It’s been a busy December for Kate Middleton, in between German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s state visit and her annual Together at Christmas carol service. Now though, as Christmas fast approaches, Catherine Princess of Wales is swapping high-profile official engagements for private family events—as shown on Tuesday afternoon, when the Wales family attended a pre-Christmas royal lunch at Buckingham Palace.
For the occasion, the Princess rewore a red polka-dot dress by Alessandra Rich, which she first sported for an appearance on the BBC’s A Berry Royal Christmas back in 2019. Leaning into the festive spirit, she accessorized the look with a black velvet hair bow from Miu Miu, along with Van Cleef Arpels’s Magic Alhambra earrings, which she previously wore during a state visit to the Bahamas in 2022.
While Kate Middleton has been enjoying more formal—regal, even—looks of late (see the dazzling Jenny Packham dress she wore at the Windsor Castle state banquet this month), it’s clear that she still likes to return to the old favorites in her wardrobe. At the weekend, for example, the Princess brought back out a plaid Holland Cooper coat for a private visit to the Ever After Garden at The Royal Marsden Hospital in London.
On Tuesday December 16, Kate was joined by Prince William and their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, for the lunch—with Charlotte coordinating with her mother in a velvet burgundy dress. Expect to see more matching—and perhaps recycled—outfits as the Waleses join King Charles and Queen Camilla at Sandringham on Christmas Day.