Kate Middleton arrived at Trooping the Colour on Saturday in a carriage with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, a carefully watched public appearance that put the Princess of Wales back at the center of the monarchy’s most visible annual ceremony. While the headline question suggests Prince William was absent, he was also at the parade — riding on horseback.
The Princess of Wales wore a light blue Catherine Walker dress with white piping and a large Philip Treacy hat, finishing the look with Cassandra Goad pearl floral burst earrings. It was a polished royal appearance, and one that fit a pattern: since marrying William in 2011, Kate has never missed Trooping the Colour, even as her role and visibility have changed.
The earrings were a deliberate choice with history. She wore them earlier this year for the installation of the new Archbishop of Canterbury, and she first debuted them in 2018 at Prince Louis’s christening. Kate has often used the parade to lean on familiar royal designers, mainly Alexander McQueen and Catherine Walker, though she has also worn pieces by Jenny Packham, Erdem and Andrew Gn over the years.
Trooping the Colour is the annual celebration of the monarch’s birthday, and for the Princess of Wales this year’s appearance carried extra weight after a long stretch out of the public eye during cancer treatment. She announced in September 2024 that she had finished chemotherapy treatment and in January 2025 that she was in remission. Two years ago, she returned to public life at Trooping the Colour after news of her cancer diagnosis.
William’s presence on horseback matters because it closes the gap the headline leaves open: he was not missing from the event at all, just taking part in a different role. The family’s appearance turned the ceremony into more than a formal state occasion, and Kate’s return with George, Charlotte and Louis showed the Waleses once again occupying the most closely watched place in royal life.
William once described his wife as “an amazing mum, an amazing wife” and said their family could not cope without her. That sentiment fits the moment here. Kate’s return to Trooping the Colour is not only a fashion watch; it is a signal that she is back in the public frame at one of the monarchy’s most scrutinized events, with the next question whether the Wales family keeps that visible rhythm through the rest of the summer.
