A Message From The Princess of Wales and a Review of Her Trooping the Colour Style

UPDATE: Minutes after publishing this post, the Princess of Wales released a message on social media. 

The message was accompanied by this photo. 

Richard Palmer offered more insight. 

Those close to her have stressed that this should not be seen as her returning to full time public duties. She will ride in a carriage with her children to Trooping and appear on the palace balcony. But she is not expected at Garter Day or Ascot next week.

The King is said to be delighted after Kate spoke to him to tell him she would be at his official birthday celebration. Buckingham Palace: “His Majesty is delighted that the Princess is able to attend tomorrow’s events, and is much looking forward to all elements of the day.”

Roya Nikkhah adds this information. 

So we will see the Princess tomorrow for the traditional carriage ride and on the balcony at Buckingham Palace! In the photo accompanying the message, the Princess wears her Blazé Milano jacket worn to an air show last July and what appears to be her Kiki McDonough hoops with the Annoushka pearl drops. 

Now to our review of the the Princess’s Trooping the Colour style over the years. The Duchess of Cambridge took part in her first Trooping the Colour ceremony in June 2011. 

She wore an ivory coat by Alexander McQueen.

The Cotton and Wool Blend Piqué Coat was a double-breasted design.

The coat’s most striking design element was a cascading peplum that created a samurai skirt effect. It was a blend of 71% cotton and 29% wool. It also featured a short collar and lapels, accentuated padded shoulders, and long sleeves with button-fastening cuffs.

This image gives you a better view of the waffle-like texture of the fabric.

We saw the coat again the following year at Order of the Garter. 

The Duchess accessorized with the Lion Tamer hat by Sylvia Fletcher for Lock & Co., considered a signature style in the company’s Couture Collection at that time. It is hand-sculpted from layers of dyed ebony sinamay and finished with a single ostrich feather. The Duchess wore the hat again that afternoon when attending a wedding and on two other occasions.

In the jewelry department, the Duchess chose her Grace White Topaz Earrings by Kiki McDonough. 

The Duchess opted for a sleek Erdem look for Trooping the Colour the following year.

The bespoke Erdem dress was in a soft blue-grey shade with a floral motif.

The dress was based on a classic Erdem sheath. It incorporated several of Erdem’s signature design elements: a gored bodice, seamed waist, three-quarter-length sleeves, and a modified portrait neckline. The Duchess wore the dress again in late September 2012 for a wedding.

She chose a hat by Jane Corbett, a saucer percher-style with looping straw bow tails. 

Later that year, Ms. Corbett shared a photo of the hat under construction. 

Accessories included the Links of London Bubble Stiletto Earrings and a version of the suede Alexander McQueen bag seen below. 

In 2013, the Duchess was in a soft pink ensemble.

She was expecting Prince George and opted for an Alexander McQueen coat in a loose cut with a wide collar, side darting, bracelet-length sleeves, and oversized pearl buttons.

The Jane Corbett hat featuring delicate lace and a bow was first seen at a May 2012 garden party.

We saw the Kiki McDonough hoops and Annoushka pearl drops, and the return of the grey Alexander McQueen clutch.

At 2014’s ceremonies, the Duchess changed things up a bit, wearing a skirt suit.

The Alexander McQueen design was crafted of silk and cotton jacquard material. The jacket featured a close, tailored fit with a notched collar, darts, and a peplum. It also had a concealed hook-and-eye front closure and buttons at the cuff. The skirt looked like a straight cut that likely had a back slit for ease of movement.

The Duchess altered some of the garment’s more dramatic elements, removing the front cutout portion of the peplum and eliminating the pleated back. The closure on her jacket was higher than in the off-the-rack version.

Her hat was a Jane Taylor design, a percher style adorned with lace detailing that looks like it depicts ferns.

The Duchess also wore a pearl or faux-pearl brooch that remains UFO, although the Court Jeweller notes it is similar to a pair of Balenciaga faux pearl earrings, a necklace, and a ring that is also unidentified. The necklace, ring, and earrings were worn to a Paris reception in 2017. We show the necklace below as worn at that reception.  

She carried the grey clutch again and wore the Kiki McDonough hoops with Annoushka pearl drops. 

The Duchess’s first engagement after Princess Charlotte’s birth in 2015 was Trooping the Colour. For the occasion, she selected a Catherine Walker coat.

This was the first year Prince George was part of the event.

The Catherine Walker Astrid Coat featured a soft floral design. It is described as having “a contemporary pencil line and neat rounded collar that is sharply tailored in crisp textured woven ivory and ice blue silk.” It also has princess seaming, self-covered buttons, and bracelet-length sleeves.

A closer look at the collar and buttons.

Her Sylvia Fletcher for Lock & Company hat was the Marisabel style done in Sinamay with a wide brim and a single feather.

The Duchess wore her hair down with a loose curl at the ends. 

She also had on the aquamarine and diamond earrings that remain unidentified. 

At Trooping the Colour in 2016, Princess Charlotte made her debut on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

Her mother elected to wear the Alexander McQueen design seen at Princess Charlotte’s christening. 

Here is a look at the fit-and-flare design worn in July 2015 for the christening, with a photo from Trooping the Colour in the center and another on the right when the coat was worn in Belgium in 2017. The style was an intricately tailored design with multiple gores and darts. It also featured a fitted bodice with wide, winged lapels, slightly padded and raised shoulders, and a deep back pleat.

In these images, you get a sense of the complexity involved in the design.

This was the first year the Duchess wore her hair up. Her Philip Treacy hat from the Irish milliner’s spring/summer 2016 collection showed off the hairstyle nicely. The style showcased a broad brim with silk rosettes under the brim.

Jewelry included a new pair of Balenciaga earrings, the Eugenia silvertone clips with faux pearls and crystals. The Duchess also wore her Mappin and Webb Empress necklace.

The Duchess was ‘in the pink’ for the Queen’s 2017 Birthday Parade. 

She wore an Alexander McQueen design for the event.

Once again, the Cambridge children charmed the crowds. 

This was a departure from the paler, more subdued colors worn to previous Trooping the Colour ceremonies. The bubblegum pink style showcased a paper-bag waist and pleated neckline, with pleats in the skirt, long sleeves, and a concealed back zipper.

The wool-blend dress looked like it was derived from this autumn/winter 2016 collection piece.

Here you can see the waist detailing in the the Duchess’s dress and the off-the-rack designs. 

The Jane Taylor Lyssa hat was a hit with many fashion fans. It is described as “a fabulously flamboyant piece, involving swerving abaca pleats in tonal shades, which emphasise its depth and intricacy” on the Jane Taylor site.

The elegant updo allowed the Duchess’s earrings to shine. Below, the earrings worn at the 2017 Trooping the Colour event are shown on the far left (the sun makes them tough to photograph well); the other two images show them when worn on other occasions.

They were on loan from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and feature a cluster of diamonds at the top, with a diamond ‘frame’ surrounding a line of four diamonds that graduate in size from small to large. 

The Duchess carried a clutch by Etui Bags. 

For Trooping the Colour in 2018, the Duchess returned to a favorite designer. 

She wore an Alexander McQueen dress in soft blue with a squared neckline, puffed sleeves, set-in waistband, and pleated skirt.  

Accessories in 2018 included a hat by Juliette Botterill. More about the design from the good folks at Royal Hats: “The sidesweep saucer is trimmed with abaca silk bows and net tulle veil in the same barely-there-blue along with cream silk flowers. While subtle, the colour is lovely against Kate’s colouring and dark hair and the hat’s lavish trim is a great counterpoint to the simple lines of her dress.”

The Duchess carried a bag that was not shown well in any of the photos I have seen; it remains unidentified. She wore jewelry by Kiki McDonough, the jeweler’s Signature Blue Topaz and Diamond Drop Earrings, with the Eden Flower Blue Topaz and Diamond Necklace. 

2019’s ceremony brought another Alexander McQueen dress, this one in a soft yellow hue. 

This was the year Prince Louis made his debut on the Buckingham Palace balcony. Another view.

The Duchess’s lemon yellow dress featured a v-neck with a double elongated collar, inset waistband, and slightly peaked shoulders. 

Many immediately recognized her hat; it was the Philip Treacy ‘slice hat’ adorned with silk with rosettes first worn for the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

The Duchess carried the Butterfly Box Clutch by Alexander McQueen.

She wore the Queen’s Bahrain Pearl and Diamond Drop earrings and an unidentified cross necklace.

In 2022, the parade was also part of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee. 

The Cambridge children rode in a carriage for the first time, accompanying their mother and the Duchess of Cornwall.

The Duchesses of Cornwall and Cambridge. 

The Queen with a smile for Prince Louis. 

The Duchess of Cambridge was in an Alexander McQueen design. 

It was first worn for a G-7 reception in June 2021, as shown below. It has some design elements seen in the McQueen dress below. The style has the fit-and-flare silhouette the Duchess is fond of, with two buttons at the waist, peaked lapels, long sleeves with slightly flared cuffs, four buttons at the cuff, and a full skirt.   

The Duchess wore her hair up with a hat by Philip Treacy.

The style as shown on the Philip Treacy site. 

You can better see the hat and updo in this profile view.

The earrings once belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales. The necklace was first worn when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and his wife, First Lady Olena Zelenska, in December 2020. Below, it is shown when worn to the Commonwealth service in March 2022

The Duchess carried her Strathberry bag, the Scottish brand’s Multrees Chain Wallet Clutch.

Our final ensemble was seen at last year’s Trooping the Colour festivities. 

The Princess of Wales wore an Andrew Gn design. 

The vibrant green dress stood out against the colors at Horse Guards Parade.  

The green was a nod to her role as Colonel of the Irish Guards.

It also showed well on the Buckingham Palace balcony. 

One more balcony shot. 

The tailored design from the designer’s Spring/Summer 2023 collection showcased a slim fit, a satin placket, collar, pocket trim, and cuffs.

Here you see the style as seen on the Andrew Gn site. The off-the-rack version of the garment was described as being made of a viscose, acetate, and silk blend. The Princess dispensed with the ruffled trim at the collar and cuffs.

A close-up view of the embellishment on the front of the dress.

The Princess’s Philip Treacy chapeau featured a broad brim, a satin band, and a bow at the back with one of the embellished ‘buttons’ seen above.

The Princess wore a pair of diamond and sapphire earrings that belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales, that were worn for last year’s Trooping the Colour events. The Princess also had on the Cartier Shamrock Brooch that belongs to the Irish Guards.   

She was in a new pair of heels that very much resembled the Aquazzura ‘Purist’ 105 in emerald green. We saw the return of the Dora Envelope Clutch by LK Bennett.

When taking a collective look at Trooping the Colour ensembles worn by the Princess of Wales, you can see the gradual shift to a more sophisticated look. Some thoughts:

• The Princess first wore her hair up in 2016, and that was a permanent shift.
• You really see the importance of Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen; 8 of the 11 looks were anchored by McQueen designs. 
• Just 2 of the designs were repeats, both initially worn at significant events. The dress worn to Princess Charlotte’s christening was brought back the year Princess Charlotte made her debut on the balcony. The second repeat was worn for an engagement with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and brought back for the Platinum Jubilee. 

Saturday’s post covering this year’s Trooping the Colour ceremony may be read here.