Princess Kate Ditches Her Suits for a Gingham Sundress at Royal Charity Polo Cup With Harriet Sperling

The Princess of Wales returned to the event for the first time since 2023.

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A split image of Princess Kate in a gingham dress and Harriet Sperling posing with Peter Phillips at the Royal Charity Polo Cup
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Princess Kate made a stylish return to the Royal Charity Polo Cup on Friday, July 10, cheering on Prince William in a summery gingham dress as temperatures soared in Windsor.

The Princess of Wales last attended the polo event in 2023, missing the charity match in 2024 as she received cancer treatment and skipping it in 2025. But the newest member of the Royal Family, Harriet Sperling, has been a regular at the polo cup since she started dating Peter Phillips in 2024, and the couple joined Kate for the equestrian action on Friday.

For this year's event, the Princess of Wales chose a past-season Temperley dress with a black and white gingham pattern, per Instagram account Kate Middleton Styled. The sleeveless style features a square neck, thick straps and a full skirt, and the princess styled her dress with tortoiseshell Ralph Lauren sunglasses.

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Princess Kate walking in a black and white dress

Princess Kate attends the Royal Charity Polo Cup on July 10.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Princess Kate wearing a gingham dress standing next to a horse

The Princess of Wales wears a Temperley London dress.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Princess Kate sitting in front of cars in a gingham dress

She accessorized with a pair of Sezane earrings.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Her choice of dress may have been a subtle sign of support for designer Alice Temperley, who announced Thursday that she will be stepping down from her fashion brand after 26 years.

The Princess of Wales wore her hair down in beachy waves, accessorizing with a pair of brown Sezane statement earrings she wore to the charity polo event in 2022. She also sported the string friendship bracelet Princess Charlotte made her to wear during the National Three Peaks Challenge along with one of her Halcyon Days bangles and a gold Sezane cuff.

Prince William playing polo

Prince William is an annual fixture at the Royal Charity Polo Cup.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Harriet Sperling wearing a blue dress posing with Peter Phillips at a polo match

Harriet Sperling and Peter Phillips pose at the polo match.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Harriet Sperling leaned into pastel blue for the event, wearing a Beulah London dress with elbow-length sleeves and a matching belt. Fresh off her appearance with husband Peter at Wimbledon, Harriet wore another pair of Finlay sunglasses and the same green amethyst Kiki McDonough earrings she wore to the tennis championships.

She also continued to show her allegiance to handbag designer Anya Hindmarch, toting a whimsical straw style with googly eyes. Harriet finished off her polo outfit with a new pair of strappy nude sandals by Loeffler Randall that showed off her coral pedicure.

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Kristin Contino
Kristin Contino
Senior Royal and Celebrity Editor

Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.