Kate Middleton Repurposed a Pre-Coronation Dress During Her Long-Awaited Public Return During This Year's Trooping the Colour

While Kate Middleton is the Princess of Wales, at this year's Trooping the Colour the proud mom of three proved she's also the queen of royal repurposing.

To mark her first public appearance in six months and since she publicly announced she has been diagnosed with cancer and is currently undergoing preventative chemotherapy treatments, the Princess of Wales stepped out in a stunning white, long-sleeve dress by Jenny Packham with an exaggerated contrasting ribbon tied at her collar. 

Middleton paired her dress with a white, angled hat featuring a slim bow-detail by Philip Treacy. The royal chose to accessorize her comeback outfit with a pair of Cassandra Goad pearl cluster earrings, which she previously wore to Prince Louis's 2019 christening, WWD first reported, as well as a pair of ivory Jimmy Choo pumps and a Mulberry clutch.

Her pearl earrings were not the only portion of Middleton's outfit to be repurposed, however—royal fans were quick to notice that the Princess of Wales had previously worn the same Packham white dress at a pre-coronation event in May of last year.

According to Page Six, Middleton wore a "strikingly similar" outfit during a Buckingham Palace lunch and walkabout prior to King Charles' coronation in 2023. At the time, the Princess of Wales paired the look with black Aquazzura slingbacks, a satin Prada clutch and the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Bahrain Pearl Drop Earrings.

“I knew the dress looked familiar,” one royal fan posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“I much prefer today’s version," another commented

“That makes me love it even more!" another commenter posted. "(I remember being young and obsessed when Princess Diana did this with her outfits!)”

This year, the publication notes, the royal "updated the length look’s solid black belt with a striped one and added the black-and-white bow for an added flourish."

In addition to his year's upgrades, Princess Kate also wore an Irish Guards Regimental Brooch—an homage to her role as the regiment’s honorary colonel. Unfortunately, Middleton was unable to serve as Inspecting Officer at the traditional Colonel's Review this year due to her ongoing chemotherapy treatments.

"I appreciate everyone trooping this year has been practicing for months, and dedicating many hours to ensuring their uniforms and drill are immaculate," the royal wrote in a letter apologizing for her absence and later shared by the Irish Guards on X.

"Being your colonel remains a great honor and I am very sorry that I'm unable to take the salute at this year's Colonel's Review," the letter continued. "Please pass my apologies to the whole Regiment, however I do hope that I am able to represent you all once again very soon. Please send my very best wishes and good luck to all involved."