The Princess of Wales chose separates for an engagement marking Children’s Mental Health Week in the UK.
She visited Castle Hill Academy in South London, where students eagerly awaited her arrival. 
The Princess started her visit in the outdoor play area. 
More from Hello’s coverage.
As Kate walked to the playground and into the main school grounds, she was greeted by a flurry of children who were waving flags on the theme of kindness. The royal shook hands with many of the children and said how “impressed” she was with the designs they had created..
We return to Hello’s story.
As she joined a group of children, the royal was seen picking up miniature pom poms with a pair of tweezers. She sweetly chatted with the children during the moment, saying: “Can I have a go? Is it hard? What’s your favourite colour? I love green, it reminds me of nature and being outside.”
Embed from Getty Images
Children’s Mental Health Week was launched by Place2Be in 2015 to “give a voice to all children and young people and to raise awareness of children and young people’s mental health,” according to the Place2Be website.
The Princess has been Place2Be’s royal patron since 2013. 
This year’s theme for the week is ‘This is My Place,’ with a goal of “supporting “the systems around children and young people to help them feel they belong.”
We learn more from this Telegraph piece by Victoria Ward.
The Princess spoke to children in the school’s art room who were making “belonging maps” – visual schemes of the people, places and experiences that help them feel safe and connected – about the importance of expressing their emotions.
She asked some of the Year Five pupils if it helped them to talk while being creative and getting involved in art projects.
Rebecca English’s Daily Mail article provides additional details on the art class interaction.
She chatted to the youngsters about the importance of expressing their emotions, asking what made them feel good and safe.
‘Do you like to talk about your feelings, your sense of belonging?’ she asked, adding: ‘Sometimes it’s hard to talk about your thoughts and feelings.’
The princess, who admitted she was ‘too busy chatting’ to make her own map, asked whether the children did arts and crafts at home, telling them: ‘It’s good to be messy, it’s good fun.’
The Princess spent time with the parents of students in the program and administrators. 
This People story has more.
Kate then spent some of the morning meeting parents to hear how they have benefitted (some even used the Place2Be services as pupils). She also spoke with teachers and Place2Be practitioners to hear how trusted relationships, creativity and play help children express themselves and build confidence.
The royal mom of three also spent time with Castle Hill Academy and Place2Be leadership to discuss the organization’s whole-school approach to supporting children’s mental health, as well as the unique challenges facing children and families in the area of New Addington, Croydon.
We return to The Telegraph’s piece.
As the Princess spoke to school leaders, she asked how easy it had been to bring the parents on board and whether they worked in the community as well as on site.
“Social and emotional development and relationship building – making it engrained in the culture is what’s going to make a difference,” she said. “Making it more than linear.”
The Princess also spent time in a children’s play area. 
Another view. 
She was given flowers before she left. 
Here is a message the Princess posted on social media after the engagement. 
Now, we move to our look at what Kate wore. 
She brought back her Petar Petrov Wool-Blend Founder Jacket ($800 on sale), which she first wore for an engagement last February. The single-breasted style is 50% wool and 50% viscose with a relaxed fit, exaggerated shoulders, jetted front pockets, and a single-button front closure. 
Beneath the jacket, the Princess could have been wearing the Blue Poplin Boyfriend Shirt ($150) by British brand With Nothing Underneath. The collared shirt is 100% organic cotton, with a loose fit, double-button cuffs, and pleats at the yoke. This was a Middleton Maven find, and the company tells her it is their design. We saw the Princess in this style in white Tencel last September. 
It looked like the Princess was in a new pair of trousers. It’s possible they are the Joseph Coleman Long Gabardine Stretch style in Cocoa ($465), another find by Middleton Maven. The mid-rise trousers are crafted from viscose, cotton, and elastane, featuring a slim silhouette, pockets, and a front zipper. The style is also available at Selfridges ($355) and My Theresa ($465). The Princess has worn this style in the ‘Arabica’ colorway. 
The Princess appeared to be wearing a new pair of shoes by Boden, the ‘Nya’ Penny Loafer in oxblood ($190, available in other colors/finishes). Thank you to Kate Middleton Styled on Instagram for this ID. 
We saw the return of the Kiki McDonough Blue Topaz Pear Drop Earrings (£895, roughly $1200 at today’s exchange rates) in 18K yellow gold and the Auree Jewellery Bali 9ct Gold Garnet January Birthstone Necklace ($1055). The gold disc behind the garnet is polished on one side and brushed on the other, and it can be engraved. 
UPDATE 6:30PM ET: Here is aphoto showing the blue heart on the Princess’s lapel. I can’t tell if it is a sticker or a pin. 
I’ll leave you with one more photo from today. 
Renée
Sunday 15th of March 2026
This is a lovely relaxed smart casual outfit of the Princess.
I missed an information on the brown belt she is wearing. Is there any information about it? It looks like the black one from Anderson's but I am not sure. It seems to be a new belt.
RS
Sunday 22nd of February 2026
I think Kate looks beautiful in these photos. I think she has purposely chosen a low key outfit due to the outing involving children. I do agree in previous years she would have worn brighter colours. I have wondered if recent more neutral colours are less to do with personal style and more to do with how central members of the royal family are feeling at the moment. They have to live and work in the public eye and may not want to be standing out at the moment.
Also she is in her 40s and may be trying to evolve a new style that suits her now. I have many lovely outfits from my 20s/early 30s that still fit but I don’t wear as they just don’t feel like me anymore. We may all love those old outfits that she used to wear but Kate has moved through 2 decades of being in the public eye and may just not feel comfortable in her old style.
ElizaMo
Tuesday 24th of February 2026
@RS, Thanks so much for clear reasoning about Catherine’s style. I struggle a lot with this, on the one hand feeling frustration with present style choices, while on the other urging myself to remember just what she's been through on her health journey. It's such a great point to make that some of us are quite definitely not wearing what we did in our twenties, which underlines how inappropriate past style choices might now be. You are helping me deal with impatience vs keeping a mind open to the many influences there may be in her present choice. I would never want to be seen kicking off any of the kind of rage-hate that was about against Catherine just prior to the big health diagnosis. Her outfits are as carefully and thoughtfully put together as they ever were, but are now almost literally in and for a different lifetime.
Janejazz
Sunday 22nd of February 2026
What a fabulous casual look. Tailored straight leg pants, crisp blue shirt and contrasting blazer. Suitable shoes for the event interacting with children. Have seen a sneak peek at Bafta gown, a stunning rewear. I
Carmen
Thursday 19th of February 2026
I agree with ElizaMo: The PoW's approach to deflect interest in her clothing is working. I am so turned off by her recent, drab and very conventional outfits. I have been living in a republic all my life. As an outsider to monarchies, I must remark, her recent approach won't work quite in the way she planned. By lowering the interest in her outfits, she will (involuntarily) lower interest in her causes. Not the other way around. Like another commentator said: it is just the way it works, she is expected to bring some glamour and glitz into an otherwise drab world, or season of the year, or environment, if you will. In the federal republic of Germany, we do not have a head of state or a wife of the head of state who dress in an attractive way. I can tell you, even people who are very interested in politics do not care in the least where they are or what they do. This is mostly due to their total lack of superficial glitz and glam.
Comparing the PoW's recent style to her style in the 2010 leaves me very sad.
On another note, in renowned styling systems, she would be classified as a "flamboyant natural" with both a natural and a classic "essence". That means she does not suit very dramatic styles (pointed shoulders) or very romantic styles (overly adorned, lacy styles). She does suit pantsuits and very long lines (hems), though. But does it always have to be the same old, same old, sometimes in colours that do not suit her (being a light colour season, a soft summer)? Never ever a knee-length skirt? She does not suit classic cigarette pants, though. They look totally frumpy on her. I have the same body type and almost the same height, and they look frumpy on me, too. Smaller women suit this type of pant better. So it is either back to wide-leg trousers or skirts. At least this would be my advice, if I was her stylist. On the hair: It is much, much too brassy for her colour season. That said, it is very high maintenance to keep up an artificial, ashy hair colour. But if someone has the resources to "keep it ashy", it would be her.
ElizaMo
Wednesday 18th of February 2026
I don’t feel this is an outfit anyone could work up great excitement over so I prefer to try to mute my comments in the interest of remaining civil. I do like the loafers, quite definitely, I’m very happy to see slim trousers like these correctly accessorised with flat shoes rather than depressingly tarty heels, and even more with such a classic style. Both the oxblood colour and croc effect are welcome upswitches.
I quite liked the jacket on its first outing. but find it looking stiff and oversize this time, not at all comfortable or coordinated. This is my bad as the first time I wished she wore it with slimmer leg pants and now it doesn’t seem to work as well. I like the pale denim shirt colour with the jacket, but am only disappointed that Catherine appears to be making this offbeat colour combination into a repeat uniform. The WNU shirts themselves in general look like great classics and well made.
I have no idea why the mismatch colours on her pendant and earrings. I remain unwilling to countenance such scruffy hair. If Catherine is working to deflect any interest in her appearances I have to say, where I’m concerned , it’s working. However, it is always a pleasure to see how well she interacts with children.