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

The Princess of Wales is also the queen of royal rewear.

Britain's Prince George of Wales, Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, Britain's Prince Louis of Wales, Britain's Princess Charlotte of Wales and Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after attending the King's Birthday Parade, "Trooping the Colour", in London, on June 15, 2024.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

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.

Princess Charlotte and Princess Kate attend trooping the colour

Princess Charlotte and Princess Kate attend Trooping the Colour.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

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."

Catherine, Princess of Wales, shelters from the rain with an umbrella as she walks with her children Britain's Prince George of Wales (C), Britain's Princess Charlotte of Wales (R) and Britain's Prince Louis of Wales back to the Glass State Coach at Horse Guards Parade during the King's Birthday Parade "Trooping the Colour" in London on June 15, 2024.

Catherine, Princess of Wales, shelters from the rain with an umbrella as she walks with her children Britain's Prince George of Wales (C), Britain's Princess Charlotte of Wales (R) and Britain's Prince Louis of Wales back to the Glass State Coach at Horse Guards Parade during the King's Birthday Parade "Trooping the Colour" in London on June 15, 2024.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

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."

Danielle Campoamor
Weekend Editor

Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.