London: When the Princess of Wales resumed royal duties after cancer treatment at the beginning of 2025, hopes that this would mark the triumphant return of one of Britain’s most stylish women were quickly quashed.
A Kensington Palace source told The Sunday Times that “there is an absolute feeling that it [the public work] is not about what the princess is wearing … the style is there but it’s about the substance”. Cue outcry.
Yet what might have seemed a distant possibility back in February has proved quite the opposite. The princess has had one of her most dazzling years yet – charming presidents, bolstering the British fashion industry and gently evolving her look in a more experimental, yet still distinctly regal, direction.
The Princess of Wales wore a defiantly girlish pink blouse to meet the families of the Southport stabbing victims in September.Credit: AP
She has also shown how small sartorial choices can carry deep meaning, such as a defiantly girlish pink blouse to meet the families of victims of the Southport stabbings in which three children were killed. She also wore pearls from Jewish jeweller Susan Caplan on Holocaust Memorial Day and a Made in Britain silk scarf gifted on a factory visit.
Some of her most trusted collaborators, such as Natasha Archer, have moved on, but that evolution has brought new energy. “It just feels a little more fashionable, and she seems to be enjoying playing with fashion slightly more,” stylist Alexandra Fullerton says.
Against a backdrop of royal turbulence, Catherine’s renewed confidence has become quietly symbolic. “Sartorial matters are so crucial to the royal family,” Coco Chanel biographer Justine Picardie adds. “This is not a modern phenomenon – but the princess is interpreting it incredibly well for today.”
And despite the odd teacup storm – including the great “blondette” debate of August – she has emerged as the relatable, composed and quietly powerful face of The Firm.
Here are the eight most triumphant looks of her comeback year – and what they meant.
You could almost hear the collective oh la las when the princess stepped out in a blush-pink Christian Dior ensemble to attend the welcome for French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit in July.
Catherine showcased updated versions of two of the maison’s signature designs – the Bar jacket and the romantic tulle skirt – created by then creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri.
In Dior greeting French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte.Credit: Getty Images
Catherine – pictured with the King and Queen, the Macrons and Prince William – showcased updated versions of two of Dior’s signature designs – the Bar jacket and the romantic tulle skirt.Credit: Getty Images
The timing was especially apt: just a month earlier, Northern Irish designer Jonathan Anderson had been announced as Dior’s new design head.
“It was a very courteous thing to do, and there is also obviously such a precedent for diplomatic dressing,” says Picardie, referring to the impeccable record of Elizabeth II. The late Queen wouldn’t be the only one to approve – her sister, Princess Margaret, would surely have enjoyed Catherine’s look, having been a Dior client herself who twirled in a tulle creation from the designer on her 21st birthday almost 75 years ago.
Barbour gets the royal countryside update
The tweedy hunting-and-shooting uniform has long been synonymous with the royals, but Catherine has found clever ways to reinvigorate the template and make it her own – a particularly poignant move given how she has reframed the countryside as a place of peace and connection with nature (remember the video announcing the end of her cancer treatment, filmed in the wilds of Norfolk) rather than an aristocratic playground.
For this visit to a farm in Northern Ireland, she layered a cardigan by British label With Nothing Underneath beneath a classic Barbour jacket. A few years ago, she might have opted for skinny jeans, but instead she chose a more polished Ralph Lauren skirt – a subtle yet sure sign of her evolving style sensibilities.
“Despite its practical origins, traditional country style actually looks quite uptight,” observes Fullerton. “Kate has modernised it by mixing in darker shades from the rustic palette, choosing suede – this season’s most fashionable fabric – and eschewing a hat. It’s a look that could work in the city as well as the countryside.”
For this visit to a farm in Northern Ireland in October, Catherine layered a cardigan by British label With Nothing Underneath beneath a classic Barbour jacketCredit: AP
A Disney-worthy moment for the German state visit
Posing next to a twinkling Christmas tree, the Princess of Wales had a true fairytale fashion moment in December, when she attended the German state banquet at Windsor Castle. Her sequin-covered Jenny Packham cape-dress dazzled the visiting German president and his wife – and it offered a pitch-perfect nod to the guests with its “Prussian blue” shade.
Adding to the Disney-worthy romance of it all was the tiara – Queen Victoria’s Oriental Circlet. The piece was originally a love token designed by the German Prince Albert for his Queen Victoria. It was the first time Catherine had worn it, and showed, as ever, the care, thought, and attention to detail she brings to every outfit.
Catherine dazzled in a sequin-covered Jenny Packham cape-dress for the German president’s December visit.Credit: AP
A poignant return to the Royal Marsden Hospital
The princess offered a niche treat for those who follow her wardrobe closely when she visited the Royal Marsden Hospital – where she had received her chemotherapy treatment – in January, wearing a checked coat that had previously only been glimpsed through car windows.
On a visit to the the Royal Marsden Hospital in January, Catherine wore a checked coat that had previously only been glimpsed through car windows.Credit: Getty Images
Paired with a claret co-ord, an Asprey handbag and suede heels, Catherine delivered a masterclass in sleek, work-appropriate dressing – but the choice of coat lent the look a more meaningful twist.
“Clothes can become a thread, linking to other, former parts of our lives, and re-wearing certain pieces can trigger memories and offer the public a sense of intimacy, which is particularly endearing at vulnerable times for the princess,” Fullerton notes.
The princess paired the coat with a claret co-ord, an Asprey handbag and suede heels.Credit: Getty Images
If this visit offered a rare personal insight into how the princess endured her illness, then her mystery-solving coat only reinforced the message that she was ready to share something that had previously been kept private.
VB power dressing at its royal best
Catherine appears to breeze through dressing for most occasions, but there must have been an added frisson in deciding what to wear to present this year’s Queen Elizabeth II Design Award in front of a room full of fashion insiders.
The olive-green Victoria Beckham suit Catherine chose for the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design became one of her standout looks of the year.Credit: AP
While it would have been wonderful to see her champion one of the industry’s up-and-coming creatives – or even Patrick McDowell, to whom she presented the award – the olive-green Victoria Beckham suit she chose became one of her standout looks of the year.
It was a smart touch to style it with a flounce-fronted blouse by Knatchbull, the Savile Row label that creates tailoring for women and was founded by Daisy Knatchbull, great-granddaughter of Lord Mountbatten.
The princess underscored her fondness for the suit by wearing it again in October – by chance, perhaps – on the very day Beckham’s Netflix documentary was released. “Catherine obviously has to walk a fine line; hence, you see her recycling pieces she’s worn before and not always wearing couture,” Picardie says.
“She is the best ambassador for the British fashion industry, which is so important to the British economy.”
Bold in blue Roksanda at Wimbledon
“I have to be seen to be believed,” was a mantra loved by Elizabeth II – and one Catherine has clearly taken to heart. There are few places where bold colour works harder than on Centre Court at Wimbledon, where the crowd is often as eager to glimpse the princess as the players.
Catherine wore a cobalt design by London label Roksanda at Wimbledon.Credit: Getty Images
Catherine has taken to wearing fit-and-flare dresses in vibrant hues, often with a statement drape or bow detail at the neckline – important when most photographs show her seated in the Royal Box. This year was no exception, with a cobalt design by London label Roksanda. There is now a reassuring familiarity to this silhouette, which feels all the more significant following the shock of her illness.
Keen to follow the princess’s fearlessly bright lead?
“If you’re nervous about wearing bold block shades but love the look, start with smaller pieces like a bag or shoes, then move on to items that sit away from your face, such as skirts or trousers,” Fullerton advises. “When you’re feeling ready, try a bright top – I always find my clients get the most compliments when they wear brights.”
A nautical nod at HMS Glasgow
For the launch of HMS Glasgow in May, Catherine was elegant in a navy-and-white ensemble from Suzannah London, with a saucer hat by Philip Treacy.Credit: Getty Images
The princess was exquisitely elegant in a navy-and-white ensemble for the launch of HMS Glasgow in May.
Her precisely tailored coat came from Suzannah London – notably not one of Catherine’s usual inner circle of designers, signalling her willingness to branch out even for high-stakes moments – and was paired with a dramatic saucer hat by Philip Treacy. Her sapphire earrings once belonged to Princess Diana.
This look epitomised the “literal dressing” strategy for which Catherine has become renowned, but it was one of the most sophisticated iterations yet. The key, says Fullerton, is leaning into the theme while staying within your comfort zone.
Her sapphire earrings once belonged to Princess Diana.Credit: Getty Images
“Every outfit the princess wears could be considered a costume, but this one is chic rather than cheesy because it echoes her usual style while being created in a navy and white shade,” she says. “If you have an event with the potential for a theme, think about how you can create an outfit in your normal style – with just a hint of literal.”
Golden glamour for Trump’s state visit
Catherine knows it lifts spirits when she delivers the occasional fairytale-princess moment – and this year she did so in spectacular fashion on another night when expectations were sky-high: US President Donald Trump’s state visit to the United Kingdom.
Picardie believes that, in her twinkling gold Phillipa Lepley gown, the princess was drawing on the strength and inspiration of generations of royal women before her.
Catherine sparkled in a gold Phillipa Lepley gown at the state dinner for US President Donald Trump.Credit: Getty Images
“The gold Phillipa Lepley dress was absolutely perfect in terms of its sartorial messaging,” she says. “The princess has to be seen to wear British, and by choosing Phillipa Lepley she recalled the golden age of British couture, which really began with Queen Mary and her edict that royal women and women at court should wear British textiles made by British dressmakers.”
In terms of style – the long, slim sleeves, high neck, opulent lace and floor-sweeping length – the gown felt like a seamless reference to regal dressing stretching back more than a century.
“There’s that sense of continuity, a thread that, at a time when the fabric of royalty is under enormous strain, is incredibly important,” Picardie notes. “It looked timeless. It made me think of what Coco Chanel said – that fashion fades, but style is eternal. And for her to do that without saying anything – simply wearing that gown – is the statement itself.”
With long, slim sleeves, high neck, opulent lace and floor-sweeping length, the gown felt like a seamless reference to regal dressing stretching back more than a century.Credit: Getty Images
Crucially, she charmed Trump, who declared her “so radiant, so healthy and so beautiful” during his speech that night. Job done.
