The Princess in McQueen and Burberry for Germany State Visit Welcome

The Princess of Wales mixed old and new pieces for ceremonies welcoming Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife, Elke Büdenbender, to the UK today.

The Prince and Princess of Wales greeted the couple at Heathrow Airport.

The BBC reports this is the first state visit by Germany to the UK in 27 years.

Here is a brief video from Kensington Palace of the airport welcome. 

Willkommen President Steinmeier 🇩🇪🤝🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/8ssM38apb5

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) December 3, 2025

We learn more about the ceremony from this BBC story. 

William and Catherine first met the president and his wife at Heathrow airport early on Wednesday, before they travelled onwards to Windsor to be greeted by the King and Queen outside Windsor and Eton Riverside train station.

The group then made their way towards the castle in a carriage procession along Windsor High Street, with Charles and Steinmeier travelling together as German flags waved overhead.

The King and President Steinmeier.
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The Queen and Ms. Büdenbender.
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The Prince and Princess.

The Prince and Princess, after they exited their carriage at Windsor Castle. 

And the group of dignitaries as they walked to the dais.

A wide shot of the dais. 

And from the British Royal Family website. 

In the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle, a Guard of Honour gave a Royal Salute and the regimental Band played the German and British National Anthems. The Federal President, accompanied by The King, inspected the Guard of Honour, before rejoining The Queen and Ms. Büdenbender, together with The Prince and Princess of Wales, to view the military Rank and March past.

The Prince and Princess as they watched the events.

After a private luncheon, the royals and guests viewed a special exhibition of items relating to Germany from the Royal Collection in the Green Drawing Room.

The Prince and Princess. 

We learn more from The Telegraph’s coverage. 

Meanwhile, the Princess of Wales was in her element, examining every exhibit. Pointing to a porcelain Meissen teapot, and referring to the exchange of gifts between the heads of state, she remarked: “It’s nice that Meissen has been gifted this time. It keeps the tradition going.”

Rachel Underhill, curator of decorative arts, said: “Meissen has always been hugely desirable and is still used as a diplomatic gift, something the princess recognised straight away.”

Marvelling at the manuscripts on display, Catherine remarked: “It’s so beautiful.”

The Duchess of Edinburgh viewing the exhibit. 
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The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. 
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Another view of the Prince and Princess of Wales.

We return to The Telegraph’s piece. 

They were also interested in a printed edition of works by former nun Hrotsvitha from the 10th century, regarded as the first female poet and historian from Germany.

Daniel Haynes, assistant curator of books and manuscripts at the Royal Library, said afterwards: “They were very interested in that it was the first woman poet coming out of Germany and that struck them as unusual. And they liked the wood carvings by Albert Durer.”

And one more image of the Princess viewing today’s exhibit.

Now, for our look at what Kate wore, beginning with the vivid blue coat by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. First worn on Christmas Day 2023, the bespoke design is a structured style with notched lapels, flap pockets, an inset waistband with buttons, sleeve bands, and a back vent.

The Princess first wore the coat on Christmas Day 2023. 

The Telegraph offers one theory on the Princess’s choice of color today. 

However, the tone looks different this time around – what was electric blue now appears to have been dyed to a more muted shade of royal blue. It might even be “Prussian blue”, which is said to have been created by accident in 1704 by Berlin-based colourmaker Johann Jacob Diesmach. The shade has links to military history and royalty, and is also considered a symbol of reliability and duty.

UPDATE: I meant to include this, but forgot in the time crunch: I don’t believe the coat has been dyed. It looks the same in color as it did when first worn. 

Beneath the coat, the Princess wore a dress by the iconic British brand Burberry. The “Amelia” dress ($2295) is crafted of 100% wool in a tonal Prince of Wales check in navy blue. Its tailored design features a fit-and-flare silhouette with a twist-lock belt, a concealed back zipper, and side-seam pockets. The Princess’s dress was customized by adding long sleeves. 

A closer look at the details, including the belt, the light on the fabric contrasted against the coat, and the darting on the back. The dress is also available at Bloomingdale’s, and in grey at Harrods. Thank you to Middleton Maven for her speedy ID of this garment. 

The Princess accessorized with many of the same items worn with the coat in 2023, including Juliette Botterill’s Bow and Arrow Percher hat. 

She brought back her custom Gianvito Rossi boots, shown here alongside the brand’s “Glen” style in navy, a past-season design. 

The Princess carried her Emmy London suede clutch, the Natasha style in navy suede ($615 normally, on sale for $492).  

Today’s jewelry glittered in the bright sunlight. Queen Alexandra’s Thee Feathers Brooch showcases three ostrich feathers surrounded by diamonds. The earrings showcase two clusters of diamonds surrounding central sapphires; they originally belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales. She also wore what appears to be the five-strand necklace from Susan Caplan Vintage Jewelry.

Apologies for the brevity and the late post; I had some appointments today that couldn’t be rescheduled. I will leave you with a preview of the Princess’s state dinner ensemble.