On Thursday afternoon, William and Kate visited the historic Dog and Duck pub in London’s Soho district to hear all about their preparations for the coronation weekend.
The Princess of Wales stepped out in style as she remixed vivid red and bright white pieces from her wardrobe that we’ve seen before—mostly from British brands—a clear nod to the upcoming festivities. (Find a full outfit overview further down the page ⬇️)
The Prince and Princess travelled to Soho on the train.
The pair walking through the ticket barrier:
They took the Elizabeth Line, the new hybrid urban–suburban rail service that runs through London and its suburbs.
The late Queen Elizabeth officially opened the line last May, in her Platinum Jubilee year. The service is, of course, named after the monarch.
While on the train, William and Kate met TFL workers and thanked staff who’ll be working over the coronation weekend.
According to reporters at the scene, it was William and Kate’s first time riding the Elizabeth Line.
In Soho, the crowds had been gathering for quite some time prior to the pair’s arrival.
Inside the Dog & Duck pub, the Prince and Princess engaged with staff and representatives from a range of Soho’s hospitality and leisure businesses, and discussed plans for their upcoming Coronation Weekend festivities. William supped on a pint of lager.
At one point, Kate was handed a pint and she took a small sip.
The pair were also invited behind the bar to learn about a special coronation beer brewed by the pub’s owners, the Nicholson Group. It’s aptly named “Kingmaker Pale Ale.” William was given the honour of pulling the first pint.
The Nicholson Group celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. The pub chain has planned a series of events across the country over the Coronation Weekend.
Following their time in the pub, the Prince and Princess stepped out onto the very busy and lively Frith Street.
The pair spent time warmly greeting the excited crowds that had gathered. Tourists and locals alike had lined up behind the barriers to meet the royal pair. There’s certainly a buzz in the air ahead of the coronation weekend.
Let’s move on to look at Kate’s outfit now.
Kate’s outfit in Soho:
The Princess turned heads in her chic red longline coat, which she paired with a white dress and white accessories. Eagle-eyed fans will recognise all the items—we’ve seen her wear them all separately on other occasions—she’s remixed each piece to create this entire new look today. Which I think is apt considering all of the messaging about sustainability coming out of the palace at the moment with regards to the coronation.
I’d say Kate, who has been known to indulge in “dressing for the slideshow“, purposefully paired two of the UK’s three national colours together ahead of this weekend’s coronation festivities. I fully expect to see her wear blue at some of the upcoming events now red and white are off the table. Perhaps for the luncheon or reception at Buckingham Palace tomorrow? Or failing that, for the coronation itself on Saturday. (It was revealed her coronation outfit has “a bit of blue” in it last week—we know that much.)
Kate did the same thing at the platinum jubilee last year. She mostly stuck to a palette of red, white and blue for the landmark celebration.
The striking red coat she wore in Soho is by Eponine London.
The ankle-length coat dress is crafted from a wool-crepe fabric and features six large covered buttons, bracelet-length sleeves, inset pockets, a slit on the front and a mandarin collar. The piece originally featured in Eponine’s AW18 collection.
When Kate first wore the coat dress, Eponine told their Instagram followers to get in touch to make an enquiry or place a custom order—I suspect this is still the case if you’d like to commission a similar coat for your own special occasion. I do not know the RRP, I’m afraid.
The Princess last wore her Eponine coat during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations last year, during a visit to Cardiff. On that occasion, she paired it with navy accents. She first debuted the coat in 2020, for the launch of her Hold Still book. On that occasion, she paired the coat with camel and caramel shades. Who knew a red coat could be so versatile?
Kate’s worn a handful of creations from Eponine London in recent years, namely coat dresses. 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.
I’m pretty the white dress underneath Kate’s coat is from Suzannah London—the Flippy Wiggle Dress in White Silk.
You can tell from the contrasting buttons at the bottom of the dress, visible in some photos, where Kate’s coat has blown open. A closer look at the buttons, you can see they’re a match:
The tea dress features elegant half-length sleeves with buttoned cuffs. It also comes with a detachable leather-backed belt. The dress has a collar, delicate pin tucks sewn on the yoke and features a double-breasted closure at the top, that transforms into a single breasted closure on the skirt. The mid-length skirt also has pin-tucks at the waist. The dress is crafted in Portugal.
The Princess of Wales has worn the white dress on three other public occasions to date: to watch Wimbledon in July 2019, to visit Baby Basics in August 2022 and at the Grenfell Tower memorial service in June 2022.
At the time of writing, you can pre-order the white dress from Suzannah’s website for £2,790. It says delivery will take place after the 23rd of May, presumably as the garments are made to order.
We’ve seen Kate wear a handful of dresses from Suzannah London over the last decade or so, I personally wish she’d wear more from the designer! I love her pieces. I know Suzannah dresses the Duchess of Edinburgh quite regularly (the former Countess of Wessex). I know Kate’s sister Pippa has worn quite a few Suzannah creations too.
Suzannah reimagines timeless fashions and classic looks from the last 100 years and translates them with modern cuts and tactile fabrics. She wants her designs to be “the style jewel of someone’s wardrobe – an investment in enduring beauty to be passed on from generation to generation.”
In addition to dressing British Royals, Suzannah has created garments for European Royals, A-list celebrities and members of society worldwide.
The Princess carried a familiar handbag today, the Mulberry Amberley Small Crossbody Bag in White Leather.
The white bag features a flap-over front with tonal white ring hardware and Mulberry’s geometric rider’s lock closure—also rendered in white. It was sold with a crossbody strap, which Kate never uses. She always chooses to carry her bags by hand.
The bag is from Mulberry’s equestrian-inspired Amberley collection.
Mulberry no longer stock Kate’s exact bag; but they do sell it in satchel version at the time of writing (RRP £995). If you’re not a fan of satchels but want a similar sized bag to carry in your hand, I suggest the Top Handle Lily or the Small Islington instead.
This is the seventh time we’ve seen the Princess carry the Amberley since she debuted the item in 2021.
Kate clearly loves a Mulberry handbag. We’ve seen her carry 12 of the company’s designs since 2011. We know she had a couple of other Mulberry bags in her collection before she joined the Royal Family too, but I haven’t kept track of those—sorry. She’s worn several coats and a couple of dresses from the British brand too!
Mulberry is a luxury fashion brand that’s known for its iconic handbags. The brand also offers a wide range of clothing, shoes, accessories and other leather goods for both men and women, all crafted with high-quality materials and exquisite attention to detail.
After a little back and forth, and with some help from Emma, I worked out that Kate wore her Jimmy Choo Romy 85 pumps in white for the Soho engagement today. You can see the branding on the sole below, instantly identifiable for anybody familiar with Jimmy Choo heels:
The white pumps feature a pointed toe and an 85mm high slim heel.
The Romy pump is a signature style for Jimmy Choo. Kate owns the style in at least 8 different colours, fabrics and heel heights.
This is the sixth time we’ve seen Kate wear the white pumps since their debut in 2021.
Kate is clearly a fan of Jimmy Choo. I count that she’s worn 17 pairs of pumps from the company to more than 60 public engagements since marrying Prince William in 2011. After a bit of research, I worked out that Jimmy Choo is in fact Kate’s second most-worn brand of luxury heels.
Finally, let’s look at Kate’s pearl earrings now. They’re from Copenhagen-based brand, Maria Black. They’re called the ‘Cha Cha‘.
The earrings feature a mother-of-pearl bead suspended from a sterling silver huggie hoop earring that’s plated in 22-karat gold.
You can buy the earrings from maria-black.com and reiss.com for £152 ea. Note: The earrings are individually sold, so it’s worth noting that you’ll need to buy two if you want to wear a pair.
I am impressed you spotted the button detail to identify the dress. Kate and William have the patriotic union jack covered with their attire.
I noticed Duchess Sophie carried a similar silhouette at the garden party with C&C.
I am looking forward to Saturday. As always, I will be fashion watching along with the pageantry.
Carly, I don’t want to appear disrespectful or rude, but it looks like an “A” may have accidentally been omitted in the headline. Then again, my husband has laughed at my writing errors forever and I may be mistaken.
Hi Gail, thanks for pointing out the typo—I am trying to do everything so quickly, I didn’t spot that. Thanks!
This isn’t an outfit I would wear to ride the Tube and go to a pub. The shoes in particular are a poor choice. I don’t like the length of the sleeves on the coat dress. In the previous times she wore that coat dress, I think the styling was much better. Not a fan of the white dress, white stilettos, and white handbag with the red coat dress. I suppose with the blue lining she’s channeling the British flag??
I think some navy trousers, a sweater, and some low heeled shoes would have been better. William seemed pretty casual, and Kate looked way over-dressed for the situation.
Definitely a ‘pap stroll’, but it is nice to see them out and about before the big day.
I thought it felt a bit formal for the occasion, but I have to admit I love the coat. Though, I do prefer the styling from Cardiff, the navy outfit.