Princess Kate Reportedly Chose Her Trooping the Colour Outfit to Deflect Attention Away from Herself, and the Reason Is Poignant

The reviews are in for Saturday’s Trooping the Colour, complete with a triumphant return to royal duty for the Princess of Wales—who hadn’t been seen in public since Christmas Day, outside of her March 22 video announcement that she had been diagnosed with cancer earlier in the year.

The Daily Mail called Trooping the Colour “a dazzling, dashing reminder of the skill, discipline, and loyalty of our Armed Forces”; The Telegraph said of the ceremony that it was “Tactile, together, and very human, this was a royal appearance like no other: the family reunited against the odds.” And The Times, for its part, wrote “As moments in the royal history books go, it will stake its claim at the top of the pile.” Roya Nikkhah, royal editor for that outlet, wrote “Little happens by accident when it comes to royal pictures and messaging. The sight of Charles shoulder-to-shoulder with the princess on the Buckingham Palace balcony spoke volumes about his pride in his beloved daughter-in-law.” 

Of said daughter-in-law, “Catherine has been absolutely amazing,” a friend of hers told The Daily Beast. “Her statement was extraordinary, and her appearance today was graceful and elegant, and has filled people with hope.”

Prior to appearing alongside the rest of the royal family at the annual birthday parade for the monarch on Saturday, Kate released a new photo—taken by Matt Porteous at Windsor earlier in the week—and a statement confirming her attendance on Friday. “She knocked it out of the park,” a royal source told The Daily Beast of her appearance Saturday. “She looked amazing and sent all the right messages.” The outlet reports that Kate’s attendance at the annual staple in the royal diary “had been the subject of top secret planning for several weeks” and her announcement Friday was “an extraordinary statement quite unlike any statement that any royal has ever issued.”

The appearance—in true royal fashion—was meticulously planned, right down to her upcycled Jenny Packham dress and Philip Treacy hat. Body language expert Judi James, speaking to The Sun, said that, while Kate’s attendance was anticipated by many—read: the whole world—she was eager to deflect attention away from herself and not take away from the one being celebrated at the occasion: the King.

“In a tradition created by her husband’s granny [the late Queen Elizabeth], Kate’s body language here showed the world what being a royal is all about: elegant, calm, and stoic, with not one smallest jot of self-pity or drama,” James said. “Kate’s nonverbal messages seem to signal a smiling determination to reassure the public and her own children, and to get on with the job.”

She added that Kate “made it clear in her written message that this is a step towards a return, not the start of it—but even from the glimpses of her in the carriage, her upright back and her signature smile showed a desire to show resilience and poise.”

James said Kate’s outfit choice may have been an intentional attempt to draw attention away from herself: “There was a hint of discretion, or maybe a desire to not upstage, in the way Kate’s hat brim was tilted to partially hide her face in the carriage,” James said. “But there were some turning to smile and some smiling conversations with her three children. Her wave to the Crown involved closed rather than spread fingers, and it was a quick, subtle movement of acknowledgement, again suggesting a desire to avoid stealing the attention on the celebration of the King’s birthday.” 

Hello reports that the King and the Princess of Wales “appeared more united than ever as they marveled at the huge crowds trickling down the Mall,” and former royal butler Grant Harrold told The Mirror that Saturday was “certainly a big moment for her and her family, and there’s bound to be an element of nervousness felt among them all—Kate especially,” he said. “I do think, as pleased as she’ll be to be back out there, she’ll also be feeling cautious, too. Hopefully there won’t be any setbacks, and it’s great to see her doing her first public outing. The reception she’s had for the public and the crowds gathered has been amazing. Seeing her alongside the royals again clearly means a lot to the public and, knowing Kate, it will mean a lot to her, too.”

Harrold added on Saturday, per The Daily Express, that “Kate will be happy to be back in the public eye. She’s always taken her royal duties very seriously, and she carries them out with such confidence, too. I’m sure she’s been wanting to engage with the public and fulfill her duties, so the thought of getting back out there today, she’ll no doubt be pleased about.”

As the reviews continue to trickle in for Saturday’s occasion, though Trooping the Colour is a celebration of the King, it seems Kate’s appearance—unexpected but so, so welcome—was the icing on the cake. “This has been the monarchy’s best day since the Coronation,” a royal source told The Daily Beast. Hear, hear.