Queen Camilla and the Princess of Wales arrived in matching blue coats to welcome the President and First Lady of Germany to Windsor. For the official welcome to kick off the State Visit, Queen Camilla and Princess Kate skipped the obvious German flag colors of black, red, and gold in favor of an unexpected hue: Prussian blue.
According to Tyler Ellis, designer and royal style expert, their choice to wear Prussian blue “is a visually deliberate and diplomatically intelligent gesture.” Ellis, designer of her own eponymous handbag brand, widely known as "Hollywood's Favorite Bags,” tells Marie Claire that “Prussian blue carries deep historical resonance within Europe, its origins tied to 18th-century Prussia, making it an especially meaningful nod to Germany’s cultural and military heritage.”
The Royal Family meets with the President and First Lady of Germany.
Princess Kate welcomes the First Lady of Germany.
Royal women are professionals at sartorial diplomacy––the art of using fashion as a diplomatic tool––often opting for regional designers, colors representatives of specific flags or regions, and local iconography in their outfit choices. "In such a high-profile bilateral moment, her outfit reads as a thoughtful bridge between nations, acknowledging German history through colour,” explains Ellis.
Queen Camilla wore a new blue coat from Anna Valentine with a matching blue hat, black leather gloves, and black suede boots for the official welcoming ceremonies. Princess Kate opted for a coat from Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen with a coordinating hat, navy boots from Gianvito Rossi and a midnight blue clutch from Emmy London. It was hard to miss the glittering sapphire earrings that Kate wore, once owned by her mother-in-law, the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
The Princess of Wales wore a coat by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen.
Ellis praises the Princess of Wales for her “controlled strength, refined elegance, and cultural awareness” in the sartorial choice for the event. Alongside Queen Camilla, the outfits are “demonstrating once again how the Princess communicates purposefully through fashion."
“Together, color and cut create an ensemble that is both diplomatically respectful and unmistakably regal."
