Kate Middleton Surprised the World with Latest Appearance—Here's Why Her Dress Looked Familiar

OK, I may be a royals reporter but I 100 percent did not see this month of royal news coming. Weeks back, there was the false report that Kate Middleton would be present at a dress rehearsal for Trooping the Colour. Then, there was a correction from the palace. Then, there was Princess Catherine’s apology for missing the dress rehearsal. But even after all of that, I (and the rest of the world) still didn’t know if she’d be in attendance at the actual Trooping the Colour event (in celebration of King Charles’s birthday).

And then the bombshell: Kate Middleton revealed a brand-new photo, a health update and the news that she’d be in attendance at Trooping the Colour. “I’m looking forward to attending The King’s Birthday Parade this weekend with my family,” she wrote on social media. Mic drop. Cue the royal headlines. But then, came the actual appearance.

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The Princess of Wales rode in the Glass Coach with her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, before joining the full royal fam on the Buckingham Palace balcony. For the occasion, she wore a knee-length Jenny Packham white dress with a black and white bow at the neckline, a Phillip Treacy hat and the Irish Guards Regimental Brooch. And if you’re a royal stan who thought the dress looked familiar…you’d be absolutely correct.

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Though the dress featured new details, it had actually been previously worn by Princess Catherine right before the king’s coronation last year. She donned the gorgeous Packham look while greeting well wishers during a walkabout on the Mall outside of Buckingham Palace in May 2023. King Charles’s coronation took place the very next day.

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As a sustainability advocate, the princess is no stranger to recycling her looks. And while I might have initially missed the re-wear during a busy month of royal news, Princess Catherine gets nothing but applause from me for bringing back such an iconic ensemble.

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