It’s been a big week for Kate Middleton, who has added ‘landscape garden architect’ to her
résumé alongside the casual ‘Duchess of Cambridge’ and ‘Dame Grand Cross’ titles. For months now, Kate has been hard at work on the new Back to Nature Garden for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, and yesterday her lovely creation was finally unveiled to the world.
The garden was a huge hit with Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, who could not have been more excited about dipping their toes into the creek and exploring through the flowers. But, of course, the final seal of approval had to come from Queen Elizabeth II herself, and it takes a lot more than a turn on the rope swing to impress Her Majesty.
On Monday evening, the Duchess of Cambridge headed back to her garden for an official visit with the Queen, while accompanied by husband Prince William, too. For the prestigious occasion, Kate arrived at the show wearing a bold floral maxi dress by Erdem. It matched perfectly with the nature theme, thanks to the black, purple, and yellow spring-ready print.
The high-end piece featured an empire-waist silhouette with mid-length sleeves, complete with pretty frill detail to the shape. The Erdem dress also had the addition of white lace panel work at the collar, cuffs, waist, bust and long skirt. Kate chose to wear the dress with tan suede wedges, a simple watch, floral stud earrings, and a Daenerys-esque braided hairstyle.
Don’t worry, you’re not going crazy—you totally HAVE seen this sprint/summer dress before, but not on Kate. The floral Erdem designs have proved to be a firm favorite of the royal family (in fact, Erdem is generally a go-to designer for the royals). Back in April, Princess Eugenie arrived at the Royal Maundy Service at St George’s Chapel wearing an almost identical (but slightly shorter) dress from the collection, styled with navy pumps and a sweet headband.
Kate’s exact dress has been seen before too, this time worn by the Duchess of Kent at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle back in 2018. Although the same piece, it was styled very differently to Kate's appearance, with the Duchess of Kent opted for a statement headpiece, pearl necklaces, and casual sneakers with her own Erdem.
So, if you were on the hunt for a key investment piece to prove your royal credentials this summer, Erdem is probably the place to start.
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