March continues to be a busy royal month, and we saw the Duchess of Cambridge take on three engagements this week, including one with The Queen. Meanwhile, Zara Tindall had a fantastic style week at the Cheltenham Races, putting a spotlight on British designers.
Note: Meghan made two unexpected appearances this week, but as Lena Tindall’s christening was a private event and we do not have rights to paparazzi photos, it will not be covered in this roundup. Also, due to the tragic nature of the events surrounding Meghan’s surprise visit to New Zealand House, we will not be focusing on her fashion choices that day. However, you can read more about the engagement here.
St Patrick’s Day
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended the St Patrick’s Day celebrations with the 1st Battalion Irish Guards Sunday. Catherine wore a new coat from one of her go-to designers, Alexander McQueen.
The military-style green coat is similar in structure to the black Alexander McQueen coat she wore on Remembrance Sunday in 2018, both featuring button detail close to the neck and at the waist.
Because of the back peplum, this new coat almost appears to be a skirt suit when photographed from the back or the side, but it is one continuous piece.
The retro-themed outfit gave off 1940s vibes and was a glamorous look for the Duchess, who always seems to enjoy this engagement – especially presenting shamrocks to the Irish Guards’ mascot, Domnhall the Irish Wolfhound.
Catherine accessorised with the Irish Guards’ gold and emerald shamrock brooch, a sprig of fresh shamrocks, and a pair of previously-worn Kiki McDonough earrings with diamonds, green tourmaline, and green amethysts. She paired the outfit with her Gianvito Rossi block heel pumps and a new, unidentified hat featuring floral detail.
King’s College Visit
Tuesday, The Queen and the Duchess of Cambridge visited King’s College to mark the opening of Bush House, the campus’s newest facility.
The Queen looked fresh for spring in a pink ensemble from Stewart Parvin. According to The Daily Mail’s Rebecca English, Her Majesty was in an “Old Rose cashmere coat and a silk dress of autumnal woodland in shades of grey, fuchsia and olive.”
The coat has an interesting “L” shape at the front and black buttons that matched her usual black gloves, shoes, and trusty handbag. The Queen topped her look off with a floral-trimmed hat by Rachel Trevor-Morgan, pearl jewellery, and a pink sapphire and diamond brooch.
The Duchess of Cambridge debuted a new dress by Catherine Walker. With her hair down, an old favourite fascinator, and a swingy skirt, her look Tuesday was reminiscent of the early days of her marriage.
The grey dress features a black velvet collar and matching buttons that trim the cuffs, box pleats on the full skirt, and a wide belt in the same material as the dress.
Her hat is the Fairy Tale Style by John Lock, per What Kate Wore, and we’ve seen her wear it many times over the years. She added drop earrings from her favourite jewellery designer, Kiki McDonough, black tights, and the same block heel pumps she wore on St. Patrick’s Day.
Later in the day, the Duchess visited The Foundling Museum, wearing the same outfit – sans hat – as she wore earlier with Her Majesty.
Zara at Cheltenham
Zara Tindall was in her element this week, attending the Cheltenham Races and sporting some excellent coats. My favourite of her looks was on day two of the races when she wore a stunning plum ensemble. (Bonus points to Mike Tindall for matching his tie with her outfit.)
Her coat is a bespoke version of the ‘Margot’ coat by London-based Pip Howeson, according to Victoria Howard of Replicate Royalty. It features military-style buttons down the front, and was, in fact “inspired by a Russian Cavalry officer’s overcoat that I saw in the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg,” according to the designer.
Underneath, Zara wore a floral print dress by Ted Baker. She added booties by Sergio Rossi and an Aspinal of London Letterbox saddle bag, which is owned by both the Duchess of Cornwall and Pippa Middleton. She kept the equestrian theme going by wearing the saddle diamond earrings from her own Zara Philips jewellery collection for Calleja.
Zara’s gorgeous floral-covered hat is a bespoke Juliette Botterill creation, per Howard.
Princess Anne also joined her daughter for the fun, looking smart in a red bucket-style hat with a flower accent, green military-style coat with a printed red scarf underneath, and chain strap bag.
Next week we’ll have the details of the Duchess of Cambridge’s visit to the Scouts’ headquarters at Gilwell Park, some fashion from the Duchess of Cornwall’s Caribbean tour – and any other royal engagements that might pop up in between.
