Kate Middleton restyled a familiar favourite for today’s St Patrick’s Day Parade with the Irish Guards at Mons Barracks in Aldershot.
The Princess of Wales rewore the bold green Alexander McQueen coat that she debuted during a visit to Leeds in 2023 (below).
She also wore the coat on Christmas Day 2024.
Today, the Princess restyled the coat for a sharper, more formal feel, perfectly suited to her role as Colonel of the Irish Guards. A classic example of Kate’s “military occasion dressing“.
Today’s look is a little more ceremonial than the previous two appearances. I like how the black belt mimicked the officers’ service dress uniform:
At present, the belt remains unidentified. It looks as if it’s made from leather and features a black square double-prong buckle.
The rich green McQueen coat is the foundation of Kate’s outfit. The garment is sharply tailored and features strong shoulders, a peaked lapel, front flap pockets, two rows of black double-breasted buttons and a nipped-in waist.
The princess added a black pashmina underneath the neckline of the coat. Middleton Maven thinks it could be a Pickett London piece.
Under the coat, a black, softly pleated hemline is visible.
It appears the Princess is rewearing the Alexander McQueen dress she debuted in 2022 during the mourning period following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.
The Princess wore the dress again in 2023 for a visit to the Hayes Muslim Centre.
The brand also produced a ready-to-wear version of the dress in pink, featuring the same ribbed knit top and pleated overlay skirt, with an added criss-cross detail at the bodice.
Kate likely had sleeves added to her dress. To date, she has only worn the piece underneath a coat in public, so this remains an assumption.
Kate repeated her Gina Foster ‘Meribel’ beret for the Irish Guards engagement.
The classic velour felt hat features an oversized bow trim.
Kate debuted the item over a decade ago, on Christmas Day in 2013. She’s worn it on a handful of occasions since.
Kate brought back her black suede boots by Ralph Lauren.
The knee-high boots feature a pointed toe and a suede-covered 3″ heel.
Kate added the boots to her shoe collection in 2018. She’s worn them frequently since.
Let’s look at the Princess’s spectacular earrings now.
They’re the ‘Halo’ earrings by luxury jeweller, Asprey London.
Another look:
The earrings are set in platinum and feature four emeralds and 72 diamonds. According to Kate’s Closet, they retailed for over $11,000.
Kate debuted the earrings in 2022 at the Earthshot Awards in Boston. This is only the second time she has worn the earrings publicly.
Finally, I haven’t managed to confirm which gloves Kate wore to today’s parade as yet. They are likely from her preferred glove maker, Cornelia James.
Of course, Kate’s green ensemble was particularly fitting for the St Patrick’s Day parade, the colour long associated with Ireland and its national day.
In her role as honorary Colonel, the Princess took the royal salute and oversaw the march-past.
As tradition dictates, she presented shamrocks to the officers, veterans and cadets. The guards’ mascot, Irish Wolfhound Seamus, received his sprig too:
The Princess also awarded long service and good conduct medals to soldiers during her visit.
She also met members of the Regimental Association and the ‘Mini Micks’, a group of junior cadets from Northern Ireland.
Before leaving, the Princess spent time in the Sergeants’ Mess, where she met serving members of the regiment and their families, recognising the important contribution they make to supporting the Armed Forces.
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