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The Princess Wears McQueen, Mulberry and Burberry for Boston Arrival & Welcome

The Princess Wears McQueen, Mulberry and Burberry for Boston Arrival & Welcome

We saw two ensembles for the first engagements of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ three-day visit to Boston.

Below, the couple as they arrived in Boston for the start of their US trip.

The Princess wore one ensemble for the flight from London and airport arrival, then changed into another look for the official welcome downtown. 

Their British Airways flight landed shortly after 2pm at Boston’s Logan Airport. Below, the couple speaking with Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, who welcomed them at the airport. 

Also greeting them this afternoon, First Lady of Massachusetts Lauren Baker and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. 

This WHDH story had reactions from other passengers on the flight. 

For those sharing the flight with royalty, passengers told 7NEWS they were pleasantly surprised, though they did get the impression something was up when they saw the added security and delay when boarding at Heathrow in London.

“(William’s) a lot slimmer – oh God, can I say that?” said Jo Atkins, another passenger who arrived at Logan with the royals. “Yeah, very slight. (Kate’s) beautiful, obviously, as one would expect. But yeah, wasn’t expecting that today when I got on my plane.”

“You know, they’re so well-known and famous, that it’s always nice when you have an opportunity to be with people like that,” said another passenger.

Another view of the royals at the airport. 

Shortly after their arrival, a message about the visit was posted on the Kensington Palace social media accounts. It included a poignant reference to the Prince’s grandmother.

Here you see Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at City Hall during that 1976 visit.

During their stay, the royals are riding in a hybrid Range Rover. In this video of the motorcade on its way to city hall, you get a sense of how heavily it was raining this afternoon. 

Crowds waited in the wind and rain to see the royal visitors.

They appeared to keep their spirits high despite the miserable weather.  

Earlier today at City Hall, today, the UK flag was raised. 

When the Prince and Princess arrived at City Hall, they met Boston’s Mayor Michelle Wu and her family.

Here is a quick video from Richard Palmer of The Express

You can better see the Princess in this photo.

More about the meeting from Hello’s story.

The Mayor was joined by her husband Conor Pewarski and their sons Cass and Blaise. Mayor Wu’s team have worked closely with the Earthshot Prize ahead of the Ceremony.

She was elected mayor in 2021, winning with 64% of the vote, becoming the first woman, first person of colour, and first Asian-American elected to serve as the Mayor of Boston.

We return to Simon Perry’s People piece

The heir to the throne thanked Wu and the people of Boston for supporting the Earthshot Prize Awards.

“Thank you so much for your help,” he said. “I think people are excited about the awards.”

After chatting, everyone headed outside. In this photo, you see the Mayor, her family, and Governor-elect Maura Healey (blue coat), the Commonwealth’s attorney general.

A quick video from Hello magazine’s Emily Nash. 

The Prince and Princess watch Maura Healey speak. 
 Then it was time for Prince William’s remarks.

More from Simon Perry’s People story

As he took the stage, William told the excited crowd gathered outside Boston City Hall, “Thank you to Mayor Wu and thank you to all the hardy Bostonians braving the rain!”

“There are two reasons why Boston was the obvious choice to be the home of the Earthshot Prize in its second year,” he continued. “Sixty years ago, President John F. Kennedy’s “Moonshot” speech laid down a challenge to American innovation and ingenuity. ‘We choose to go to the moon,’ he said, ‘not because it is easy but because it is hard.’

The Prince also said, “Like President Kennedy, Catherine and I firmly believe that we all have it in ourselves to achieve great things, and that human beings have the ability to lead, innovate and problem-solve.”

The rain did stop at one point. 

After the Prince spoke, the royals, Mayor Wu, and Governor-Elect Healey pressed a button to light up City Hall in green. 

In addition to lighting City Hall in green, Hello reports, “…buildings lit up in green included the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, the skyscraper 100 Federal St, Atlantic Wharf, Government Center, and TD Garden, home of the NBA’s Boston Celtics.”

It appeared the Princess wore Alexander McQueen, the brand’s Leaf Crepe Jacket, and coordinating trousers. There has been much discussion as to whether the ensemble is the navy look worn in September when meeting sailors from HMS Glasgow (below left) or the same styles but in amethyst (two photos on the right), a past-season color. 

Tracking Royals suggests the style is the amethyst color, and Middleton Maven thinks that is highly possible. Others believe it is the navy look. I really can’t tell, but if pushed to pick one, I would lean toward the purple. We know the Princess has this jacket and coordinating trousers in several other colors, and it isn’t difficult to imagine her purchasing this when it was available. 

As you might imagine, the color debate includes the pumps worn by the Princess. Below you see the Gianvito Rossi 105 in navy (left) and the Gianvito 105 ($775) in black at My Theresa, as well as FWRD, and at Nordstrom.

The Princess wore sapphire and diamond earrings that belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales.

We first saw her wearing the double-cluster earrings in June at Trooping the Colour

Diana wore them frequently, including the famous November 1985 White House gala when she danced with John Travolta.

As well as the 1996 Met Gala.  
Embed from Getty Images
Now for the outfit worn for the City Hall ceremonies.

The Princess wore a tartan Burberry dress and an Alexander McQueen coat. With thanks to Laura for the ID, it looks like a customized version of the ‘Aurora,’ shown in pink sequins at Nordstrom and in black wool at Lyst, along with a Burberry Tartan Kilt that Laura shared. The dress is a midi style with long sleeves, asymmetrical draping at the front, and a round neck.

Couture and Royals on Twitter suggested the Princess might have worn tartan in honor of St. Andrew’s Day today, and I think she is probably right. I will update you with more on the coat but wanted to get at least this much of the post published. 

The Princess carried a new Mulberry handbag, the Amberley Small Satchel ($1035). The brand says, “its shape and hardware borrowed from equestrian styling.” It features a “Rider’s Lock closure” in goldtone hardware, an adjustable-length shoulder strap, and it measures 6″ x 7″ x 3″ deep. Thank you to Middleton Maven and Carly at Kate Middleton Style for the handbag ID.

UPDATE: The product photos show the bag with a shoulder strap and not a top handle; I don’t know if a version with that handle/or both the handle and a strap will be available in the future, or if it is a custom piece done specifically for the Princess. Thank you to Sue for her comment asking about this.  

Her heels are likely the Emmy London Rebecca in a color called greenery. 

The Princess wore new earrings by Shyla London, the Chunky Knot Baroque Pearl style ($72), done in 22-carat gold on silver.

Shyla notes on its About page that “our stones are natural and our metals are ethically sourced or recycled,” adding their packaging is all recycled material. Thank you to Efthalia for her tip on the style.  

The Prince and Princess are at tonight’s Boston Celtics game; I am working on a separate post about that engagement. Below, the Prince and Princess with Mayor Wu and Governor-Elect Healey. 

On a related note, it looks like the Prince and Princess will be meeting President Biden when he is in Boston on Friday. More from this quick video with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. 

VIDEOS

A quick Kensington Palace video. 

Mayor Michelle Wu’s video. 

WBZ has Prince William’s speech. 

 

 

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Larissa

Wednesday 28th of December 2022

I had a chuckle at the title of this post. Seeing McQueen, Mulberry, and Burberry listed like that felt to me like, "We're going to America – pack as many British brands as you can!"

Jokes aside, I loved both of these looks. Blazers with turtle necks underneath always look stylish, and while I do tend to think an all-navy ensemble makes more sense, the amethyst version of the suit is an interesting choice. I wouldn't think to pair purple with navy and yet, at least in these photos, it works.

The Burberry dress is beautiful, a classic pattern from them, and the slim cut is so flattering that for once I actually think this length is the right choice. In some photos the gold of the earrings looks a bit too bright, not entirely in keeping with the rest of the outfit, and I don't love the style of them – but I have to give credit to Kate for bringing out the sustainable brands so early in this tour. It was also great that the whole tour crew flew on a regularly scheduled British Airways flight rather than taking their own plane; actions speak louder than words when it comes to the climate crisis. What a pleasant surprise that must have been for some of the other passengers too!

Caroline A.

Monday 5th of December 2022

British Vogue wrote that the McQueen suit is amethyst.

https://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/gallery/kate-middleton-boston-outfits

I love this look on The Princess of Wales. It’s businesslike, but the earrings and the turtleneck soften it. The belt is perfect.

Caroline A.

Amber

Thursday 1st of December 2022

As an American, I’m happy they chose Boston to visit this go-round. There’s so much history there. As far as the color of the suit, I could see Kate choosing something in the purple range. Given her attention to honoring national colors of the countries she visits, and at the same time being thoughtful to remain neutral in matters of politics, purple in this case would be the appropriate choice. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe the suit is blue. But it wouldn’t surprise me that she would choose purple to step off the plane and into the US.

Phousithy Ratanavong

Thursday 1st of December 2022

Prince and Princess of Wales are so down to earth. Love this couple. Will be following them in the news and TV. I'm from Virginia.

MaryH

Thursday 1st of December 2022

I'm admittedly underwhelmed with her tour kick-off. The pantsuit is lovely for another context. Here, though, it feels too casual - especially compared to her usual knockout "walk off the plane" ensembles that she typically wears whenever kicking off a tour. As for the dress, I appreciate the sentiment behind it, but an entire tartan dress that includes detailing at the waist that changes the lines is a distracting miss for me. She's had some knockout ensembles recently, so I suppose I've been spoiled, but these outfits are a pass for me, especially in this context.

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