Princess Kate looked ‘classically British’ in £1,275 garden party dress

Princess Kate has been celebrated for recycling one of her most iconic dresses at the Buckingham Palace garden party this week.

Prince William and Kate cohosted 8,000 guests in the Palace Gardens to celebrate members of the British public who have been helpful and achieved great things in their local communities.

Kate looked elegant in pale blue while rewearing a £1,275 lacy dress by Lebanese fashion designer Elie Saab, which the Princess first wore to the Royal Ascot horse racing festival in 2019.

Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, also matched Kate’s outfit for the occasion as she was wearing a darker blue patterned Suzannah dress that the Duchess also wore to the Royal Ascot, only she wore the outfit at last year’s events in 2022.

Royal commentator and expert Amanda Matta has said Kate and Sophie’s dresses were “genius” and highly praised the royals for their outfit choice.

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In a TikTok video, Amanda said that the Elie Saab dress was “many people’s favourite” outfit from Kate’s wardrobe.

She said: “This was an inspired choice to not only have these two women out and about today, the week after the Coronation when most people around the world have been made aware that the Coronation has happened, and hence their eyes are on Buckingham Palace.

“To put them in coordinating classically British garden party outfits [is] genius.”

Amanda said that Kate and Sophie’s dresses would have likely captured the public’s attention, and it showed “freshness” as well as a “united front” for the Royal Family.

She said: “I think some people need to loosen up and stop the pearl-clutching when I tell you that everything the Palace does is calculated, because if it wasn’t calculated then we wouldn’t get moments like this.

“Moments which present an image of the Royal Family which is everything that their supporters want to see. This outfit is not only quintessential Kate, [but] it’s also what the British want to see in themselves.

“It’s posh, it’s whimsical. It’s a little Mary Poppins, yes, but that’s a British aesthetic for a reason.”

Kate styled the dress with accessories she also wore to the Royal Ascot in 2019, which were dazzling diamond and blue topaz earrings, silver Gianvito Rossi heels with a matching silver Elie Saab clutch bag.

Celebrity stylist and royal fashion expert Miranda Holder told Newsweek described how accessories added to the Princess’ dazzling outfit.

She said: “Despite the gruelling schedule over the last few days, the Princess looked radiant and relaxed as she chatted to guests at the Palace.

“Her hair swept up in a sophisticated chignon, her blue floral hat adding height and drama and her dangling blue hoop earrings adding a playful, yet immaculately coordinated touch.”

Miranda also pointed out that Kate rewearing an “old favourite” was reminiscent of her old style before she become Princess of Wales, as Kate was more likely to wear more patterned and colourful clothing.

She explained: “The dress boasted sheer panels on the bodice, ruffles and polka dots and was reminiscent of Kate’s ‘pre Princess of Wales’ style repertoire, in that it cultivated a more feminine, pretty look that is a somewhat softer, fresher aesthetic when compared to the more serious, grown-up and more stately Kate we have witnessed in recent months.”

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