The two messages in the Princess of Wales’ sophisticated Qatar state visit look
The Princess of Wales may have been largely absent from the public eye this year but each time she has made an appearance, she has sent a distinct fashion message with her choice of outfit, from the upcycled Jenny Packham shift dress she wore for Trooping the Colour in June to the ‘All England Club’ purple frock she donned at Wimbledon.
Kate was on point again with the look she chose to greet the Emir of Qatar at the beginning of his state visit to the UK on Tuesday. The Princess at once paid a diplomatic tribute to the visitors while also nodding to one of the season’s biggest fashion trends.
Her coat, by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, and hat, from Sahar Millinery, came in the perfect shade of “Qatar Maroon”, a colour which features on the flag of the Middle Eastern state and nods to the nation’s history creating purple dyes from shellfish. The Princess has form when it comes to planning her outfits around the flags of countries she is visiting or hosting – in the past, we’ve seen her sport red and white in Canada, deep green in Pakistan and orange in Germany.
But it was appropriate that the colours of Qatar also chime with one of the key hues of the current fashion season, meaning Kate appeared elegantly on-point as well as deftly diplomatic.
She emphasised this by doing a “colour drench”, wearing berry red from head-to-toe – besides her hat and coat, she wore leather gloves, Gianvito Rossi boots and carried a Chanel handbag, all in the same colour – a style tip anyone could try for a festive occasion where you need to be warm but feel dressed-up and polished, too.
“Red is strengthening and fortifying in this deep, rich shade, which doesn’t stand out like the brighter reds but is a sophisticated and elegant colour,” comments Jules Standish, a colour consultant and author of the book A Colourful Dose of Optimism. “Kate is leading the way with this trending fashion colour of berry/burgundy, with a nod to the festive season and to the Qatar national flag. Together with William, wearing a similar shade of red in his tie, presenting an image of unity and harmony aligned with the Emir.”
The Princess imbued her look with symbolic reminders of the Royal family, too, wearing earrings and a pearl choker which were previously part of the late Queen Elizabeth’s jewellery collection. The earrings, last worn by Kate on Remembrance Sunday, were created from pearls given to Elizabeth by the Hakim of Bahrain to mark her marriage in 1947. The choker, meanwhile, was created by Garrard in the 1970s using pearls gifted by the Japanese government during a state visit.
This was the second time the Princess has worn Sahar Millinery’s teardrop beret-style hat. She debuted the creation in Wales in 2023, for ceremonies marking a year since the death of Queen Elizabeth. Notably, the designer, Sahar Freemantle, is a beneficiary of the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust which provides training for talented craftspeople. Her design certainly added a sleek finishing touch to the Princess’s look on Tuesday.
“I am truly honoured to see the Princess of Wales wearing one of my designs again,” Freemantle tells the Telegraph. “She looks absolutely stunning in burgundy, and it is wonderful to see the hat paired so elegantly with Alexander McQueen. It’s a privilege to have my work featured alongside such iconic British fashion. Knowing she has chosen to wear this piece for a second time is incredibly rewarding as a designer, reflecting her timeless style and appreciation for craftsmanship.”
Sarah Burton departed from the Alexander McQueen label in September 2023 but the Princess clearly still has plenty of unworn pieces in her wardrobe to mine from her favourite designer’s time at the British fashion house. Now that Burton, who designed Kate’s wedding gown in 2011, is working at Givenchy, it remains to be seen whether she’ll begin wearing looks from the French label.
Once inside the warmth of Buckingham Palace, the Princess removed her freshly debuted McQueen coat and revealed that she was re-wearing an Eponine London plum dress, also previously seen in September 2023 with her Sahar Millinery hat. She had also removed her long boots and swapped them for stilettos.
The Princess’s ensemble was not the only chic look of the day. The Emir’s wife, Sheika Jawaher, who is renowned for her love of designer couture, showcased a tastefully block-coloured look consisting of a funnel-necked, maxi-length mushroom coat with a bright red gown just shown underneath and later seen in all its glory once the royals were safely ensconced inside. The outfit follows the Dior Couture coat and a £9000 crocodile skin bag by Ilora which she wore to alight her plane at Stansted on Monday evening.
