The Princess Wears Bella Freud for British Textiles Engagements

The Princess of Wales chose a suit by Bella Freud for engagements celebrating British textile makers. 

She started her day at the Sudbury Silk Mills in Suffolk, about three hours northeast of Windsor. She was greeted by Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Suffolk, whom many of you will recognize from his years as Private Secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

More on the theme of today’s engagements from Hello’s coverage. 

[the Princess]…has long been passionate about the importance of the British textiles industry and its role as part of the UK’s cultural and creative voice. She has family links to the industry as her paternal ancestors were the owners of the  woollen manufacturer and merchant, William Lupton & Co, which was based in Leeds. 

Sudbury Silk Mills is a family-run company that has been weaving silk textiles for more than 300 years. The fabric for Queen Camilla’s coronation gown was woven in Sudbury, as was the fabric for the wedding gown worn by Diana, Princess of Wales. 

The Princess looking at one of the looms at the mill.
 Below, the Princess with account manager Beth Humes (in green) and other employees.

More from this BBC story. 

Beth Humes, account manager at Sudbury Silk Mills, led Catherine through the design part of the process, explaining how they developed their fabric collections.

“She’s got a really good understanding of textiles and the industry already,” Ms Humes said.

“She was really interested in how we go about things and really understood the fabric weights and constructions… it was an amazing point to start from.”

We learn more from this Hello Rayo article. 

“It must be amazing seeing the artwork go onto fabrics,” she said.

“Do you know which customers then take this design on?

“It must be such a proud thing being able to see your artwork on the catwalk or in other people’s collections.”

Hello, Rayo also reports, “In a later conversation, with a fabric inspector at the business, Kate said: ‘One of the things I’m really keen to do is support the creative industries and actually showcase how many amazing job opportunities there are for young people within manufacturing.'”

Another view. 

The visit was memorialized with a group photo. 

Following her time with employees, the Princess greeted crowds of well-wishers, including a group of schoolchildren. We return to the Hello Rayo piece.

Afterwards Daniel Woodrow, headteacher at St Gregory Primary, said: “I think you can tell from the children’s smiles and from the fact they’re still shaking a little bit now just what a special gesture it was for the princess to come over and see them and spend some really quality time with them asking them questions, listening to their answers.

“They’re absolutely buzzing and I still have goosebumps that she came over and did that, I’m so happy for them that they had this experience today.”

School pupil Molly Broughton, 10, said it was a “once in a lifetime opportunity”, adding: “I can’t believe it happened.”

Here is a quick video via Suffolk’s Greatest Hits Radio. 

#ThePrincessofWales spoke to students from St Gregory CEVCP Sudbury as she left The Sudbury Silk Mill pic.twitter.com/wvgP9RqcAR

— Greatest Hits Radio Suffolk News (@GHRSuffolk) September 11, 2025

Below, the Princess is seen speaking with another well-wisher, Dorothy Wallis.

The BBC story has more. 

“It was quite a moment. I thought she’d quickly come, in fact I was surprised she even did, and then she got hold of my hand and arm.

“I thanked her for coming over and she said, ‘No – thank you for coming’.”

The Princess then traveled to Marina Mill in Kent, another family-run business.  The mill specializes in screen-printing fabrics for the interior design/home furnishings industry. We learn more from The Daily Mail’s story. 

They supply dozens of royal homes – from Buckingham Palace to Clarence House to Highgrove, and even the Prince and Princess of Wales themselves – and are world- renowned for the quality of their fabrics, as well as the fact that they still do everything by hand.

Rebecca English of The Daily Mail shared a video. 

The Princess of Wales is now at Marina Mill in Cuxton, Kent, a family business that specialises in hand designing and screen- printing furnishing fabrics. pic.twitter.com/iMawjW6udE

— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) September 11, 2025

More from Kent Online’s coverage.

The company operates with a small team of nine employees who produce fabrics using the traditional silk-screen method, and are all highly skilled in hand-printing, colour mixing and screen-making.

Princess Kate, who was dressed in a grey tweed trouser suit, spent time with design director Tandine Rawkins, observing the creative processes before mucking in herself.

Below, the Princess and Ms. Rawkins. 

The Princess started her visit in her jacket and trousers, with her hair down.  

But she soon shed the blazer.

She then put her hair up before trying her hand at the screen-printing process.

More from this People piece. 

Kate removed her suit jacket, donned an apron, and then — in a move that impressed many — effortlessly tied back her long hair without the use of a band, pin or clip. She simply twisted her locks into a bun at the nape of her neck before tucking the ends underneath to secure the simple style.

A quick video. 

Just the Princess of Wales effortlessly putting her hair into a bun with no hair ties or clips at all today 💅 pic.twitter.com/N8Tai9HQPg

— Belle (@RoyallyBelle_) September 11, 2025

Here you see the Princess as she tries printing. We learn more from The Daily Mail story. 

…workers Sam and Adam showed her how to transfer the colour from the screen, which had been engraved with a stunning floral pattern, onto the fabric by pushing through the coloured dye using a squeegee. ‘It’s a real labour of love,’ she remarked. ‘Do you have to do things in a particular order?’

She leaned over and helped place the heavy screen on the table over the material and then waited as Adam pushed the squeegee towards her.

She then picked it up half way and completed the sweep, before catching some more paint on it and pushing it back to him. Concentrating heavily, she asked a few questions about where she should place her hands and appeared delighted when she pulled it off without a mistake.

She then helped Adam carry the screen down to the next segment of fabric, repeating the exercise three times.

Reaction to the Princess’s visit via Kent Online. 

Tandine, reflecting on the royal visit, said: “She was amazing. She has an ability to make everyone feel at ease.

“Everyone was anxious but she makes you forget to be nervous.

“She was asking all the questions – she had done her research.”

Tandine revealed that when a representative from Kensington Palace called in June, “I thought it was a hoax”.

Summing up the visit, she concluded: “I’m really happy with how it went.”

Here is a video from Kensington Palace about the engagements. 

Celebrating creativity, skills and community in Suffolk and Kent. From weaving to hand-printing, a pleasure to see the joy of craftsmanship at the heart of the British textiles industry. pic.twitter.com/VtcGEfEmNm

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) September 11, 2025

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

We begin with her suit by British label Bella Freud. The tailored Earl Jacket ($533) is a single-breasted style done in a Prince of Wales check. The jacket is made of a wool/linen blend and features a slim cut, peaked lapels, and flap pockets. 

The Princess matched the jacket with Bella Freud’s Schoolboy Trousers (£525, roughly $710 at today’s exchange rates). They are a mid-rise design with a straight leg, belt loops, and side and back pockets. Both styles are currently sold out, but you can register to be notified if they are back in stock. Thank you to Mirela and Middleton Maven for this ID. 

Bella Freud is the daughter of painter Lucian Freud and the great-granddaughter of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud. She launched her eponymous fashion label in 1990 and hosts a popular podcast, “Fashion Neurosis.” More about the designer from this New Yorker profile. 

In 1991, Freud won the New Generation Designer category at the British Fashion Awards. At the turn of the millennium, she designed several capsule collections for Jaeger, an old-school British label known for its camel-hair coats. More recently, she has created popular collections for Marks & Spencer, a British department store, with versions of her pussycat-bow blouses and slogan sweaters at a mass-market price point. But her own label has stayed small: she has a staff of around ten and only one boutique, in London’s Marylebone district.  

Middleton Maven suggests that beneath the jacket, the Princess wore a past-season Boden cashmere top similar to the current Eva Cashmere Tee ($149). It is a piece she has worn in the ‘oatmeal’ colorway. 

 The Princess wore her ‘Power’ Pumps in black suede by Stuart Weitzman, a point-toe style with a 3.75″ heel. I’m unsure whether they are the original style she’s worn over the years (below left) or the updated version of the shoe (below right), but I am leaning toward it being the newer style.

We saw the return of the black Anderson’s Croc-Effect Belt ($225).

Here is a closer look; you can just see the faint blue in the pattern. 

The Princess brought back her Daniella Draper Gold Diamond Luxury Maxi Cupid Hoop Earrings ($3400) and Fixed Alphabet Necklace (starting at $495) featuring her children’s first initials.

I’ll leave you with one more image from today’s engagements. 

VIDEO: 

The Royal Family Channel offers more than six minutes of coverage in this video.