Kate Middleton paid a subtle tribute to the Queen yesterday when she donned a replica of the late monarch’s brooch for a St David’s Day parade.
The Princess of Wales, 41, was accompanying her husband, Prince William, who arrived at St.
The royal mother-of-three opted for a bright Alexander McQueen coat for the occasion, which she paired with black accessories and a distinctive Juliette Botterill fascinator.
Meanwhile, she pinned a glittering replica of the Welsh Guards leek brooch to her lapel for the outing.
The original Welsh Guard Leek brooch was designed for Queen Elizabeth II in 1960 from drawings by the Welsh Guard, but both Camilla and Princess Diana have worn replicas of the brooch.
Kate Middleton, 41, paid a subtle tribute to the Queen yesterday as she donned a replica of the late monarch’s brooch for a St David’s Day parade
The original Welsh Guards leek brooch designed for Queen Elizabeth II in 1960 from drawings by the Welsh Guardsmen (pictured the Queen wearing the brooch in 2020)
The Queen’s brooch was presented to the late monarch as a regimental gift and was self-financed by the Guardsmen, who each paid 12.5p.
In the decades that followed, the Queen wore the brooch at most events involving the Welsh Guards.
She most recently wore the heirloom with the New Colors to the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards at Windsor Castle in 2015 and at a downsized Trooping the Color in 2020 at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
Princess Diana, who bore the title Princess of Wales, also wore a replica of the brooch when she watched a parade of the First Battalion of Welsh Guards in London in 1990 as Britain’s Queen Elizabeth presented new colors to the regiment.
Meanwhile, Camilla wore her replica brooch on her first visit to Wales after the Queen’s death in September.
Each of the brooches has a slightly different design – with different twists in the leek leaves as well as differences in the color of the roots of each brooch.
During yesterday’s visit, Kate proved she’s the queen of rewear as she replicated an outfit she wore in 2006 while attending a St David’s Day parade.
The royal mother-of-three opted for a bright Alexander McQueen coat for the occasion, which she paired with black accessories and a distinctive Juliette Botterill fascinator.
Princess Diana, who bore the title Princess of Wales, also wore a replica of the brooch while watching a parade of the First Battalion of Welsh Guards in London in 1990 (left). Meanwhile, Camilla wore her replica brooch on her first visit to Wales after the Queen’s death in September (right).
The look was remarkably similar to the one she wore 17 years earlier while attending the Prince’s graduation parade at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.
The princess even opted to wear the same distinctive pair of black leather gloves, complete with cut-out detailing, for both occasions.
The gloves are by Serbian designer Evica Milovanov Penezić.
The Sandhurst parade was a particularly important occasion for William and Kate – it was their first official appearance alongside the royal family.
Kate wore glamorous makeup with pink lipstick and a dark smoky eye for her appearance yesterday.
The late monarch, pictured on Trooping the Color in June 2020, wore the Welsh Guards leek brooch on several occasions during her 70 years on the throne
The late monarch received the leek brooch in 1960 from the Welsh Guards, who designed it from their own drawings and paid for it themselves (pictured at Trooping the Color 2020).
And unlike in 2006, when she wore her hair loose around her shoulders, today she swept her tresses into an intricate updo.
During her visit yesterday, Kate was impressed by nine-year-old Thomas Lucas, who managed to steal the show when he decided to perform an impromptu backflip.
Speaking to Thomas afterwards, the princess said his backflip was “extraordinary” and that she was “super impressed”.
She asked his parents “who he got his backflip talent from,” and Thomas replied that he taught himself.
The elementary school student explained to the royal visitor that he’s really into ‘parkour’, a popular form of ‘free running’ that involves athletic vaulting, jumping and climbing over obstacles to get from one point to another as quickly as possible reach.
Kate – who had described it as dancing – said: “Not dancing, sorry – I have to learn all this lingo, I’m not very good at it”.
The royal mother-of-three pinned a glittering replica of the Welsh Guards leek brooch to her lapel for the outing
The princess appeared amused when a young boy performed a somersault for her at the event yesterday
The princess seemed particularly excited ahead of the parade as she prepared to watch her husband participate