The Princess of Wales’ ‘return-to-work’ burgundy outfit is a style that suits everyone
The Princess of Wales returned to public life in spectacular style on Tuesday wearing head-to-toe burgundy – one of the season’s most on trend hues, as seen on the catwalks of Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Chloé.
Arriving at the engagement at The Royal Marsden Hospital in London’s Chelsea, of which she and her husband are now patrons, the royal looked effortlessly chic in a tonal look that announced that she’s back to business as usual.
As ever, her coat collection continues to be envy-inducing, with a new checked one from the Italian brand Blazé Milano on show here. She’s long been a fan of the brand, whose wool blazers she’s worn in the past.
Meanwhile, underneath her coat she wore one of her fail-safe outfit formulas – a midi skirt paired with a polo neck sweater and court shoes. If the look is giving you deja vu, that’s because she has worn it before: in February 2023 during a visit to Cornwall alongside her husband the Prince of Wales, Kate wore the very same Kiltane cashmere jumper and Edeline Lee skirt, albeit with a mock-croc belt by French brand Ba&sh, a brown Hobbs coat and knee-high leather boots. The best news for any copy-Kates out there? The Kiltane sweater is currently on sale for just £60.
As Catherine’s first solo engagement of the year, and coming after such a long absence from the public stage, her outfit choice was no doubt well thought through. On the one hand, it shows her flying the flag for local design talent. While Kiltane is a heritage brand that champions traditional fabrics and methods, Edeline Lee is one of the hottest designers on the London Fashion Week schedule, showing that the Princess has her finger on the pulse of fashion right now. Her matching top handle bag was by another British heritage brand, Asprey London.
Her choice of attire also positions her once again as someone who – gasp – rewears their clothes more than once. And by choosing a relatively low-key yet smart look, she’s ensuring that she is dressed the part, without looking too showy or over-the-top. Burgundy, meanwhile, is universally flattering, while sticking to one colour on her top and bottom also gives the appearance of making her taller and slimmer. Her only questionable decision is perhaps her footwear – would boots have been more sensible considering the weather? – but she is, after all, the poster girl for a classic court shoe.
This morning’s engagement signals that Catherine is truly “back to work” after almost a year out of action following her cancer diagnosis in the spring of last year. Since then, she’s only made one other solo public engagement, when she presented Carlos Alcaraz with his Men’s Singles Championship trophy at Wimbledon last summer. She has also appeared alongside the wider family on a handful of occasions, the most high profile of which being her Christmas Carol Concert in December.
Of course, the choice of the Royal Marsden Hospital for the Princess’s first official solo engagement is no coincidence. Opened in 1851 as the first dedicated centre for cancer patients, it treats 59,000 patients a year and is where the royal underwent her own cancer treatment. Speaking to staff, she was heard saying: “I was just saying, coming in the front entrance here, having made so many quiet, private visits, actually it’s quite nice.”
Meanwhile, in a statement released by Kensington Palace following the visit, a spokesperson said: “The Princess wanted to make the journey to both show her gratitude to the incredible team, but also highlight the world leading care and treatment the Marsden provides.”
