The Prince & Princess of Wales Mark Third Anniversary of Queen’s Death

The Prince and Princess of Wales marked the third anniversary of the death of her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with a visit to the Women’s Institute in Sunningdale, Ascot.

In its story, The Daily Mail notes, “The WI is the largest women’s organisation in the UK and was supported by the late Queen Elizabeth II, who joined the organisation in 1943 and serving as President of the Sandringham branch from 2003 until her death in 2022.”

Below, the Queen Mother and late Queen Elizabeth II as they arrived for an institute meeting in 1999.

This Royal Central post offers insight into the involvement of royal women with the institute. 

Queen Elizabeth II is known for making an annual visit to the Women’s Institute at West Newton near her Sandringham estate in Norfolk. The Queen started to attend meetings back in 1943, taking over as President from the Queen Mother who had taken over the role from Queen Mary. 

In this 2015 photo marking the institute’s 100th anniversary, you see the Princess Royal, the late Queen, and the Countess of Wessex.

We return to the Daily Mail story. 

The Princess of Wales was asked if she was a member of the WI and replied: ‘No, but I should be!’

William asked if the organisation might consider him to join as an honorary male member but was told by Hilary Fraser ‘No, not unless you can put on a skirt.’

Without hesitating, the prince replied: ‘Well, for a chocolate brownie, Hilary, you never know what I’ll do.’

More information about the institute can be found on its website.

Today, we are the largest women’s organisation in the UK and we pride ourselves on being a trusted place for all women of all generations, to share experiences and learn from each other.  A WI membership offers the opportunity to meet women in your local area in-person and virtually, to make friends and make a difference in your community. We campaign nationally on a wide range of issues and provide life-long learning and self-development opportunities for women in England and Wales.

From The Evening Standard’s coverage. 

During the visit to the The Berkshire Federation of Women’s Institutes, which oversees 61 groups across the county, their Royal Highnesses met members, trustees and support staff from across Berkshire to hear about their work and the opportunities the WI provides for women to connect, learn and contribute to their local communities.

And this via Hello’s story. 

William told some of the guests: “It’s three years since my grandmother died, she was a big part of the WI, she used to talk about it a lot. This is the first time I’ve been, and experienced the WI, so this is a huge honour for me.”

We go back to The Daily Mail’s article. 

The princess said that she and the children had been ‘crafting in every corner of the house’ over the summer holidays, and spoke to the women about her bee-keeping, and the importance of ‘making and crafting’ and ‘community’.

Sally Pellow, 64, had some more recent family recollections to share, too, saying that her daughter had served the Princess of Wales in a French Connection shop in Reading and how, around five years ago, she bumped into a young Prince George in an interior design shop in the area. ‘I had popped in to pick up some wallpaper samples and Prince George had gone in with his granny, Carole Middleton’ Mrs Pellow said. ‘He was beautifully dressed and sitting at a desk eating bits of orange.’

Prince William mentioned chocolate brownies in a quote above; it turns out the tasty treat was a topic of conversation. We have more information via this Marie Claire article. 

…William and Kate… sitting at a table enjoying some sweet treats with WI members as the Prince of Wales reveals that he’s not a fan of one ingredient in his brownies. “The brownies are…” William said, giving an “okay” gesture with his fingers. “I know my brownies,” he added.

“William is very fussy about brownies,” the Princess of Wales chimed in, with William confirming, “very fussy about brownies.” He then asked, “Do you put nuts in them?” to one WI member, who said she didn’t.

In this video clip, you can hear the Prince and Princess discuss the benefits – or lack thereof – of adding nuts to brownies. 

“William is very fussy about brownies” 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/YO0Jdb0IPr

— anna (@tokkianami) September 8, 2025

It looked like everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves. The royals posed for photos at today’s engagement.

 Including a big group shot.
 Kensington Palace posted a brief video about the visit on social media.  

Cake and conversation to mark three years since the passing of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 🍰

It was very special to hear from those who had met Her Late Majesty, and reflect on the impact she had within the @WomensInstitute, as a longstanding member.

Thank you to the… pic.twitter.com/9Mi11EISrO

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) September 8, 2025

Now, let’s take a look at what Kate wore.

Her dress is a past-season Alessandra Rich design from a 2021 collection that features a large check print in grey, black, white, and a touch of hot pink. It showcases an oversized collar with ruffle detailing, puffed short sleeves, waist detailing, a modified fluted skirt, a concealed back zipper, and large decorative crystal or rhinestone buttons.

An online posting for a previously owned dress shows it as 100% silk, with a lining—a closer look at some of the details.

One person recognized and identified the dress right away: Middleton Maven included it as part of an ideal look for the Princess back in 2021 on Instagram. 

We saw the return of the Princess’s Hugo Boss ‘Staple’ Heels in the anthracite color way, made with embossed calfskin with a pointed toe and heel measuring about 3.5″ in height.

The Princess also wore her Grace White Topaz and Diamond Earrings (£975, roughly $1320 at today’s exchange rates) by Kiki McDonough. 

I’ll close with a social media post from Buckingham Palace.