The meaning behind the Princess of Wales’s coronation outfit
Those who follow Princess Kate’s style closely will know she regularly communicates through clothing.
Those who follow Princess Kate of Wales’s style closely will know that dressing, for her, is a diplomatic act. As a senior member of the royal family, she’s required by the palace to remain impartial and apolitical; outside of championing specific philanthropic causes, like sustainability and early childhood care, Kate, as figurehead, assumes a position of neutrality.
As a result, the princess—also the Duchess of Cambridge and Cornwall—regularly communicates through clothing. She’s known to pay homage to late relatives, wearing jewellery from the collections of mother-in-law Diana, the previous Princess of Wales, and grandmother-in-law Queen Elizabeth II. Colours are also of particular importance to Kate, who sported blue and yellow in support of Ukraine after Russia’s invasion of the country in March last year, and most recently, the colours of the Union Jack in a red Eponine coat, a white dress and a blue Self-Portrait gown ahead of King Charles III’s coronation, which took place today in Westminster Abbey.
The coronation of King Charles, the 40th to take place in the abbey since that of William the Conqueror in 1066, saw over 2,000 guests join the congregation inside Westminster, and hundreds of thousands more watch as Charles and Camilla, now Queen, made their way in a procession back to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach.
Kate’s decision to wear Alexander McQueen is no coincidence. The princess has long demonstrated a loyalty to a handful of British designers, such as Jenny Packham—looked to by the royal for evening wear during state visits, receptions and banquets—and Emilia Wickstead, beloved by Kate for demure, day-time tailoring. Alexander McQueen, of course, designed Kate’s wedding dress in 2011. That she chose a white dress today, by the same designer, and at Westminster Abbey—the same setting as her wedding—was surely not a coincidence.
The flowers embroidered onto her dress were also of national significance: roses for England, thistles for Scotland, daffodils for Wales and shamrocks for Ireland. The flowers embroidered onto her dress were also of national significance: roses for England, thistles for Scotland, daffodils for Wales and shamrocks for Ireland. Her headpiece, meanwhile, an embroidered silver circlet of three-dimensional leaves—also by Alexander McQueen—seemed to be a preference to the Green Man, the ancient figure from British folklore symbolising growth and rebirth. The Green Man, included on the official invitation to the coronation, himself wore a crown of flowers, oak and ivy. No doubt it also nods to Charles‘s own love of nature, and passion for the environment.
The sweeping silhouette of Kate’s dress also reflects the elevation of her wardrobe since stepping into her role as the Princess of Wales upon Elizabeth’s death. Polished coats, court shoes and contemporary suits have always been synonymous with Kate’s style—even when she was known just as the Duchess of Cambridge—but these days there’s a distinct maturity to her looks. She signals her commitment to a circular closet by not merely re-wearing looks, but vintage designer pieces, and executes her love of colour in classic ways: pea coats, pleated dresses with a demure hemline—always past the knee—and sequin ball gowns. At the coronation in her ivory silk dress, Kate continued that streak, proof that you can dress for the job you have, and the job you want, all at the same time.
Jewellery, of course, remained the most sentimental element of Kate’s look. She wore pearl-and-diamond drop earrings once belonging to her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana—earrings she’s been spotted in many a time over her royal career—as well as the diamond George VI Festoon Necklace, the first time Kate has ever been seen in the piece. The necklace, commissioned in 1950 by King George VI for his daughter Princess Elizabeth, was a poignant tribute to the late monarch.