On May 20, Kate Middleton and Prince William hosted their first Buckingham Palace garden party of the year. It marked a meaningful return for Princess Kate, 43, who skipped 2024’s events due to cancer treatment. Dressed in a bright yellow Emilia Wickstead outfit and a recycled Philip Treacy hat from Meghan and Harry’s wedding, Kate stood out. She also wore her diamond earrings from her 2011 wedding for a sentimental touch.
In the documentary The Queen at 90, her daughter-in-law Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, said: “She needs to stand out for people to be able to say ‘I saw the Queen.’ Don’t forget that when she turns up somewhere, the crowds are two, three, four, 10, 15 deep, and someone wants to be able to say they saw a bit of the Queen’s hat as she went past.”
Earlier in the year, Kate made it a point to wear muted ensembles to keep the focus on her work with charitable organizations. Kensington Palace also released a rare statement in February clarifying comments from a Sunday Times article that claimed that there was concern about Kate’s style overshadowing her charity work. The same article stated that the palace would no longer be releasing details of Kate’s day-to-day engagements.
