The Princess chose designs by Ralph Lauren and Chris Kerr for engagements in Leicester today. 
The engagements were selected to celebrate “the culture, community, and heritage of the British Indian community in Leicester,” per a news release. The day’s visit to Leicester came as the Hindu spring festival of Holi was wrapping up yesterday. The city is located in England’s East Midlands region, roughly two hours north of Windsor. 
The Princess’s first engagement was at a hub for South Asian dance artists founded by Aakash Odedra, an award-winning dancer and choreographer. The Telegraph reports (referencing the choreographer), “Adorning the Princess with a garland of pearls and roses, he later said he had made it specially for her as there was “no better way to welcome a guest than to garnish their soul with flowers”. The Princess responded with a traditional ‘namaskara’ with folded hands.
We learn more from this Daily Mail article.
A group of Bollywood dancers performed a routine for her during which she was handed a rose to hold. She told them that her three children would ‘love’ their dance moves.
‘You must be super fit because it’s super energetic,’ the princess said afterwards. ‘My children would love that, they love their dancing. Louis would love your dance routine.’
She watched a rehearsal of Songs of the Bulbul.
We learn more from the dance company’s website.
Birdsong is fleeting—like dance, it exists only in the present, vanishing as soon as it is sung.
In Persian culture, nightingales or “Bulbuls” are deeply symbolic, representing the soul’s yearning for unity with the divine. Their songs, often directed towards the rose, symbolise the earthly beauty and the divine beloved, capturing the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment.
The Daily Mail piece also reports:
Odedra founded the Aakash Odedra Company in Leicester in 2011 with a mission to create ‘a happier and healthier society through dance and the arts’. Last year the dance troupe joined forces with Move Against Cancer to offer Bollywood movement lessons to those recovering from cancer.”
At the end, the princess seemed hesitant to clap before anyone else before someone joked ‘you can clap now’ which made her laugh.
‘That was so moving. Extraordinary,’ she said. Kate told the orchestra: ‘Thank you. That was really fantastic.’
Here is a quick video of the Princess as she left the dance company.
Catherine, Princess of Wales waves to the public as she visits the Aakash Odedra Company.
The Princess of Wales visited Leicester to celebrate culture and community, the day after the Hindu Festival of Holi.
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She spent time with well-wishers gathered outside the dance company. 
The Telegraph has more in its story.
She was welcomed with dancing, honking horns and crowds jostling to shake her hand as she visited family businesses on Leicester’s Golden Mile. “Welcome to Leicester, Ma’am,” said one shopper who stopped her outside a jeweller’s, while an elderly woman handed her a printed blessing to take away.
By the time she left the community centre, crowds had gathered outside, and as she walked towards them, people surged forward to greet her with hugs and requests for selfies.
“Thank you for coming to see me,” she said.
The Princess then visited several family-run businesses on Leicester’s famous ‘Golden Mile’. 
A news release notes, “The Golden Mile is famous for having one of the highest concentrations of Indian jewellery, sari, and fashion boutiques in the UK and is a vibrant hub for South Asian culture, offering authentic cuisine, sweets, and chai shops.”
We return to The Telegraph’s article.
As she walked round the corner to the Golden Mile, vans honked their horns and drivers waved as they caught sight of the Princess on the busy road.
Shoppers and mothers pushing babies in pushchairs stopped and looked shocked to see her.
The Princess stopped in at Bobby’s restaurant. 
We learn more from this People piece
The Princess of Wales … checked out another confection, said she was “okay with spice” and took a bite as she sat with the restaurant’s owners, Dharmesh and Enna Lakhani. “Mmm. Is this coriander?” the royal remarked. “I love coriander and chili.”
While cilantro and coriander are different terms for the same plant, cilantro is used to refer to the fresh herb, while coriander is typically used for the spice.
(I’ll take one of everything, please.) 
The BBC offers more detail in this story.
The princess also remarked that the Prince of Wales loved chocolate while visiting the Golden Mile…
Dharmesh and Enna Lakhani, a married couple, who run Indian restaurant Bobby’s, which has been in the Golden Mile for 50 years, said Catherine enjoyed the sweet and savoury snacks she tried. Mr Lakhani said: “It was absolutely amazing, it was an honour. We couldn’t even dream of something like this happening.”
We return to the BBC’s story.
The princess told the restaurant owners, while sipping tea and trying savoury snacks and sweets: “Congratulations, it’s amazing your business is still thriving.” She added that in a “fast-paced” world, “sitting down and eating as a family together becomes harder and harder”.
Mrs Lakhani said: “She was so warm, so kind, so approachable as soon as she came in.”
When trying a chutney made with green chillies, Catherine told the couple: “I’m OK with spice.”
She also visited a sari shop. 
The Telegraph’s story provides more detail.
…she visited Ladlees, a family sari shop, where she admired the embroidery of the fabric and asked whether the skills had been passed down through the family.
Catherine said that it was nice to return to the city under “happier circumstances”.
Her last visit took place with Prince William in 2018, when they paid tribute to the victims of a helicopter crash that claimed the lives of five people, including Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the Leicester City football club chairman.
Below is a photo from that 2018 visit. 
Some may remember the Princess’s first visit to the city with the late Queen and Prince Philip during the 2012 Jubilee. 
Today’s final engagement was at Shreeji Dham Haveli, a Hindu Temple in Leicester.
It looks like these ladies may have made the flower garland the Princess is wearing. 
Chatting with people at the temple. 
Another view. 
The Times has more in this piece.
The next part of the whistlestop tour was Shreeji Dham Haveli, a Hindu temple dedicated to the teachings of Shrimad Vallabhacharya Mahaprabhuji, which serves the local Vaishnav community in Leicester where the princess, as is custom, went barefoot.
The Princess was greeted with a blessing, a thumb placed on her forehead by one of the temple’s women, and a flower garland. When asked to take part in some dancing she acquiesced and said, “Oh, go on then” before joining a circle of women dressed in saris stepping around a circle in time to the music.
When asked to take part in some dancing she acquiesced and said, “Oh, go on then” before joining a circle of women dressed in saris stepping around a circle in time to the music.
Here is a quick video via Russell Myers of The Mirror.
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One more view of the Princess dancing.
Another look at the Princess during her visit to the temple. 
The Times article notes, “Her hosts were not going to let her go home without something to eat, so she joined them in the canteen for a vegetarian lunch of samosas, potato sabzi, pilau rice, and chapati.”
Now, we turn to our look at what Kate wore. 
The Princess carried her Emmy London Natasha Clutch ($615) in saddle brown.
Her heels are believed to be by Gianvito Rossi, the label’s Brown Suede 85 Pumps ($850). 
This is a basic style for Gianvito Rossi, with a pointed toe and 3.3″ heel. It is also available at MyTheresa ($717 on sale), Farfetch ($795), and Saks ($850).
She repeated her Sézane ‘Dina’ Earrings ($50, now sold out), crafted of gold-plated recycled brass with natural stones. 
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Also today, an update on a retailer long a favorite for the Princess of Wales, LK Bennett. The retailer filed for administration (similar to a bankruptcy filing in the US) on December 30. Visitors to the company’s website now see this graphic. 
More from Draper’s Online.
The clearance Sale follows US firm Gordon Brothers snapping up the intellectual property and assets of LK Bennett on 28 January. The deal did not include its nine stores and 13 concessions, however, as Gordon Brothers plan to transition the business to “an asset-light model”.
LK Bennett is understood to employ around 145 staff members. A total of 89 store staff and 56 head office employees are at risk and its stores are expected to trade for another two months before shuttering. Online sales via the brand’s website are set to continue for the foreseeable future, with further reductions for its discounted stock.
Very sad news, indeed. Additionally, footwear and accessories retailer Russell and Bromley went into administration before being purchased by Next. The Chronicle has more in this piece. As many readers know, it is a very tough time for many retailers.
Russell & Bromley, which has operated on the UK high street for more than 140 years, fell into administration in January. Administrators were appointed on January 21, while Next purchased the brand name, domain names, and intellectual property of the shoe retailer.
Next acquired the brand name, domain names, and intellectual property of Russell & Bromley.
I will see you on Monday for the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey. The Prince and Princess of Wales are confirmed to attend the service. Here is a refresher on the ensembles we have seen her wear to previous services. 
VIDEO:
ITN’s Royal Family Channel offers eleven minutes of coverage in this video.
A video from Kensington Palace covering the dance company engagement.
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Marie C.
Thursday 5th of March 2026
That Chris Kerr coat is seriously fabulous! The outfit Kate wore to the 2023 Christmas carol concert is one of my all time favorite Kate looks. I think the new dress worn today pairs very well with the coat. The pleating on the bottom of the dress is really pretty. Kate’s accessories were on point. I love the brown suede purse/heels and also the earrings. I adore Kate in creamy white. She looks gorgeous and angelic! More of this type of look please!!
Suze
Thursday 5th of March 2026
I really like this look. The rose garland is so beautiful against monochromatic white.