The Princess of Wales Debuts Catherine Walker Military Coat Dress at the 2022 National Service of Remembrance

Kate Middleton looked elegant yet sombre at today’s National Service of Remembrance (Sunday, 13th November 2022).  The Princess debuted a military-inspired coatdress by Catherine Walker at the poignant event, which takes place at the The Cenotaph War Memorial in Whitehall in London.

Fo the twelfth consecutive year, Kate has watched the Remembrance Sunday Service from the Foreign Office balcony. 

This year, the Princess stood with the Queen Consort.

King Charles led the nation in Remembrance for the first time following his Accession.  

I’m sure it was very emotional for the royals, they will have felt the late Queen’s absence at the Remembrance event.

The National Service honours those who’ve sacrificed to secure and protect the country’s freedom. The Royal Family joined the Prime Minister and government officials in paying tribute to the people who have suffered as a result of war, both in the UK and across the Commonwealth. 

After a two-minute silence, King Charles laid his wreath at the foot of the Cenotaph. The wreath features a new design that pays tribute to the wreaths of his grandfather King George VI and his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

The wreath’s poppies are mounted on an arrangement of black leaves, as is traditional for the Sovereign, and its ribbon bears The King’s racing colours; scarlet, purple and gold. The Royal racing colours were also incorporated into the wreaths of King George V, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II.

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An Equerry from the Royal Household lay a wreath on behalf of Camilla, the Queen Consort.

The Queen Consort’s wreath [bears] Her Majesty’s racing colours, inherited from her grandfather, and echoes the wreath of the previous Queen Consort, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

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Prince William laid his own wreath, for the first time as the Prince of Wales.  He laid the wreath previously laid by his father, the former Prince of Wales, which features the Prince of Wales feathers. However, it has been updated with a new ribbon in Welsh red. For the first time, The Princess of Wales cosigned the card.

Kate’s outfit:

As I mentioned in the opening paragraph, the Princess debuted a new coat dress from Catherine Walker & Co.  It’s the Evie style.  (With thanks to Irène, a WhatKateWore.com reader for sharing this information.)

The piece features a high neckline, diagonal pintuck detail across the shoulder and chest, and a softly flared skirt. Catherine Walker state the design is “military style”; Kate will have commissioned the garment for this reason. The Princess likes to wear uniform-inspired pieces to Remembrance events and has done so in the past (you can view all my past Remembrance Sunday coverage, here).

The company provides no further information about the garment, such as the fabric used to construct the piece or its price.  I think you’d have to contact the company for further details if you were serious about owning the coat dress.  You can make an appointment at the atelier in Chelsea, London or use their “eCouture” service if you have good local tailor or dressmaker on hand.

Kate’s worn Catherine Walker frequently throughout her time in the Royal Family—she’ll wear a handful of designs from the label each year. Often to high profile engagements and official overseas tours.

Catherine Walker founded her eponymous label in 1977. Today, it’s run by her husband Said Cryus, following her passing in 2010. In Walker’s obituary, The Guardian noted that Walker provided over 1000 outfits for the late Diana, Princess of Wales, won her trust and helped to “create her style”.

Speaking of the late Princess, Kate wore her diamond and pearl earrings to the Remembrance event.

The statement earrings were one of Diana’s favourite pairs, she wore them frequently in the 1990s. 

Kate first debuted the stunning earrings at the 2019 BAFTAs. She also wore them to Ascot in June this year.

Here’s how The Court Jeweller describes the earrings: 

The stud portion of the earring is intricate, featuring a horseshoe set with baguette diamonds, with a leafy portion wrapping over and around it. A pearl drop is suspended from the diamond portion.

It’s worth noting that Kate wears the earrings with a different pair of pearls—The Court Jeweller thinks they’re from another pair of Diana’s earrings but it’s difficult to say for certain. 

A rep from Cornelia James emailed me to say they have checked images of Kate at the service, and they believe the Princess wore their Alice Bow Gloves.

Kate is a fan of Cornelia James Gloves. She owns multiple pairs from the British company.

In some photos, you can see Kate carried her Mulberry Bayswater clutch wallet in black 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 (pictured above on another occasion). 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.

Sarah from UFO No More identified Kate’s brooch.  It’s from Bentley & Skinner, they describe the piece as an ‘Art Deco Diamond Set Brooch’.

From the company:

An Art Deco diamond set brooch, of rectangular shape with corners cut away, with an openwork pattern comprising of a central, round brilliant-cut diamond with an estimated weight of 0.35 carat, with a baguette-cut diamond to the top and bottom of the rectangle, total estimated diamond weight 4.5 carats, all mounted in platinum, circa 1920, measuring approximately 4.4×2.2cm, gross weight 11.4 grams.

A sparkling Art Deco brooch. This brooch is of a classically Art Deco design, with geometric shapes and fine openwork platinum set throughout with lively diamonds. This beautiful piece was made in around 1920 and captures the glamour and elegance of the Jazz Age. It would look dazzling pinned to a silk scarf or the lapel of a jacket.

Charlotte from Chronicling Kate notes King Charles has purchased jewellery from Bentley & Skinner for Camilla and Meghan in the past. The company hold two Royal Warrants. Perhaps the King purchased the brooch for Kate, for her 40th birthday? This is pure speculation, of course… It’d certainly explain why Kate chose to wear the piece on this occasion—almost a supportive gesture towards the new King as he leads his the country in Remembrance for the first time.

A cached version of the page shows the brooch sold for £14,500.

The Princess wore her hair curled and tied back in a ponytail under a large brimmed black hat. We believe it’s a Philip Treacy piece.

The Express writes that the Princess wore this style by Philip Treacy (I’d guess rendered wool felt, not straw.)  It looks like it’s been trimmed with the same ribbon as the company uses on this trilby, also by Philip Treacy.

The information has not been confirmed by the brand. But I’m reasonably confident in the ID. Kate wears a lot of Treacy’s designs.