Kate Middleton’s ‘subtle message to Meghan Markle’ as she returns to royal fold

Princess Kate keeps wearing designers that her sister-in-law is also keen on, which makes people think the British royal is trying to send a message to her American counterpart.

It appears Kate Middleton may be sending her sister-in-law a message through her choice of designers, says royal watchers (Image: Getty Images )

Princess Kate seemed to subtly communicate with Meghan Markle during her appearance at the UK-France State Banquet on Tuesday. Prince Harry, 40, and Meghan, 43, have been in conflict with the Royal Family for a while now, having stepped back from their royal duties five years ago.

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Accompanied by Prince William, Kate attended the State Banquet held on the first evening of French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte’s three-day state visit. The couple were also the first royals to welcome the Macrons upon their arrival in Britain.

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Kate dazzled Royal enthusiasts as she appeared in a luxurious dark red silk creponne evening gown designed by Sarah Burton for Givenchy, which could be seen as a nod to her sister-in-law, as Meghan chose Givenchy for her wedding dress in 2018, reports Daily Express UK.

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The Princess of Wales’s decision to wear the French luxury brand marks a significant fashion moment, as she typically opts for British designers for major Royal events like State Banquets.

The future Queen paired the elegant gown with the Lover’s Knot Tiara, marking her first tiara appearance since November 2023.

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Meghan wore Givenchy on her wedding day, designed by Clare Waight Keller (Image: GETTY )

Kate, who became a member of the Royal Family in 2011, has donned the iconic Lover’s Knot Tiara at least 12 times, making it one of her most frequently selected royal headpieces.

Confirmation of Kate’s attendance only came on Tuesday afternoon. Her participation in major events continues to be confirmed at the eleventh hour as she prioritizes her health following her battle with cancer.

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Before their appearance on Tuesday evening, Kensington Palace released a new photograph of William and Kate as they readied themselves for the French State Banquet at Windsor Castle.

Princess Kate made a notable fashion statement at a Buckingham Palace garden party, wearing the same Philip Treacy hat she first donned at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in 2018.

The Princess of Wales, 43, attended her first garden party in two years, having reduced her duties in 2024 whilst undergoing cancer treatment.

The floral yellow headpiece was instantly recognised by royal watchers as the accessory she wore to the Sussexes’ nuptials seven years ago. The timing of Kate’s choice raised eyebrows among royal observers, as the garden party fell just one day after Harry and Meghan celebrated their seventh wedding anniversary.

Princess Kate sends olive branch to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle amid royal rift Getty / Reuters

The Duchess of Sussex marked the occasion with a sentimental mood board. The hat’s reappearance came at a particularly tense moment in royal relations, with Prince Harry recently giving an emotional BBC interview in which he revealed that King Charles “won’t speak to him” and relations are thought to be “at rock bottom”. The Princess paired the distinctive hat with a butter yellow Emilia Wickstead dress, which cinched at the waist to flatter her figure. The frock was also a rewear, last seen during the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022. Kate completed her ensemble with diamond earrings by British jeweller Robinson Pelham, which were commissioned by her parents for her 2011 wedding to Prince William.

Kate wearing the same hat at Harry and Meghan’s 2018 wedding (left) and the 2025 Garden Party (right). PA / Reuters

The meaningful accessories have made only a handful of appearances over the years, offering a romantic nod just weeks after the couple celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary. The rift between the Prince and Princess of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has been well-documented since at least 2019, when Harry and Meghan split their royal office from William and Kate. Prince Harry acknowledged in an ITV documentary that year that he and William were “on different paths”. The situation escalated following the couple’s 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview and Harry’s memoir “Spare”, which detailed personal conflicts, including an alleged physical altercation between the brothers. “I would love reconciliation with my family. There’s no point in continuing to fight anymore,” the Duke of Sussex said in his recent BBC interview.

Princess Kate pictured at the Sussexes’ wedding in 2018 PA

Among the guests at Tuesday’s garden party was Holocaust survivor Steven Frank, 89, with whom Kate shared a warm embrace. The Princess photographed Frank with his granddaughters five years ago for a project marking the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. “I feel like we are old friends now. Lovely to see you again,” Kate said during their reunion. Frank was among only a handful of children to survive multiple concentration camps. The pair previously met at a Holocaust Memorial Day event in January.

Queen Camilla’s symbolic jewellery choices during the three-day Canada tour with King Charles emphasised the Royal Family’s long-standing connections to the Commonwealth nation through meaningful accessories.

Her selection of both the Canadian Maple Leaf brooch and the Pellatt brooch demonstrated how royal visits continue to honour historical ties through carefully chosen pieces with deep significance.

The tour came as King Charles made headlines for defending Canada’s “freedom” in a speech to parliament, prepared by the Government, now headed by recently elected Prime Minister Mark Carney. Though Camilla made no similar public remarks, her jewellery selections spoke volumes about the enduring relationship between Britain and Canada.

Queen Camilla’s jewellery sent subtle message of support to Canada amid tensions. Getty

Queen Camilla wore the historic Canadian Maple Leaf brooch during a Monday walkabout in Ottawa, continuing a royal tradition that spans generations. The platinum and diamond piece, crafted by Asprey, was originally given to the Queen Mother as a gift in 1939. The late Queen Elizabeth made her debut wearing the brooch in 1951 and continued to wear it throughout her life. She previously loaned it to Camilla for earlier trips to Canada, whilst both Princess Anne and Princess Kate have also worn the brooch during their visits to the nation.

Queen Camilla sat beside her husband during his speech. Reuters

Camilla paired the brooch with a pink Anna Valentine dress. During Tuesday’s visit to the Canadian Parliament, Camilla wore a green dress and the Pellatt brooch bearing the insignia of the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada. The brooch represents the Canadian militia’s oldest infantry regiment, of which Camilla became colonel-in-chief in 2012, taking over the role from Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy. She debuted the brooch during her first trip to Canada following the appointment. The bejewelled piece is named after the regiment’s modern hero, industrialist and soldier Sir Henry Pellatt, and is fashioned in the shape of the regiment’s cap badge, including a figure 2 set in rubies.

Queen Camilla wearing a pink Anna Valentine dress in Canada. Reuters

Kate stuns in hat she wore to Meghan Markle and Harry’s wedding – a day after couple celebrated their anniversary

Kate Middleton’s floral-inspired hat was by milliner-to-the-stars Philip Treacy

READ MORE: The clever fashion technique Kate used to ensure she didn’t distract from VE Day commemorations

The Princess of Wales combined classic elegance and high fashion yesterday when she stepped out in a butter yellow ensemble – but while her outfit was on trend, it also harked back to the past.

Kate, 43, chose a demure Emilia Wickstead dress in the colour of the season when she joined husband Prince William at a Buckingham Palace garden party on Tuesday afternoon.

And, the mother-of-three accessorised her long-sleeved midi frock with the same Philip Treacy hat that she wore to her estranged brother-in-law Prince Harry’s wedding in May 2018.

While the Princess has never worried about rewearing items she’s been pictured in previously, yesterday’s decision to add the floral-inspired fascinator may have been based on more than just its complementary colours.

After Prince Harry’s emotional BBC interview at the beginning of the month, in which he revealed that his father, King Charles, ‘won’t speak to him’, relations between the prince and the royal family are thought to be at rock bottom.

Yet, in the week of Harry and Meghan Markle’s seventh wedding anniversary – which the Duchess of Sussex celebrated with a sentimental mood board – Kate gave a subtle nod to the California-based couple.

Kate’s garden party attendance on Tuesday afternoon marked her first appearance at one of the annual events since 2023 – having missed last year due to her cancer treatment.

Her dress, which cinched at the waist to flatter her lithe figure, was also an old favourite.

The future queen is known for rewearing outfits and has worn both the hat and dress to several public events.

At the Buckingham Palace garden party yesterday, Kate Middleton (pictured) rewore a floral-inspired Philip Treacy hat dating back to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in 2018

Kate wore the off-white and yellow fascinator to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding seven years ago

The Princess of Wales looked stunning yesterday in her Emilia Wickstead dress

Kate last wore the frock from one of her favourite London-based designers at St Paul’s Cathedral during the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022.

Her diamond earrings by British jeweller Robinson Pelham, which she wore on her wedding day in April 2011, were a gift from her parents, Carole and Michael.

Among the guests at Tuesday’s garden party was Holocaust survivor Steven Frank, 89, with whom Kate shared a warm embrace.

Kate photographed Steven Frank, 89, who lived through multiple concentration camps as a child, with his granddaughters, Maggie and Trixie Fleet, five years ago for a project marking the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II.

When they reunited yesterday, Kate said: ‘I feel like we are old friends now. Lovely to see you again.’

The royal last met Mr Frank at a Holocaust Memorial Day event in January, to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of former Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Their meeting brought full circle their previous connection, as the Princess had photographed Mr Frank in 2020 for her Generations: Portraits of Holocaust Survivors exhibition.

For the exhibition, Kate captured Mr Frank and Yvonne Bernstein, who both settled in Britain after the Second World War.

Mr Frank was among only a handful of children to make it out alive from the last of the many concentration camps he was sent to. By then his father had been gassed to death for speaking out against the Nazis.

The Princess of Wales shared a warm embrace with a Holocaust survivor and his granddaughters as they reunited at a Buckingham Palace garden party yesterday

Mrs Bernstein was hidden as a child in France throughout most of the Second World War and her uncle was seized and murdered for shielding her.

Both Mr Frank and Mrs Bernstein were photographed at Kensington Palace alongside their granddaughters.

The photos went on display at the Imperial War Museum in an exhibition bringing together more than 50 contemporary portraits of Holocaust survivors and their families.

The Prince and Princess of Wales Instagram account shared the news, writing: ‘Displayed for the very first time, these powerful photographs capture the special connections between Holocaust survivors and the younger generations of their families, and remind us of our collective responsibility to ensure their stories live on.

‘The photographs present a group of survivors who made the UK their home after beginnings marked by unimaginable loss and trauma.

‘While offering a space to remember and share their stories, these portraits are a celebration of the full lives they have lived and the special legacy which their children and grandchildren will carry into the future.

‘The exhibition is in partnership with the @RoyalPhotographicSociety and @HolocaustMemorialdayTrust, two organisations who invited The Duchess to be part of this special project, marking 75 years since the end of the Holocaust last year.’

In one of the pictures Mr Frank was seen holding a pan, this had been one of his mother’s items that he had kept from during his time at Westerbork transit camp. He was later sent to Theresienstadt with his brothers and mother.

The mother-of-three, who hosted the garden party alongside her husband Prince William, shared an emotional hug with Steven Frank before the pair caught up. Pictured, Kate hugging one of Mr Frank’s granddaughters

The mother-of-three, who hosted the garden party alongside her husband Prince William, shared an emotional hug with Steven Frank before the pair caught up. Pictured, Kate hugging one of Mr Frank’s granddaughters

When they met Kate said: ‘I feel like we are old friends now. Lovely to see you again’

Mr Frank was among only a handful of children to make it out alive from the last of the many concentration camps he was sent to. He was photographed with his granddaughters Maggie and Trixie (pictured)

Whilst at the camp his mother would do laundry for prisoners in exchange for a small amount of bread.

She would put crumbs into the pan, adding hot water to make a paste. She would give each child a spoonful to keep them alive, denying herself of the food.

It was this act of kindness from his mother and her use of the pan that ultimately saved his life.

He survived multiple concentration camps and Mr Frank and his brothers were three of only 93 children who survived the camp, out of 15,000 children sent there.

Kate, who is patron of the Royal Photographic Society and had produced a thesis on photography during her art history degree, said at the time ‘despite unbelievable trauma at the start of their lives’ they were ‘two of the most life-affirming people that I have had the privilege to meet’.

She added: ‘They look back on their experiences with sadness but also with gratitude that they were some of the lucky few to make it through. Their stories will stay with me forever.’

She added that whilst she had been lucky enough to meet the survivors, she recognised that not everyone in the future would be able to hear such stories first hand.

In January, the ceremony at Guildhall, which was shown on BBC1, brought together faith and civic leaders as well as survivors of the Holocaust and more recent genocides.

Mr Frank, 89, embraces the Princess of Wales during an emotional Holocaust Memorial Service in London

Kate has said she was ‘honoured’ to have her photographs of Holocaust survivors and their families included in the Imperial War Museum exhibition

Kate, wearing all black with a five-string pearl necklace, and William, dressed in a navy suit and blue tie, described it as a ‘great honour’ to attend as they met with a group of survivors who told her of their heartrendering personal stories.

In an emotional reunion with Mr Frank, Kate told him: ‘I want to give you a big cuddle.’

He thanked her for sending him a Christmas card and the pair chatted about his family.

She also warmly embraced survivor Yvonne Bernstein, 87 – who also had her picture taken by the Princess in 2020 – before Kate clasped her hands and sat beside her and said: ‘(It is) such a treat for me (to see) an old friend.’

Kate has always had a passion for photography and she produced her undergraduate thesis on the era of photography – in particular, photographs of children.

She graduated in 2005 from the University of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland, with an undergraduate (2:1 Hons) in the history of art.

Almost nothing that the young royal wears is left to chance, an expert says.

Many of Princess Charlotte’s outfits—chosen by mom Kate Middleton—send a deeper message than may originally meet the eye.

For example, Kate sometimes chooses to honor the late Princess Diana, Charlotte’s grandmother, through her only daughter’s wardrobe choices.

Charlotte will turn the milestone age of 10 years old on May 2.

Royal women have long sent messages through their clothes, and it seems that both Kate Middleton and her only daughter, Princess Charlotte, are no exception.

Specifically, The Sun reported, Kate uses her fashion and her daughter’s to pay homage to the late Princess Diana, who is also honored in one of Charlotte’s middle names. (Her full name is Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana, her other middle name honoring the late Queen Elizabeth.) It is a strategic choice, the outlet reported, and much more thought out than just “randomly selected stylish items.”

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Fashion commentator Amber Graafland told the outlet that Kate “carefully considers” Charlotte’s outfits and “conveys messages” with them.

Getty Princess Charlotte and Kate Middleton at Trooping the Colour on June 15, 2024

“Princess Kate has perfected the art of effective communication through the language of clothes,” Graafland said. “Kate often uses her impeccable style to nod to her hosts on official visits. As Kate has become more comfortable with positioning Charlotte in the public eye, she has also started using her clothes to convey hidden messages.”

In particular, Kate and Charlotte’s outfits often mirror one another, like at the 2023 coronation or last year’s Trooping the Colour, where Kate wore a white Jenny Packham dress with black piping detail and a monochrome bow placed on her right shoulder. Meanwhile, Charlotte wore a navy dress with white piping and bow detailing, complementing her mother’s outfit.

Getty Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte at Trooping the Colour on June 15, 2024

“The matching outfits not only highlighted Kate and Charlotte’s close bond but made a strong public impression,” Graafland said, adding that “Charlotte’s outfit also held several hidden messages and meanings. Her sailor-inspired dress was a nod to historical royal style, dating as far back as Queen Victoria, who commissioned a miniature sailor’s uniform for her son Prince Albert Edward.”

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Since then, Graafland added, the nautical theme has been worn by royal kids like King Charles, Prince William, and Prince Harry. In addition to honoring her father William, Charlotte also paid subtle tribute to her late grandmother Diana in the Wales family Christmas card photo in 2023, Graafland said.

“Princess Kate dressed her daughter in a white blouse that appeared to honor [her] grandmother, Princess Diana,” she told The Sun. “Charlotte was dressed in the Diana blouse from Amaia Kids, a touching nod to the relative that they were clearly missing at Christmas.”

The Princess of Wales also often pays subtle—and sometimes outright—homage to the mother-in-law she never had the chance to know through her fashion. Beyond just paying tribute to the late Princess of Wales, Charlotte’s clothes are also used to convey messages of support, like at Wimbledon last July, when Charlotte wore a knee-length dress with flutter sleeves by the Spanish brand Friki.

Getty Princess Diana

That particular dress was “chosen in honor of King Felipe of Spain, who was also at Wimbledon, supporting Spanish player Carlos Alcaraz, who went on to win the men’s final,” Graafland said. “King Felipe made time to speak to Princess Charlotte, chatting to her in the royal box. Charlotte’s dress choice served as an homage, and perhaps a hint as to the player she was supporting in the final.”

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For the Prince and Princess of Wales’ first Trooping the Colour with those titles in 2023, “it was important to send a united message,” Graafland said. “As a nod to her new role as Colonel of the Irish Guards, Princess Kate opted to wear green. Charlotte was dressed in a white dress with red lining that matched the shared red of her brothers’ tie and navy jackets, which had been carefully chosen to represent the colors of the Welsh flag.”

“The outfits had clearly been orchestrated to show respect, and as a nod to their new titles, which they had only been given nine months before,” she added.

Getty Images Prince George, Kate Middleton, Prince Louis, Prince William, and Princess Charlotte at Trooping the Colour on June 17, 2023

Much like there is a Kate Middleton Effect in terms of Kate’s fashion—after the Princess of Wales wears an item of clothing, sales skyrocket—so too is there a Charlotte Effect, royal commentator Sharon Carpenter told Us Weekly, saying that Charlotte is “following closely in her mother’s footsteps when it comes to her princess style, and she’s now regarded as a major child fashion icon.”

“It’s estimated that Charlotte will be worth between a whopping 3 and 4 billion pounds to the U.K. economy over her lifetime—way more than even her brother [Prince] George, who will one day be king,” Carpenter added.

Getty Princess Charlotte and Kate Middleton at Wimbledon on July 14, 2024

Getty Princess Charlotte and Kate Middleton at Wimbledon on July 14, 2024

Royal historian Marlene Koenig said that Charlotte is poised to become “the secret weapon for the royal family,” and that Kate “describes Charlotte as independent and ‘the one in charge’” at their family home of Adelaide Cottage in Windsor. As she prepares to turn 10 years old and enter double digits on May 2, her parents have “watched Charlotte grow into a smart, confident, and funny girl who knows how to hold her own both in the spotlight and outside of it,” Carpenter said.

Read the original article on InStyle