Warrant Holders Association. QEST champions British craftsmanship by funding education, supporting talent, and preserving traditional skills.

Kate started the day in a pair of burgundy boots. They’re the ‘Rhymes’ style by Gianvito Rossi.  Kate’s fourth pair of boots by the brand.

Crafted in Italy from luxurious calf leather, the boots feature a pointed toe, block heel and a thin sole for a sleek and sophisticated look. There is visible stitching detail on the front and a discreet side zipper. Shown here at 24s.com, where they were previously available:

At Buckingham Palace, Kate changed out of her boots and into a pair of suede heels in a coordinating shade. They’re the Gianvito Rossi 105 pumps. We believe she wears the brand’s ‘Burgundy Royale’ hue.

These pumps feature a pointed toe and a 105mm heel. They’re made from suede and leather.

The shoes are not a new addition to Kate’s collection, they’ve been a staple in her wardrobe since 2015. This marks the 14th time we’ve seen her wear this particular pair. A recent deep dive into Kate’s shoe collection revealed that Kate’s worn Gianvito Rossi designs to an impressive number of public events. She owns 22 pairs of footwear from the label.

Let’s look at Kate’s Chanel bag next. It’ll be a familiar piece for our regular readers. The Princess has carried the bag since visiting Paris in 2017. This is the sixth time Kate has carried it in public to date.

It’s from the French fashion house’s Fall Winter 2015 collection, and features a quilted leather design, an ornamental enamel and brass top handle and the brand’s iconic interlocking CC logo hardware in gold. 

According to LoveThatBag.ca, the Chanel bag retailed for $6,225 in 2015.  As that’s a Canadian site, I’ll assume the price is in Canadian Dollars.  As of today, that’s $4,424 US Dollars or £3,491 GBP.

Let’s look at Kate’s jewellery now. She’s wearing two pieces that belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth.
The ‘Four Row Japanese Pearl Choker’ and the ‘Bahrain Pearl Drop Earrings.’

The necklace features four strands of cultured pearls with a central curved diamond clasp. Commissioned by Queen Elizabeth II, Garrard constructed the piece from pearls gifted to the Late Queen by the Japanese Government following a visit to the country in the 1970s. 

Queen Elizabeth II wore the choker on several notable occasions, including a visit to Bangladesh in 1983 and former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s 70th birthday celebration in 1995. The late monarch loaned the necklace to Princess Diana on several occasions, including during a state visit from Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands in 1982. Kate first wore the necklace at the Queen and Prince Philip’s 70th wedding anniversary dinner in 2017. She wore the necklace to both Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth’s funerals.

Last year, I shared a good replica for the pearl choker by LK Bennett.  It looks like it’s on clearance at Brand Alley now.  With a whopping. 55% off.  It’s a great piece for the festive season!

Let’s finish up by looking at the Bahrain pearl drops now.  They were crafted from two of seven pearls gifted to then-Princess Elizabeth by the Hakim of Bahrain upon her 1947 marriage to Prince Philip.  Each earring features a large round diamond at the top, accompanied by four smaller round diamonds and three baguette-cut diamonds, from which suspends a lustrous Bahrain pearl, serving as the focal point.

Queen Elizabeth wore the earrings during the early years of her reign, later loaning them to Princess Diana. Kate’s worn them frequently since joining the Royal Family.  

Gloves: TBC.