Kate Middleton has spent recent months championing British textiles—visits to Sudbury Mill in Suffolk and Marina Mill in Cuxton last September; a January trip to the Radical Weavers in Stirling, where she tried her hand at traditional tartan weaving; and, most recently, a visit to Melin Tregwynt, the woollen mill on the Pembrokeshire coast famed for its Welsh double-cloth designs. An appearance this afternoon (February 5) saw Catherine, Princess of Wales double down on that ‘Made in Britain’ messaging.
On a visit to Lambeth Palace to meet with the new Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Sarah Mullally (the first woman to serve as leader of the Church of England and ceremonial head of the Anglican Communion), Kate opted for a head-to-toe, chocolate-brown outfit—offset only by the glint of a heart-shaped necklace—comprising a peak-shouldered coat and a shin-length Edeline Lee dress in the designer’s signature bubble flou jacquard.
It was a characteristically pragmatic choice. The fabric, designed for women on the move, can be folded into the bottom of a suitcase and spring back to life without so much as a crease. But more than that, Lee, who has dressed the Princess of Wales on multiple occasions, produces almost everything she sells within the walls of her east London atelier.
Even last season, when Lee unveiled her first foray into knitwear at the St George Ballroom of the Peninsula Hotel, London—reworking her bestselling silhouettes, among them the “Pedernal” dress Catherine wore to present the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design in 2022 in fléchage panels of sustainable FSC-certified viscose—every piece had to be made in Britain.
“It’s been a real labour of love, and yet so much more pleasurable than DHL-ing it all off to China,” Lee said at the time, describing the arduous but non-negotiable process that went into creating these “chic, multi-functional pieces [her] women need”. “Made in England means something,” she added. “But we don’t give it the same weight as other nations. We need to support British fashion.” Kate Middleton appears to be of the same mind.