It’s not unusual to see the Princess of Wales repeating outfits as she heads to glittering galas and high-profile meetings with world royalty.
And this has overwhelmingly been the case as Kate Middleton has gradually returned to public life following the news of her cancer diagnosis.
The mother-of-three was spotted today joining her husband Prince William, the King and Queen, and the disgraced Prince Andrew, at Crathie Kirk church in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
This was only her third public appearance since being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, after attending the Wimbledon Grand Slam final in July and Trooping the Colour in June.
The 42-year-old Princess of Wales also recorded a video To celebrate Team GBThe success of in the Olympic Games in early August.
There’s been one trend running through all of Kate’s appearances this year so far: her fashion choices are familiar, and she’s sticking to basic, comfortable pieces to mark her return.
The Princess of Wales today joined her husband Prince William, the King and Queen, and the disgraced Prince Andrew, at Crathie Kirk church in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
Today was no exception, as the Princess of Wales headed to Crathie Kirk in a beige tartan Marlborough trench coat by Holland Cooper and a dark brown wool felt fedora hat.
The hat, from Hicks & Brown, retails for £99 and is a favourite of the mother-of-three, who wore it almost a year ago, in Crathie Kirk with her family.
Not only that, but Kate also turned to her old favourites when recording a video with Prince William to congratulate Team Great Britain on their success at the Olympics earlier in August.
In the clip, the Princess of Wales debuted a slightly new look: side-parted hair with caramel highlights and a new ring to go with her wedding band.
Earlier this summer, the Princess of Wales attended the Wimbledon men’s singles final in London with Princess Charlotte.
Today was only her third public appearance since being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, after attending the Wimbledon Grand Slam final in July and Trooping the Colour in June.
There’s been one trend running through all of Kate’s appearances so far this year: Her fashion choices are familiar, with her sticking to comfortable basics to mark her return.
But the top she chose was very typical of the princess: a navy blue Breton sailor shirt.
The £139 Ralph Lauren Breton featured in the video is new, but some of the ones he owns are more than 11 years old. They all have a little tweak: a navy collar, a higher neckline, a slim or boxy fit, in wool, cotton or cashmere.
It’s worth noting that Kate wore a very similar outfit when she faced the camera to tell the country about her cancer diagnosis. This time, the dress was cashmere, cost £160 and was designed by her friend and favourite designer, Erdem.
The hat, from Hicks & Brown, retails for £99 and is a favourite of the mother-of-three, who previously wore it almost a year ago on the exact same day (above), in Crathie Kirk with her family.
Pictured: The Princess of Wales wore minimalist jewellery and an £85 striped Ralph Lauren T-shirt to send a congratulatory message to Team GB this month.
Pictured: The Princess of Wales wearing her £85 Ralph Lauren striped T-shirt to attend a SportsAid athletes’ workshop at the Olympic Park in London in 2013.
Kate has worn variations of the Breton striped blouse to the supermarket, while browsing, when playing with her children and when making appeals for her various charities.
When she revisited the University of St Andrews, where she fell in love with William, the topic came up again. And it came up again during the pandemic, when she and William spoke over Zoom about lockdown and mental health.
But beyond her clear love of stripes, Kate has turned to other wardrobe staples in her slow return to public life.
Pictured: The Princess of Wales announced in an emotional video message that she was undergoing cancer treatment in March.
The Princess of Wales made her first public appearance since her cancer diagnosis at Trooping the Colour in June.
The royal has worn the simple nude handbag throughout the pandemic and opted to carry it during part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022.
At Wimbledon, the Princess of Wales wore a LK Bennett 122 Milly Nude leather bag, which she has previously worn on numerous occasions.
The royal has worn the simple nude handbag throughout the pandemic and opted to carry it during part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022.
The bag pairs well with Kate’s often brightly coloured dresses, and her appearance at Wimbledon (which she attended with Princess Charlotte) was far from a coincidence.
Kate’s first public appearance of the year was at the Trooping of the Colour in June.
Here, once again, she opted for a wardrobe staple: this time, a classic-cut white dress from one of her favorite designers.
This fitted, knee-length dress may not have been seen before, but designer Jenny Packham is a favourite of the Princess of Wales.
She has been seen wearing dresses by the designer since at least 2011.
In fact, the dresses she wore to introduce her three children to the outside world at King Edward VII’s Hospital were all by Packham.
The bag pairs well with Kate’s often brightly coloured dresses, and her appearance at Wimbledon, which she attended with Princess Charlotte, was far from a coincidence.