Kate Middleton Just Tapped Into The Butter Yellow Trend

We might have seen her at Chelsea Flower Show this year, but Kate Middleton is still very much on royal duty – as proven by her appearance at a Buckingham Palace garden party on Tuesday. And, as always, the royal was dressed to impress. (In butter yellow, no less.) Here’s the rundown.

Kate Middleton Returns To The Buckingham Palace Garden Party

While King Charles and Queen Camilla are prone to hosting numerous garden parties at Buckingham Palace throughout the spring and summer months, it’s been a while since we last saw the Prince and Princess of Wales make an appearance. But on 20 May, the couple attended their first garden party of the year. This marked Kate Middleton’s first since 2023, having stepped back from the public eye in 2024 due to ongoing cancer treatment.

A way of recognising and rewarding public service, garden parties at Buckingham Palace usually see a mix of people from all walks of life attend – as well as interact with members of the royal family. On this occasion, William and Kate were joined by Princess Eugenie, Zara Tindall, Prince Edward and Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, as well as a crowd of guests.

 

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Arriving promptly at 4pm, the royals in attendance stood on the palace steps for the national anthem, before heading out onto the lawns to mingle with guests. The Prince and Princes of Wales were reunited with the family of Liz Hatton, a teen photographer who passed away last year from cancer – who the royal couple met at Windsor Castle in 2024 – Steven Frank, a Holocaust survivor who Kate photographed last year for a project in 2020, and 10-year-old British fundraiser Tony Hudgell.

What Did She Wear?

For the occasion, the royal wore an old favourite: a crepe midi dress from British designer Emilia Wickstead. Now sadly sold out (although you can find a similar style for rent here), the dress featured a fit and flare silhouette, with wrap-inspired detailing at the waist and long sleeves. This was topped off (quite literally) with a hat from homegrown milliner Philip Treacy, alongside a woven clutch from Australian label Forever New and a custom-made pair of Gianvito Rossi pumps.

Kate Middleton’s dress is one she has worn before – most notably, in June 2022 for the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee service – while she first debuted the fascinator  all the way back in 2018 for Harry and Meghan’s wedding.

Kate Middleton wearing the same Philip Treacy fascinator at Trooping The Colour, 2019 | Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from Washington D.C, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A more sentimental touch came in the form of the Princess of Wales’ jewellery. The royal wore the same pair earrings she walked down the aisle in, a dainty design by Robinson Pelham featuring a dangling acorn held within a drop shape.

But the look also tapped one of the season’s biggest trends: butter yellow. Channelling the hue from top to toe (or rather, from her fascinator to her heels), the Princess of Wales once again showed off her ability to elevate runway trends for every royal occasion.

 

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