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The Princess Brings Back Self Portrait Style for Garter Day

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The Princess Brings Back Self Portrait Style for Garter Day

The Princess of Wales brought back a Self Portrait dress for today’s Order of the Garter ceremonies in Windsor. 

The Duchess of Edinburgh and Princess of Wales outside St. George’s Chapel.

We learn more about the Order via the Royal Family site. 

In medieval times, King Edward III was so inspired by tales of King Arthur and the chivalry of the Knights of the Round Table that he set up his own group of honourable knights, called the Order of the Garter.

Nearly 700 years later, the Order is the oldest and most senior Order of Chivalry in Britain. The Knights, now both male and female, used to be limited to aristocracy, but today they are chosen from a variety of backgrounds, in recognition for their public service.

The spiritual home of the Order is St George’s Chapel, Windsor.

Lizzie Robinson of ITV posted a video as members of the Order walked to the chapel. You can see the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, as well as other royal family members, in this clip. 

It was a sunny day in Windsor, with temperatures in the upper 70s.

We return to the Royal Family site for additional background information. 

The annual Garter Day procession, where The King and the Knights process in grand velvet robes, glistening insignia and plumed hats, is one of the most traditional ceremonies in the Royal calendar….a grand procession of the knights takes place at Windsor Castle, accompanied by a marching band and Officers of the Order, all in grand ceremonial dress.

The members and officers attend a lunch hosted by the Sovereign, and then all process on foot to a service in St. George’s Chapel. There is a short service where any new Companions are installed. The Sovereign and other members of the Order then return to the Upper Ward of the castle in carriages and cars.

Below, the King and Queen as they walked to the chapel.

More from The Daily Mail’s piece by Rebecca English. 

The King, resplendent in the traditional velvet robes and plumed hat of the Order of the Garter, smiled as he presided over the elaborate display of pomp and pageantry in the blazing sunshine. 

The Queen, also dressed in the order’s full regalia, walked alongside him as the procession snaked its way down the hill from the castle’s quadrangle to St George’s Chapel.

Hundreds of onlookers, many trying to shelter from the heat with straw hats and parasols, cheered as the party slowly made its way through the grounds.

In this photo, you see the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, Princess Royal, the Duke of Gloucester, and former Prime Minister Sir John Major (foreground) as they made their way to the chapel.

The Duke of Kent rode to the chapel, as health issues precluded walking in the procession.

Another view of the Duchess of Edinburgh and Princess of Wales. 

Rebecca English of The Daily Mail shared a video showing the Princess of Wales, Duchess of Edinburgh, and others waiting for the procession.  

If you look closely, you can see former Prime Minister Sir Tony Blair, who was made a Knight of the Order in 2022, and Lord Lloyd-Webber, who was invested in 2024.

Baroness Amos (on the right), invested in the Order in 2022. 

Prince Edward with his nephew, Prince William, as they made their way to the chapel. 

The King and Queen as they exited the chapel following the conclusion of the service.

The Prince of Wales, Princess Royal, and Duchess of Gloucester as they left the chapel. 

Here you see the Prince and Princess of Wales with the Duchess of Edinburgh on the chapel steps after the service.

Then it was time to load into carriages for the ride back up the hill. Below, the King and Queen.

The Prince and Princess of Wales. 

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal.

Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence was also in the carriage with the Edinburghs and Princess Anne.
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The Duchess of Gloucester, who was appointed to the Order last year. 
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Another view of the Princess during the carriage ride.

A quick review of some of the royal ensembles begins with the Queen, who wore a white chiffon and lace dress by Fiona Clare beneath her robes. 
Embed from Getty Images
The Duchess of Edinburgh chose a soft pink dress by Suzannah London and a Jane Taylor hat.

Now, for our look at what Kate wore, an ensemble anchored by a Self Portrait dress.

The Self Portrait design may appear to be two separate pieces, but it is a single piece of clothing. The Cream Tailored Bouclé and Chiffon Midi Dress ($575) is crafted from 100% polyester and features a fitted jacket in bouclé fabric, a pleated midi-length skirt with a lace border, satin lapels, hip pockets, a full lining, and a self-belt.

This is the fourth time the Princess has worn the dress. Most recently, the dress, earrings, and necklace were worn for a concert marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day. The design was first noted at a September 2021 reception, then seen again at the Platinum Party at the Palace concert in 2022, and then at last month’s concert.

The Princess debuted a new hat by milliner Sean Barrett, a saucer style with a wide brim.

She wore her hair partially up. 

We saw the return of the Multrees Chain Wallet ($425) by Scottish brand Strathberry. The piece measures roughly 8″ x 4″, is made of calf leather with a magnetic closure, internal zippered pocket, detachable chain, and the brand’s signature Music Bar hardware.

It looks like the Princess may have worn her Bisque Gianvito 105 Pumps ($597 on sale, similar color available here) again. 

The Princess brought back two jewelry items worn to the VE Day concert with this dress, both from vintage jeweler Susan Caplan. The earrings are from the 1980s, featuring a Vintage Renaissance Revival design (£75, now sold out), a gold-plated style with faux pearls in a cross pattern, and smaller faux pearl accents.

The Five-Strand Faux Pearl Necklace (£275, approximately $375 at today’s exchange rates) is rhodium-plated with faux pearls in graduated sizes, featuring a Swarovski crystal clasp. It is now available for ordering.

Reviewing the looks worn by the Princess at Garter Day over the years, we beging with a 2011 Katherine Hooker coat; at the 2012 event we saw the return of the Alexander McQueen ‘Samurai Folds’ coat; in 2014 the Duchess was in a bespoke Christopher Kane coat; in 2016, the Duchess brought back a Catherine Walker ensemble; for 2019’s Garter Day events, we saw another Catherine Walker design; in 2022, the Duchess wore a design believed to be by Alexander McQueen; the Princess chose an Alessandra Rich dress in 2023; today, we have the Self Portrait dress. 

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A quick update about Saturday’s Trooping the Colour ensemble: I mentioned in the post that the Princess appeared to be wearing a satin dress beneath her Catherine Walker coat. In comments, some asked about photos showing the dress, and I explained that I wasn’t able to license any. However, here is a Getty embedded image showing a glimpse of the dress. 
Embed from Getty Images

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Our final note involves Father’s Day photos of the Wales family that were shared on social media yesterday. The images were shot earlier this year in Norfolk by Josh Shinner. In the black and white shot, you see the Wales children with their father on a bed of daffodils. 

In the more formal photo, you see the foursome in a posed image.

Mr. Shinner has taken multiple photos of the family, including the image used for their 2023 holiday card. 

As well as the photo used to celebrate Prince Louis’s seventh birthday in April.

I do not yet know if we’ll see the Princess at Royal Ascot tomorrow or not. If she does attend, I will be back with another post. 

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karen

Sunday 13th of July 2025

this is not one of my favorite outfits of Kate's. I do not like the lacy bottom on the skirt. it seems to break up the outfit. I would prefer if it continued in the same fabric as the top part of the skirt.

Katie

Saturday 5th of July 2025

1) LOVE THE HAT! It brings the drama and I’m 100% here for it. But I prefer the hair up. 2) LOVE the pearl and gold earrings. Very vintage Christian Lacroix. 3) Like the pearl necklace with the deep V-neck because it doesn’t touch the fabric and dazzles on the skin. 4) Like the white, bouclé jacket though it does seem a tad too big on her and could use some tailoring. 5) Hate the lace skirt. I don’t know if the designer is hinting at Dior’s ballerina tulle but it comes off like Laura Ashley bedroom curtains. With Kate’s model figure, I’d recommend a pencil-skirt in the same white, bouclé as the jacket. Kate likes lace so sub the heavy, pearl necklace for a lace shell under the jacket and keep the neck area clean. 6) Meh on the clutch. First, I don’t like the style of it. Second, if the clutch and heels are the frame around the dress, they should match in color and fabric. Usually she does this in suede. But lately she’s been mixing leather clutches with suede heels and it takes away from her “juste donc” (just so) look. 7) LOVE GR stilettos but I’d love to see them in a silk or satin (like her pink Prada heels) or even lace with a matching clutch. Suede is very beautiful but it’s a winter fabric.

Kiki Vancouver

Monday 23rd of June 2025

I’m late to the party but have just a few fashion comments. I love the gorgeous and elegant new hat, but that’s all that I like. I’ve never been able to get on board with this dress. It’s having an identity crisis that I find hard to ignore - the elegant jacket on top doesn’t pair well with the floaty garden party skirt imho. And the suede pumps certainly don’t suit the skirt style.

I also will never be able to get on board with the costume jewelry for someone who has access to the real thing. The Garter Ceremony is formal and traditional, with historical significance going back centuries so this also makes me feel that costume jewelry is just not the right look for the event.

Thanks for the retrospective look at Catherine’s past looks. Most are lovely with the exception of 2012. My favourite is the 2014 icy blue Christopher Kane coat - I’ve always loved this one❤️ When you line all the photos up the post-Covid hem drop is so noticeable! Thanks as always for the excellent coverage.

Jessica

Thursday 10th of July 2025

@Kiki Vancouver, Completely agree with you on all of this! I find the costume jewellery jarring. And I agree about the dress. It's neither one thing nor the other.

DP from SL

Sunday 22nd of June 2025

Thank you for this post, especially the reflection on what the PoW wore over the years. I think my favorites are the Catherine Walker dress she wore in 2019 and the Alessandra Rich she wore in 2023.

Coming down to this year, initially, I did not favour this Self Portrait dress during its first three outings. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked it this time. I believe the more formal setting and the addition of the hat contributed to this change in perception.

Regarding the five-strand pearl necklace, I am not entirely comfortable with it. I wonder if it might be due to a clash with the busy, textured jacket. Lady Sarah Chatto teamed her five-strand necklace with a simple, soft coral ensemble that didn't draw unnecessary or undue attention to it.

Above all, the PoW looks elegant and healthy.

Daphne

Friday 20th of June 2025

If anyone could pull this dress off it is the Princess. Still, and I cannot define it, the dress has always seemed to me to be a bit Off. Just somehow Wrong. Indigestible parts pairing. I can see the jacket being worn (if it were a separate) with a pair of straight-leg silk trousers in black or possibly a chocolate brown, for a meeting or tea.

I appreciate CAWI's hat and glove comments. Echoes of my mother's going to church outfits. and stockings....

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