Kate Middleton, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge have arrived on home territory.
Kate Middleton sported Welsh red yesterday as she and Prince William paid their first official visit to the country since becoming the Prince and Princess of Wales — and her new coat gave a subtle nod to Princess Diana.
She wore the L.K. Bennett “Spencer” coat ($1,080) in a touching tribute to the last Princess of Wales — making reference not only to her late mother-in-law’s maiden name, but also mirroring Diana’s own first official visit to the country as princess, during which she wore a red coat, according to Page Six.
L.K. Bennett is the British affordable luxury brand, founded by Linda Bennett in London in 1990 with the vision of bringing “a bit of Bond Street luxury to the High Street.”
Part of the brand’s “LKB Conscious Collection,” the coat is made from recycled Italian wool and features gold horsebit detail on the pockets — a touch the late Queen Elizabeth II, who was an avid rider and horse lover, surely would have appreciated.
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Under her new coat, the Princess of Wales wore black flared trousers and a black Boden cashmere crewneck ($170), per royal fashion Instagrammer Middleton Maven.
Kate gave another nod to Wales with her jewelry, sporting her gold “Alia” hoops ($85) from the small Welsh brand Spells of Love. She added two other previously worn pieces, her black Grace Han “Love Letter” top-handle bag ($2,204) and Russell and Bromley black heels ($264).
The royal red moment stands out for more than one reason. Historically, royals entered a period of “half mourning” after the official period of public grieving for a member of the family was over, but with today’s red coat, it seems that tradition might be a thing of the past.
This was the royal couple’s first official public engagement since Queen Elizabeth’s death on September 8, with the palace posting on social media today that the period of mourning for the late monarch has come to an end.
“After the first two stages of mourning, widows and those closely related to the deceased person would wear muted shadows of grey and lilac to show that they were still in mourning but slowly returning to a full wardrobe and life,” royal historian Jessica Storoschuk of An Historian About Town told Page Six Style.
As for Kate’s coat, the historian said she didn’t find it to be a surprising choice, adding, “formal mourning is rarely observed outside of the court, and the British monarchy is doing what it can to be a modern monarchy and reflect those it represents.”
The prince and princess visited Anglesey, where they lived before taking on full-time royal duties in London, greeting members of the Welsh public and visiting a lifeboat station. They’ll visit the city of Swansea later today before returning home to Windsor.
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Sources: Page Six Style
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