Prince William’s subtle tribute to Diana: How Prince gave a nod to his mother at garden party

Prince William paid a subtle tribute to his mother Princess Diana earlier this week when he attended the first post-coronation garden party.

Following the coronation of the new monarch and Queen Camilla on Saturday, the Prince of Wales, 40, teamed up with his wife Princess Kate, 41, Duchess Sophie, 58, and Prince Edward, 59, for the event at Buckingham Palace.

They spearheaded the event that celebrates volunteers across the country. On Instagram, Kate and William said the event was meant to celebrate “people doing extraordinary things.”

But Prince William also silently nodded to another key person at the event.

Because, in a rare public gesture, he chose to wear his mother’s favorite flowers, forget-me-nots, in the lapels of his jacket.

Princess Diana died at the age of 36 when the car she was traveling in crashed into a Parisian tunnel on August 31, 1997.

The flowers are perfectly matched with Prince William’s baby blue tie and his wife Kate’s Ellie Saab outfit.

Princess Diana died at the age of 36 when the car she was traveling in crashed into a Parisian tunnel on August 31, 1997.

The Prince of Wales and his brother Prince Harry have quietly referenced forget-me-nots at a number of events in recent years.

When the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, one of Princess Diana’s favorite places for reflection, got a makeover in 2021, 100 of Diana’s favorite forget-me-nots were planted.

And Harry has often mentioned forget-me-nots as a nod to the royal family at poignant moments in their lives, including in Meghan Markle’s first Mother’s Day post in 2019.

Forget-me-nots also featured in Meghan’s bouquet on the couple’s wedding day, as a tribute to Harry’s late mother, who loved the tiny purple flowers.

The Duke hand-picked several flowers from their private garden at Kensington Palace the day before the wedding.

In 2020, the couple visited a preschool in Los Angeles on the 23rd anniversary of Diana’s death, where they planted the flowers.

In a rare public gesture, William chose to wear his mother’s favorite flowers, forget-me-nots, in the lapel of his jacket

The Prince and Princess of Wales were joined by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh to host the special Buckingham Palace Garden Party for the coronation – and Kate and Sophie customized their outfits

William and Kate organized the garden party where they meet crown champions and are rewarded for their volunteer work

The 41-year-old princess sparkled in the recycled Elie Saab dress she previously wore while attending Royal Ascot in 2019

Prince William joined his wife Kate at the Garden Party this week, which saw the first glimpse of King Charles’s ‘stripped down’ monarchy.

Kate, a mother of three, wore an Elie Saab dress and hat, a repeat of an outfit she once wore at Royal Ascot, completed with dazzling diamond and blue topaz “Lola” earrings by Kiki McDonough and a clutch. Meanwhile, her hair was styled in a sleek, intricate updo while her hat included another floral headpiece — harking back to her show-stopping Coronation look.

At her side was Duchess Sophie who also opted for a blue dress – and had also previously worn the outfit at Royal Ascot. With both Prince William and Prince Edward in top hats and tails, the foursome looked sleek and coordinated.

As Kate began to greet the 500 champions and thank them for their hard work, she looked regal in the dress and hat combo, which was a slightly more upbeat look from her performance at the Slough Big Help Out on Bank Holiday Monday.

Meanwhile, Sophie sparkled in a deeper shade of blue with a ruffled midi dress and a flared skirt, looking just as regal next to Prince Edward and the rest of the family.

As Kate and William descended the steps outside the palace and into the garden this afternoon, the Princess of Wales beamed at her husband, who seemed to be drawing her attention to something.