Kate Middleton paid tribute to the commonwealth flag in a bold blue coat dress as she attended the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on Monday.
The coat dress was made by Princess Diana's favorite designer, Catherine Walker & Co., a spokesperson for the house told Newsweek.
The Commonwealth Day service marks the beginning of a year of royal tours to various nations within the group of 54 countries by members of the royal family to mark Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee.
The Queen deeply cherishes the commonwealth, referring to it regularly as a "family."
In 2018, looking ahead to the future, the Queen released a statement saying: "It is my sincere wish that the Commonwealth will continue to offer stability and continuity for future generations and will decide that one day the Prince of Wales should carry on the important work started by my father in 1949."
At a Windsor Castle summit during the 2018 Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, the group of leaders announced that Prince Charles would inherit the Queen's position as head of the Commonwealth after her death.
The Queen did not attend the Westminster Abbey service on Monday, it having been announced that she had asked the Prince of Wales to attend in her place. No reason was given for this decision though the 95-year-old monarch's recent mobility issues may lay at its heart.
Kate's sartorial tribute to the commonwealth flag is another example of her using her wardrobe to convey a message. Last week, on a visit to the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in London, Kate wore a blue Alexander McQueen sweater in a shade matching the Ukrainian flag. This was seen as a tribute to the country as it was under siege by Russian forces.
Kate and William are due to begin their own tour in commemoration of the Queen's platinum jubilee on March 16, taking in an itinerary that will see them visit the Bahamas, Belize and Jamaica.
This tour brings with it added pressure due to growing republican sentiment on the island of Jamaica following Barbados' removal of the Queen as head of state in 2021. This pressure is increased when consideration is made that a negative reaction to the tour could be triggered by allegations of racism within the royal family lodged by Harry and Meghan in their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey. The allegations brought with them such media scrutiny that William responded publicly to a question on the subject the following the broadcast by saying: "We are very much not a racist family."
Both Kate and Meghan Markle have attended the commonwealth service over many years, each time dressing in their best outfits to honor the partnership of nations so cherished by the Queen.
Meghan attended the service for three consecutive years, the last time being in March 2020, marking the last official engagement she undertook as a full-time working member of the royal family.
2022 marks Kate Middleton's sixth appearance at the service, the event 2021 having been canceled due to coronavirus restrictions.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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
