The Princess Wears Blazé Milano for Family Outing to Air Tattoo

 The Princess of Wales debuted a Blazé Milano jacket for a visit to the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) with her family.

The Wales children joined both of their parents for today’s outing at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, about two hours west of Windsor. All three children are on vacation from school; classes don’t resume until the first week of September.

It is the world’s largest military airshow and a fundraiser for the RAF Charitable Trust, supporting the RAF and encouraging interest in the aviation industry among young people. Below, Prince George shaking hands with an airman.

For those curious about the name, here is more from The Soldiers Project site. 

The name “military tattoo” dates back to the 17th century. It is from the phrase “doe den tap toe”, which translates into “turn off the tap”. The phrase refers to a signal made by trumpeters and drummers to announce to in-keepers by military garrisons to stop giving soldiers beers so they can return to the barracks. Each evening, this would happen at 21:30 or 9:30 P.M. The trumpeters and drummers would play until 22:00 or 10:00 P.M, which was the curfew.

It was a soggy day, with officials for the Tattoo suggesting people “prepare with warm and waterproof clothing, plus suitable footwear.” The Wales family’s first stop was a visit to the enormous C-17 Globemaster that carried the late Queen’s coffin from Scotland to England.

I think almost all of us remember that day. Below, the scene in Edinburgh last September.

More from this BBC story. 

The plane that carried the Queen’s coffin back to London from Edinburgh is one of those taking centre stage at a military air show. Around 180,000 people will visit RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire from Friday for the Royal International Air Tattoo.

The C-17 Globemaster III is one of the planes that can be visited. The C-17’s loadmaster, Peter Hicks, said he is particularly proud of returning the Queen to London after her death.

“We were very humbled to take part in that,” he said.

Prince Louis taking a closer look at the information. 

The Evening Standard’s story offers more information. 

…the young royals enjoyed the experience of being taken round aircraft by Wing Commander Will Essex, with Louis spotted clambering onto a quad bike in the hold and heard speaking on the aircraft’s pa system.

Wg Cdr Essex, commanding officer of 99 Squadron which operates the C-17 planes, said: “With the prince and princess we were chatting about our roles and with the children we were just showing them around.

“They sat on a little quadbike we had down the back and then they got in the cockpit and sat in the pilots’ seats and flicked some switches.”

Prince George was allowed to push the button (or flip the switch) to partially raise the aircraft’s ramp.

Some readers may remember Prince George’s first visit to the Tattoo back in 2016. 

The family as they exited the aircraft today.

The Princess of Wales made a solo visit to the show’s Techno Zone, a space designed to inspire young people to explore science, technology, engineering, and math.

Below, the Princess speaking with Air Cadets; she is the organization’s Honorary Air Commandant.

We return to the Evening Standard’s piece.

She chatted to Air Cadets Rowan Dally, Matthew Busby, both 19, and Anna Dury, 17, dubbed The Three Flying Fish who are aiming to become the youngest team to row across the Atlantic in a challenge planned for 2025.

Anna, whose cadet group is based in Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex, said: “I was a bit cheeky and asked her if she wanted to join us and she asked for us to keep her posted.”

She also chatted to Air Cadets from 172 Haywards Heath Squadron in Sussex including Luke Mutton, who has learnt to fly but has yet to pass his driving test. He said: “I haven’t started driving yet, it’s just so amazing flying a plane, I don’t think there’s anything that beats the feeling you get from flying.”

The Princess also spoke with winners of the “Road to RIAT competition,” a year-long program involving students from 300 schools across the UK.

Another view. 

Students were challenged to design “…either a glider or a rocket, learning about sustainability and then developing a competition entry.”

Now for our look at what Kate wore today. 

We begin with the Blazé Milano’ Wind Hunter Charmer Pinstriped Grain de Poudre’ jacket ($1910, past season, sold out), crafted in a silk/linen blend with a subtle pinstripe. (Grain de poudre is a tightly woven material often used for suiting, generally referring to wool.)

The blazer is a double-breasted design featuring peak lapels, a center-back vent, oversized buttons of woven leather strips, and the brand’s signature half-moon-shaped Smiley pockets. In an interview with Women’s Wear Daily, Delfina Pinardi, one of the founders, said, “…the pocket became a signature thanks to the market’s feedback, which determined its success and made our pieces immediately recognizable. We had originally thought of other additional shapes for pockets but that feedback encouraged us to continue in this direction.”

This design was sold exclusively at Net-a-Porter and was apparently used as a fundraiser; an Editorialist description noted, “20% of the profits from the sale of this product will go to the Association of the Italian Red Cross.” Thank you to UFO No More for this ID!

This is not the first time the Princess has worn the brand. I do not have photos, but it’s believed she wore the Lahloo Anyway Checked Blazer for Christmas services in 2021 (Hello photos here). 

I am not sure which pair of trousers the Princess wore today. 

The Princess repeated her Lulu Pointed Flats (£440) in midnight navy suede by Emmy London. 

She brought back her Sézane ‘Bruna’ earrings ($60, now sold out). First noted in December 2021, the gold-plated hoops feature hand-set glass stones.

We saw the return of the Daniella Draper Citrine Baby Treasure Necklace ($1150), a design made with 100% recycled 9ct gold, set with a citrine.

Here is one more photo from the event. 

We’ll see you tomorrow – Kensington Palace has confirmed the Princess will attend the Women’s Final at Wimbledon. 

VIDEOS: 

There is roughly one minute of video in this piece from the Manchester Evening News. 

 The Royal Family Channel has three minutes of coverage in this video.