The Princess of Wales chose a blend of vintage and current pieces for today’s engagements spotlighting Welsh textiles. 
The engagements are designed to “shine a light on the unique skills and traditions of the British textile industry,” per a Kensington Palace news release. Her first visit was to Melin Tregwynt on the Pembrokeshire coast.
Melin Tregwynt has been in continuous operation since at least 1841, and employs 40 people. 
The Princess was given a tour of the mill by its director, Louise Clark, seen here on the right. 
More from Simon Perry’s People story.
Kate spent time with weavers following the process from design to the finished product and, at the loom, learned about the traditional skills behind the creation of the company’s Welsh double cloth weaving. That is a textile technique producing reversible, thick blankets with inverted patterns on each side.
The Princess at one of the firm’s looms. 
The Princess followed the process of blanket making from the fabric weaving through the creation of the finished product. 
Here, you see her working on a minor flaw in an almost completed blanket. 
A closer view. 
We return to the People article.
Clarke says Princess Kate “had a keen interest in what everybody was doing and why and how each process affected the next.”
Clarke adds, “She was fantastic with everybody. She’s so easy to talk to. Sometimes I get a bit nervous about visits, but today, I’ve been really relaxed. From the minute she came, it was like chatting to someone who had just popped in.”
“You could tell she really wanted to be here; it wasn’t just ticking a box,” the managing director continues.
When the Princess of Wales was taken into the “mending shed,” she picked out some designs that she clearly had seen in her research. Clarke adds, “She had a go at the mending, she started the loom, and she tied a knot. So by the time we came out of mending, I said to her, ‘You could be our new apprentice.’ She had a go at a few things!”
She was welcomed to the factory by Barney, an English cocker spaniel. 
We learn more from this Daily Mail story.
Johann Von Loeper, Hiut’s CEO, said: ‘This is our factory dog.’
The princess bent down to stroke the pet and was heard telling the staff she has the same breed of dog at home, Orla.
She also confirmed the Daily Mail’s recent exclusive that the Wales family had decided to keep a puppy from the litter Orla recently had, saying: ‘You are lovely! We have the same breed of dog.
‘So we’ve got a little puppy, he’s only eight months, and Orla’s five.’
In this photo, you can see Barney’s denim bow tie. 
Hiut offers more information on its website.
A town with a passionate denim heritage, in the 1960’s Cardigan’s first jeans factory employed over 400 artisans, crafting 35,000 pairs a week. When production moved offshore in 2002, that knowledge and skill was left behind.
Hiut was founded in 2011 to bring those skills back home, not to make the most jeans, but the best. Our mission was to train a new generation of craftspeople, and ensure this way of working, rooted in careful production, endured.
Some of you may remember the brand name from when the Duchess of Sussex wore a pair of their jeans during a 2018 visit to Cardiff. Below, the Princess meets with the Hiut design team.
She heard how ideas become sketches, then prototypes, and finally products. The Daily Mail offers more.
Speaking to the design team, Catherine asked: ‘Do you do a variety and big range of different denim? How many different cuts and designs have you got currently as part of the collection.’
She was told the jeans are all named after grandparents of staff members, remarking: ‘It’s so lovely, I love the story telling women through the business.’
Posing for a group photo the princess, who wore green trousers and an eye-catching 1960s vintage Welsh wool coat, joked: ‘I feel like I should have worn a pair of jeans.’
Innovation Textiles has more on the brand in this article.
Hiut designs and makes every pair of jeans in house in Cardigan and at the centre of the business is its team of Grand Masters – among the most experienced jeans makers in the UK. Every pair is cut, sewn and finished locally by makers whose knowledge spans decades, including a 75-year-old cutter with more than 50 years’ experience working with denim in the town.
Below, the Princess with Claudio Belotti, the gentleman with the decades of experience referenced above. 
This BBC piece shares some of the Princess’s comments.
Asked whether she wanted to have a go at cutting out a pair of organic Mari jeans – the firm’s soon-to-be on sale slim fit women’s denims – Catherine joked there was “no pressure”.
While cutting, she said: “I love making things, so I think I would really enjoy making denims.
“The most adventurous I got was making a pair of pyjamas… and I don’t know where they have gone now.”
Johann von Loeper (right), Hiut’s CEO, is seen on the right in this image, as the Princess looks at a pair of premium jeans made for Prince William.
We return to the Daily Mail piece.
She was shown how the firm sews a ‘Made in Wales’ label inside the back of every pair of jeans and said: ‘I love the label Made in Wales. You can really see the handcraft and care taken.’
The princess successfully controlled the pedal of the machinery, despite wearing high heels. And when she finished the label she held William’s finished jeans, which would normally cost £245, up proudly and said ‘He will love them’.
Phoebe Phillips, 31, a trainee from Cardigan who showed Kate how to work the machine, said afterwards: ‘She was good. She had a lot of control. She was wearing high heels but there wasn’t any issue with the pedal.’
A quick video from Rebecca English of The Daily Mail.
The Princess of Wales is now at @hiutdenim – and of course couldn’t resist trying her hand at making a pair of their premium jeans pic.twitter.com/j2maqsDRbB
— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) February 3, 2026
The style is Hiut’s men’s Hack Jean (£325, roughly $445 at today’s exchange rates), described as a mid-rise cut with a “slim but not crazy slim” silhouette. The Princess was gifted a pair of the new Mari style, a design not yet released. Below is a group photo.
The Princess spent time with well-wishers gathered outside Hiut. 
I love the look on the little girl wearing the earmuffs in this photo. 
And from the BBC’s coverage.
She stopped to speak with one man who asked her how Prince George was, and she replied: “He’s doing very well thank you. They are at school today and I am going to go back and see them this evening.”
The man asked: “I hope you’re getting better really soon after what happened to you.”
Kate replied: “Thank you very much. This is good for my soul meeting wonderful people.”
The Princess then visited the Welsh Quilt Centre. 
The Quilt Centre is located in Lampeter, about 45 minutes away from Cardigan. 
The Daily Mail offers this insight on the visit.
The Welsh Quilt Centre holds founder Jen Jones vast collection of quilts – Jen has been collecting Welsh quilts for 40 years and opened the centre in 2009 to give everyone the opportunity to see, enjoy and learn about her remarkable collection as well as examples from other quilting heritages.
As well as exhibitions of quilts, the centre aims to encourage Welsh quilting in its heartland.
The princess viewed some of Jen’s 1000+ piece collection, and then joined a quilting workshop of 8 local women to hear about their current projects and their passion for keeping the historic art of quilting alive.
The women spoke to the princess about using quilting as a tool for connection and to foster a sense of belonging within their community.
Now, for our look at what Kate wore for today’s engagements. 
Her coat appears to be made from vintage Melin Tregwynt fabric, a tapestry wool in the Vintage Rose pattern. Thank you to ace IDer Chrissy for sharing a vintage fabric listing with Middleton Maven, which she posted online.
I’m not sure whether it is a vintage coat or a contemporary piece made from vintage fabric. Here you see current styles in the pattern at Melin Tregwynt.
The Princess wore a new pair of Victoria Beckham trousers, the brand’s ‘Alina’ Twill Wide-Leg style in ‘oregano,’ a design inspired by 1970s trends. The style is crafted from a virgin wool/polyester blend with a touch of elastane for stretch and ease of movement, featuring a very high waist, wide-leg silhouette, front and back patch pockets, front zipper, and belt loops. 
The trousers are available in very limited sizes at Saks ($225), Garmentory ($750), and Pamela Robbins ($750). Victoria Beckham also has the design in different colors and fabrics. Thank you to Kate Middleton Styled for the ID on this item. I do not know who made the rollneck worn beneath the coat, but I will update the post if we get a positive ID.
UPDATE 7:30PM FEB 3: N. Peal posted on their Instagram story that the Princess was wearing their turtleneck in Arabica Khaki. It looks like their Luna Turtleneck Cashmere Sweater ($315), shown below. Thank you to Graziele for the heads-up on this in her comment. 
The Princess appeared to be wearing her Emmy London Josie heels in chocolate brown. 
She wore her hair partially pulled back. 
In the jewelry department, we saw the return of the Removable Garnet Charm Hoops in Gold ($125) by Welsh jeweler Spells of Love. 
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Also today, a quick look at an ensemble worn in a video Kensington Palace released on social media this weekend.
View this post on Instagram
The video shows the Princess visiting an exhibition at The Arc in Winchester, Beauty of the Earth: The Art of May, Jane, and William Morris. 
More about the exhibit from The Arc site.
This new exhibition shows how William’s love of gardens and green spaces was shared by his wife Jane and daughter May. It brings into focus the art and writings made by the women and men who gathered at the Morris homes, where gardens were transformed into creative and pleasurable spaces.
From embroidery to wallpaper, decorated books to oil paintings, the exhibition gathers works from the earliest days of Jane and William’s marriage.
And from Hello’s coverage.
Kate was a guest at the Beauty of The Earth: The Art of May, Jane and William Morris exhibition, which is being held at The Arc. The exhibition was unveiled to the public on 15 November 2025 and is scheduled to run until 4 February 2026.
In a video shared on her Instagram, the royal has seen being shown around the exhibition and admiring the artworks on display.
As far as what the Princess wore this weekend, Middleton Maven suggests she is in a bespoke Burberry coat, and she may well be correct.
Sarah
Friday 6th of February 2026
Does Princess Catherine still have a stylist? I wondered if that was her in the background in a turquoise coat (the picture with the girl with the earmuffs)Her fashion choices are such a departure from of old,I wonder if she has much more input now.
Heidi
Friday 6th of February 2026
I just have to say — your posts are always so informative and well done. A real pleasure to read, and to learn from.
Kate also looked amazing in this outfit — such a fresh, modern style!
Theresa
Thursday 5th of February 2026
This one is difficult. I like the block heels and the more monochrome top and trousers (obligatory “I’d like them more if they weren’t too long”). I also like the cut of the coat and I appreciate that it’s a special and very fitting fabric with a lot of charme and a bit of whimsy - but oh dear do I not like it. Not the pattern, not the colours, not anything it reminds me of.
Aurora
Thursday 5th of February 2026
I love the coat ! The orange color and the pattern is absolutely gorgeous. I also love the turtle neck and trouser combo in the more muted khaki tones. It let's the coat really stand out. I'm probably in the minority here, but the trousers are IMO the perfect length, it's one of the reasons I love Victoria Beckham's clothing. The cut, fit and length of her trousers are superb. Catherine's hair was also nicely styled.
Linda from San Jose
Thursday 5th of February 2026
I love this entire outfit, especially the style and fit of the coat, and I think this outfit illustrates that at times the goals of the Princess’s fashion are different from the goals of most of us. In choosing clothing, I try to enhance my figure, skin color, and hair color, and I don’t feel as self-confident when my clothing doesn’t meet those goals. I don’t see that in the Princess of Wales. For certain engagements, I think considering her hosts is more important than choosing what she feels like wearing that day. Here, she honored Wales by wearing the country’s flag colors, honored one of her hosts by wearing one of their striking vintage fabrics, and honored the crafts industries by highlighting the lasting value of high-quality fabrics. From that perspective, her look is a win - but I actually like it irrespective of that. In the case of the Princess of Wales, I think she flatters the clothes, rather than the other way around!