Kate Middleton returned to one of her most trusted designers for today’s Trooping the Colour in London.
The Princess of Wales wore a powder blue coatdress by Catherine Walker, completing the look with a coordinating hat, white shoes and pearl jewellery. (Just want outfit details? Skip down? ⬇️)
Trooping the Colour is a celebration hosted to mark the British monarch’s official birthday. The grand military ceremony is a centuries-old tradition, held annually in June on Horse Guards Parade in London. It begins with a carriage procession.
The parade sets off from Buckingham Palace, with King Charles and Queen Camilla making their way in an Ascot Landau carriage (below). It’s the third consecutive year that the King has avoided riding in the parade on horseback on recommendation from his medical team.
The Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Duke of Edinburgh all rode on horseback (below).
As in previous years, the Princess of Wales rode in an Ascot Landau carriage with her three children, George, Charlotte and Louis (below).
The youngsters looked lovely. The boys looked smart in navy suits and powder blue ties.
Charlotte wore a pretty white dress with a small blue floral motif repeating through the fabric.
The coordinated family appearances have become somewhat of a hallmark at recent Trooping celebrations.
King Charles’s actual birthday is in November, but like other monarchs before him, he officially marks the day in June to take advantage of the summer weather (a tradition started by George II, whose birthday also fell in autumn).
In 1958, Queen Elizabeth II cemented the date to the second Saturday in June, which King Charles has maintained.
After Buckingham Palace, the parade moves down The Mall to Horse Guards’ Parade.
Once at Whitehall, the king is greeted by a Royal salute. Then it’s time to inspect the troops.
Next, the Regimental Colour, or flag, is processed down the ranks of soldiers. According to the Royal Family’s website, over one hundred words of command are used by the Officer in Command of the Parade to direct the several hundred soldiers.
Thousands of spectators line The Mall to watch the pomp and pageantry, many waving flags.
The honour of trooping the Colour rotates. For 2026, it was the turn of The King’s Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards.
Over 1,350 soldiers of the Household Division and King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery took part in the parade, including more than 300 musicians from the Massed Bands, with around 250 Service Personnel lining the processional route along The Mall.
The event concludes with the Royal Family on the balcony.
They gather to watch the RAF flypast.
The famous Red Arrows round off the celebrations with their trademark red, white and blue smoke display. Always a crowd-pleaser!
Today marks the Princess of Wales’s 14th appearance at Trooping the Colour.
Kate’s been a constant fixture at the annual parade since 2011.
She’s only missed the two scaled-down ceremonies that took place during the Pandemic in 2020 and 2021. In both of those years, organisers cancelled the big public spectacle on Horse Guards Parade and replaced it with a stripped-back military ceremony at Windsor Castle, only attended by the Queen. So no carriage procession, no working-royal turnout, and no balcony moment.
Her outfit is always eagerly anticipated and much discussed. Let’s take a look at it now.
The Princess’s outfit at Trooping the Colour 2026:
Kate returned to a softer pastel palette for this year’s Trooping the Colour, choosing Catherine Walker’s powder blue Lafayette coatdress.
The garment includes military-inspired double-breasted buttons, sharply defined shoulders and angular lapels, finished with a contrasting white trim.
I say ‘returned to pastels’ because the Princess has had a run on white and bold, vibrant dresses in recent years.
Like all Catherine Walker garments, the Lafayette coatdress is made to order through the label’s London atelier.
Kate has relied on Catherine Walker for royal engagements since joining the Royal Family in 2011. The Princess often turns to the label for high-profile events and overseas tours.
Catherine Walker also famously dressed Diana, Princess of Wales, for many of the most significant moments of her royal life. The designer is credited with dressing Diana for 16 years and creating many of her most iconic looks.
Royal journalist Patricia Treble noted Princess Diana wore a very similar Catherine Walker design in 1987:
Nearly 40 years have passed, but the style remains an absolute classic.
The Princess paired her powder blue coatdress with a coordinating hat by Philip Treacy.
The Princess wore a bespoke version of the OC 315 hat from the milliner’s spring/summer 2025 collection.
The dramatic hat features a large saucer brim edged in blue, which softly curves downwards. The ivory dome echoes the white trim on Kate’s coat. The piece is finished with a sculptural trim on one side, which sits both above and below the brim.
Let’s look at Kate’s earrings now. She wears the ‘Cavofiore’ pearl studs by Cassandra Goad.
Inspired by clusters of young cauliflower (hence the name, “cavolfiore”, Italian for cauliflower), these earrings are crafted in 18ct yellow gold and feature seven white pearls and accent diamonds. They currently cost £7,245, which is approximately $9,715 USD with today’s exchange rate.
The earrings remain in stock at CassandraGoad.com.
Kate debuted the earrings in 2018, for Prince Louis’ christening. She’s worn them more than 10 times since.
Kate brought back her white leather pumps from Gianvito Rossi—to match the white accents in her coat and hat. She wears the designer’s Gianvito 105 pump in white nappa, made from 100% lambs’ leather. Each pair is handmade in Italy, features a pointed toe and a sleek 105mm stiletto heel.
Available in many sizes at GianvitoRossi.com for £710 / $850.
Kate debuted the shoes during a visit to Jamaica in 2022. She’s only worn them a handful of times since.
Of course, Gianvito Rossi is one of Kate’s most-relied-on labels when it comes to footwear. The Princess has long favoured his Gianvito 105 pump and owns the style in 11 different colours.
Did you notice the silvery eight-pointed star on Kate’s coat?
It’s the Irish Guards regimental brooch, converted from an Officer’s service dress cap badge according to this listing at regimentalbrooches.com (I’m assuming Kate’s is the same as this one, listed). It takes the form of the star of the Order of St Patrick and features a green enamelled shamrock in the middle.
Kate has been Colonel of the Irish Guards since December 2022, taking the role on from William when he became Prince of Wales. She first wore this regimental brooch at Trooping the Colour in 2024, returning to it for Trooping in 2025 and again for an Armistice Day commemoration that November. It’s her way of acknowledging the regiment.
Let’s finish with Kate’s pearl bracelet, a familiar piece to regular readers and long-time royal watchers alike. It previously belonged to Princess Diana. The Triple-Strand Pearl Bracelet by Nigel Milne.
The vintage bracelet dates back to 1988. You can see an image of the piece in the designer’s catalogue, below:
It’s described as “an elegant three row cultured pearl bracelet with diamond and pearl triple cluster sections.”
In a blog post (now offline) on his website, Nigel Milne previously explained that proceeds from sales of the bracelet raised funds for BIRTHRIGHT, a research centre originally set up in the 1960s to stop women and babies dying in pregnancy and childbirth. The late Princess of Wales was Patron of the charity. Today, it’s known as ‘Wellbeing of Women’ and covers all areas of women’s reproductive health.
In a sweet moment of symmetry, Princess Charlotte also wore a three-strand pearl bracelet today, echoing her mother’s jewellery choice.
That’s all for now. I expect to be back blogging Garter Day on Monday.
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