It’s garden party season in Britain, and Kate Middleton and Prince William were hosting at Buckingham Palace. Traditionally, spring garden parties are a high-summer event where royals meet members of the public—like armed forces veterans, community leaders, and charity ambassadors—to recognize and celebrate public service, hear their stories, drink plenty of tea, and enjoy thousands of small cakes and sandwiches. Every year, the royal family invites 30,000 people to their garden parties, with three held at Buckingham Palace and one at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Scotland. On Friday, the Waleses led their first party of the season on behalf of King Charles and Queen Camilla.
We know Kate Middleton often rewears outfits, but this time she paired a vintage find with a brand new dress. Catherine, Princess of Wales, wore a cream and black Self-Portrait dress—one of her favorite brands—featuring a tailored wool top with shoulder pads, a flower corsage, a square neckline, and a polka-dot A-line skirt. For accessories, she mixed old and new: Queen Elizabeth’s Bahrain pearl drop earrings, a Forever New Lily woven clutch, Ralph Lauren toffee-colored Celia pumps, and a vintage hat.
The Wales family hosted the Buckingham Palace garden party on behalf of King Charles and Queen Camilla.
Photo: Getty Images
Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, and Prince Edward also joined the Waleses.
Photo: Getty Images
Her new hat—a wide-brimmed black and cream straw design with a sculptural brim and floral decorations—is a vintage piece by Mitzi Lorenz, a British milliner born in Vienna. Lorenz was famous in Britain from the late 1930s through the 1980s for her jewel-toned hats and floral or bow-topped headpieces.
She started her millinery business in 1938, living above her hat shop on London’s Great Portland Street, and built a millinery empire. Under her guidance, she helped launch some of Britain’s most famous milliners, like Frederick Fox and Rose Cory, who later designed hats for Queen Elizabeth II and other royals. Lorenz kept working well into old age and died in 1999 at 88. The business has since closed, but her vintage pieces can still be found online—including Kate’s.
Kate greets visitors at the royal garden party.
Photo: Getty Images
Pearls have become a signature for Kate, and she often wears the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Bahrain pearl drop earrings. These were made from seven rare pearls given to Princess Elizabeth by the Hakim of Bahrain as a wedding gift in 1947.
Kate at a 2025 garden party.
Photo: Getty Images
Kate at the 2023 garden party, held at Buckingham Palace.
Photo: Getty Images
Kate has been a regular at the annual garden parties but missed 2024 while undergoing cancer treatment. She also skipped previous years shortly after the births of Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte. In past garden parties, she often wore tailored dresses by Emilia Wickstead, Christopher Kane, and Alexander McQueen, paired with matching fascinators in spring colors.
She and William were joined by Prince Edward, Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh, and Zara Tindall for the day.
The next garden party will be at Buckingham Palace on May 12, with an Edinburgh event on June 30. More parties have been added to this year’s schedule too: a celebration for the 50th anniversary of King Charles’s foundation, The King’s Trust, and a May 19 event for The Not Forgotten, a British charity supporting the physical and mental health of military veterans and service members.
The princess heads to Italy next week for a two-day trip—her first official overseas engagement since entering remission from cancer a year ago. Visiting Reggio Emilia with the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, it’s described as a fact-finding trip to meet local parents.Children and education—you often hear about the “Reggio Emilia Approach.”
“The Princess is really looking forward to visiting Italy next week and seeing for herself how the Reggio Emilia approach creates spaces where nature and caring relationships come together to support children’s development,” a Kensington Palace spokesperson said in a statement.
Kate Middleton, in no time at all!
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about Kate Middleton kicking off the garden party season while wearing a piece of British millinery history
BeginnerLevel Questions
Q What did Kate Middleton wear to start the garden party season
A She wore a hat that is a piece of British millinery historyspecifically a design from the late famous hat designer Philip Treacy
Q Why is her hat considered history
A The hat is a bespoke design by Philip Treacy who is a legendary British milliner He dressed royalty and celebrities for decades so any new piece from his collection is considered historically significant in fashion
Q What does millinery mean
A It simply means the art or business of making hats especially womens hats
Q What is a garden party in this context
A Its a formal daytime social event often hosted by the Royal Family at Buckingham Palace or other royal residences Guests are expected to dress up and hats are a traditional requirement
Q Did she wear a new hat or an old one
A The reports say she wore a piece of millinery history which often means it was a design from a significant past collection or a rare piece by a master milliner rather than a brandnew offtherack hat
Advanced Specific Questions
Q Which specific Philip Treacy hat did Kate wear
A She wore a dramatic sculptural hat from Treacys archive It featured a large curved brim and a bold architectural shape consistent with his iconic style
Q Why is Philip Treacy so important to British millinery history
A Treacy revolutionized hat design in the 1990s and 2000s He used unconventional materials and created avantgarde shapes He was a favorite of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana making his work a cornerstone of modern royal fashion
Q How does wearing a historic hat fit into royal fashion rules