Princess Kate looks majestic in white Alexander McQueen gown for the coronation of King Charles III6/5/2023
King Charles III, and his consort, Camilla, have been crowned in a historic ceremony at Westminster Abbey today - the first coronation in 70 years.
The Prince and Princess of Wales arrived at the Abbey with two of their children, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Meanwhile, their eldest son, Prince George was one of the King's page boys.
The family walked in a procession behind the King and Queen consort as they made their way down The Nave of the Abbey.
For this momentous occasion, the Princess of Wales wore a Royal Victorian Order mantle and collar over a bespoke Alexander McQueen gown in ivory silk crepe. The dress is decorated with silver bullion and thread work embroidery featuring the English rose, Scottish thistle, Welsh daffodil and Irish shamrock to represent each of the four nations of the United Kingdom.
Credit: ANDY STENNING/POOL/AFP
The same flowers appeared on the royal’s wedding dress in 2011, also designed by Alexander McQueen's creative director, Sarah Burton.
DRESS UPDATE (8 MAY 2023)
Buckingham Palace released the official portraits of the Coronation on Monday.
Photo by Hugo Burnand/Buckingham Palace
Below is a close up of Catherine's Alexander McQueen dress.
Photo by Hugo Burnand/Buckingham Palace
We've seen Kate wear this silhouette previously. Her Alexander McQueen Velvet Gown shares the same curved v-neckline.
Many have noted that the gown's v-neckline in the portrait is different to the crew neckline seen during the Coronation service. There are varied theories to explain the difference, ranging from a near-identical new dress to wearing it back-to-front for the ceremony. Another theory presented by Alastair Bruce suggests a short cape or beloro was worn to protect the dress from the robe's wire-woven fastening cords that are used to secure it in place. It's hard to see any evidence of a cape from this photo.
It's highly likely there are two versions of the same dress. We've seen Kate wear near-identical Alexander McQueen gowns in the past (as referenced here). The v-neck gown may have been a back-up, or the crewneck gown may have been made to accommodate the change in dress code where robes were required, as suggested by Emily Andrews.
The Palace announced that the Princess of Wales wore the late Queen's George VI Festoon Necklace during the Coronation service, however, it was not visible until the release of the portrait photos.
Photo by Hugo Burnand/Buckingham Palace
King George VI commissioned the diamond necklace for his daughter Princess Elizabeth in 1950, which was created using 105 loose collets from the Crown heirlooms that he had inherited from Queen Mary. The necklace was designed with a triple strand of graduated collets suspended between two diamond triangles, and a single collet strand at the back.
Credit: The Queen's Diamonds by Hugh Roberts
Queen Elizabeth II wore it for many stately occasions, and it was last seen at the State Banquet for the King and Queen of the Netherlands in 2018.
In the portrait, the Princess of Wales wore the Royal Victorian Order sash and badge, along with the Maltese Cross.
Affixed to the left side of her dress was the Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II which the Duchess was awarded in 2017.
Instead of a tiara, Kate wore a 3-dimensional leaf embroidery headpiece, made of silver bullion, crystals and silver threadwork. The design is a collaboration between milliner Jess Collett and the Alexander McQueen fashion house. The Prince's Trust supported Jess Collett's millinery business 25 years ago which has since flourished.
It was delightful to see her daughter, Princess Charlotte, wear a matching dress and headband. You can read about the young royal's outfit on the Princess Charlotte Style blog.
Credit: Kensington Palace
Kate also paid tribute to her mother-in-law, the late Princess Diana with a pair of her pearl and diamond earrings.
A look at the chignon.
On her feet, Kate debuted the Gianvito Rossi 105 pumps in white silk ($775).
Following the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey, the newly-crowned King and Queen returned to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach, while members of the royal family followed behind, including the Wales family in the Australian State Coach.
The King and The Queen were joined by their family on the Buckingham Palace balcony to view the military Flypast and conclude the day’s ceremonial events.
The Coronation celebrations will continue tomorrow with Big Lunch street parties and the Coronation concert.
Long Live The King!
Photo by Hugo Burnand/Buckingham Palace
13 Comments
Isabella
7/5/2023 01:25:02 am
Absolutely LOVED all of the photos, they were a real treat! Made my day. Princess Catherine and Prince William were stunning. Loved the childrens outfits especially Princess Charlotte. Long live the King!
Annie
7/5/2023 01:47:42 am
I had predicted off-white Jenny Packham, the Princess of Wales Collingwood earrings and Cambridge Lover's Knot Tiara with only a tiny hint of blue and I was wrong on all fronts lol but she looked gorgeous and I love how she and Princess Charlotte matched beautifully! I noticed the headpiece also matches the South Sea pearl earrings perfectly. This is a lovely homage to her Alexander McQueen wedding dress which also tied in her custom acorn and oak Robinson Pelham earrings with her oak leaf-like Cartier Halo Scroll Tiara perfectly - this is fashion excellence.
Milly
7/5/2023 02:19:12 am
I gasped when I saw Kate appear on the TV screen. When I first read she was not going to wear a tiara I thought I would be underwhelmed by her outfit, but Kate continues to surpass all my expectations. This look is flawless and she looks every inch the Princes she is.
Stacey
7/5/2023 03:13:59 am
The princesses looked absolutely beautiful. I only hope we get some pictures of Kate without the robes on, but how smart to give us an idea of her dress with Charlotte wearing the same. They continue to amaze me with the level of detail and planning. William, George and Louis were so handsome as well.
Kristina Mohammed
8/5/2023 12:01:36 am
She looks absolutely stunning! Love every aspect of her outfit!
Kristina Mohammed
8/5/2023 12:05:42 am
Here's a dupe for a similar headpiece: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1082368523/swarovski-zircon-hair-accessories-bridal?ref=listing_page_ad_row-7&frs=1&plkey=c99474c764a6b6a02664c4fc56966077704cc12d%3A1082368523&listing_id=1082368523&listing_slug=swarovski-zircon-hair-accessories-bridal
Ava Pittman
8/5/2023 03:37:35 pm
The Princess looked utterly stunning. Princess Charlotte, beautiful outfit.
Annie
9/5/2023 06:00:08 am
Commenting again just to let you know that the official coronation pictures that have come out show the full dress that was underneath the robes! She wore the George VI Festoon Necklace that usually goes with the Lotus Tiara and her neckline was perfect to allow for the full necklace to show.
Annie
9/5/2023 11:27:08 am
I am way too invested in this fashion mystery clearly haha but I have found a link of a picture of what I think proves that she was definitively wearing a cape over the dress during the ceremony and then removed it for the pictures in the palace. Here is the link: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fvo0vI2WwAEzD7L?format=jpg&name=small
Elizabeth (Admin)
9/5/2023 04:21:49 pm
I thought that was evidence of the cape too, but it turns out it is was just the lining of the mantle. The mystery continues!
Nancy
9/5/2023 02:00:00 pm
The front of Kate's dress for the actual coronation (with the rounded neckline) has a lot more embroidery from neck to waist. The dress Kate wore for the official portrait only has embroidery around neck and below waist.
Milly
9/5/2023 02:12:18 pm
Thank you Elizabeth for updating the blog post regarding the gown! I loved following along to see all the different theories that were presented. So glad it was able to be resolved, and thanks for presenting the information in an easy to follow format!
Alice
9/5/2023 04:13:43 pm
After viewing many many coronation photos from different angles, i am now convinced the sliver of cream fabric “peaking out” that is now being possibly identified as a portion of a cape appears to me to be the inside lining of folded fabric of blue and red robe that falls from the right shoulder down over her right arm and right upper back. I guess I too have become too invested in solving this mystery. Then there is the second mystery as to the switching of her earrings from how they were worn at the coronation and how they were worn in the portrait photo. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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