The Princess of Wales took no chances yesterday as she attended the official state visit of the Emir of Qatar and his wife to Britain – her first since completing chemotherapy for cancer.
Wearing a custom coat dress from one of her all-time favorite designers, Alexander McQueen, who she has relied on for some of the most important occasions of her life (including, of course, her wedding dresses for weddings and wedding receptions), she used the signature tactic in royal circles as ‘diplomatic attire’: the strategic use of clothing to show respect to the visiting nation.
She did this by wearing the exact colors of the Qatari flag: burgundy through her coat dress, hat and boots, and white through her pearl jewelry.
Her beret-style hat, which she last wore in 2023 at a ceremony marking one year since the Queen’s death, was a custom design by London milliner Sahar Freemantle – fittingly a scholar of the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust . The princess turned to European fashion houses for her other accessories: her boots were by Italian designer Gianvito Rossi (costing around £1,650) and her bag by Chanel (around £3,762).
The Princess of Wales used the tactic known in royal circles as ‘diplomatic dress’: the strategic use of clothing to show respect to the visiting nation
She did this by wearing the exact colors of the Qatari flag: burgundy through her coat dress, hat and boots, and white through her pearl jewelry.
The Japanese four-row pearl choker was a borrowed piece from King Charles’ personal collection and belonged to the late Queen.
The pearls were given to Queen Elizabeth during her first state visit to Japan in 1975 and then made into a necklace by court jeweler Garrard.
Her drop-pearl earrings were also owned by the late Queen – a gift from the ruler of Bahrain in 1947.
Recycle, borrow and a coat dress from her favorite British designer? A classic Kate formula.