Over the past week, members of the royal family in Britain have participated in events marking the coronation celebrations of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
With the world's media descending on London to cover the event—the first coronation for 70 years, and the first coronation of a king for 86 years—the royal ladies of the House of Windsor put their best fashion feet forward. No one more so than the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton.
With King Charles and Queen Camilla's coronation celebrations now at an end, Newsweek takes a look at Kate's coronation wardrobe, from pantsuits to the all-important coronation gown itself.
Coronation Commonwealth Luncheon
For the first official reception of the coronation celebrations, Kate wore a simple mid-length day dress attributed to the designer Jenny Packham.
The princess wore the dress to greet Commonwealth prime ministers and governor- generals at a special luncheon at Buckingham Palace on Friday, May 5.
The princess attended alongside other senior members of the royal family and King Charles.
The white long-sleeved dress featured contrasting black piping along the neckline and was punctuated with a wide black-belted detail. She accessorized this with a pair of black suede "bow-tie" style pumps from the shoe designer, Aquazzura.
After the luncheon, Kate and Prince William went out onto The Mall outside Buckingham Palace to meet members of the public lining the streets to watch the coronation procession the next day.
Coronation Dignitary Reception
On the evening of Friday May 5, Kate and Prince William joined the senior royals and King Charles again at Buckingham Palace to welcome world leaders and dignitaries who had gathered in London to attend the coronation.
For the occasion, Kate wore a striking custom royal blue cocktail dress from the design house of Self-Portrait. The princess has worn a number of the label's dresses, as has sister-in-law Meghan Markle.
With her dress, Kate wore another pair of Aquazzura heels, this time a slingback pair in royal blue she debuted during the Garter Day celebrations at Windsor Castle in 2022.
The princess was photographed at the reception meeting First Lady Jill Biden, and Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska.
Coronation Day
For coronation day itself, Kate made a regal fashion statement in a couture Alexander McQueen gown embroidered with the floral emblems of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The dress was made from ivory silk crepe with silver bullion and thread work embroidery and was pillar cut with a short train and long sleeves.
The dress was worn beneath the robes of the Royal Victorian Order of which Kate was made a Dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 2019.
Accessorizing the look, Kate paired a dazzling headdress made of silver embroidery and crystals from the designer Jess Collett in collaboration with Alexander McQueen. Collett began her business with help from a grant issued by King Charles' charity, the Prince's Trust.
With her headdress, Kate wore a three-strand diamond collet necklace loaned to her by the king, which King George VI had made in 1950 using diamonds in the royal collection for his daughter, Queen Elizabeth II
The necklace is considered property of the crown and the coronation saw its first outing on Kate.
Coronation 'Big Lunch'
For the coronation "Big Lunch" event in Windsor on Sunday May 7, which saw members of the local community host a street party in celebration of the royal event, Kate dressed in a simple blazer and slacks combination.
The royal wore a pale blue tailored jacket by the label Reiss and paired it with some plain black slacks and trainers from Veja.
During the event, Kate and Prince William undertook a walkabout to meet members of the public and took part in activities planned to mark the coronation weekend.
Coronation Concert
The coronation concert marked one of the main focal points of the celebratory weekend with over 20,000 guests welcomed to the grounds of Windsor Castle to witness performances from A-list stars such as Katy Perry and Lionel Richie.
Also in attendance were members of the extended royal family and for the occasion, Kate made a striking impression in a vivid red, sharply tailored, Alexander McQueen pantsuit.
This was the second outing for the pant suit which was debuted in January for the launch event of the princess' early years awareness campaign, Shaping Us.
Accessorizing her look, Kate wore a statement jewelry set from Van Cleef & Arpels.
Coronation 'Big Help Out'
The final event of the coronation weekend was a nationwide round of community events nicknamed the "Big Help Out" by organizers.
For the day on May 8, Kate and Prince William were accompanied by their three children for a visit to a Scout hut in Slough, near Windsor Castle.
To help renovate the hut and take part in events planned for local children, Kate wore a pared back outfit, highlighting a pale blue blouse from the British brand, Really Wild.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
