On Thursday, the Princess of Wales did her first public event in months, since she attended the Wimbledon men’s final in July. She had been seen in careful photo-ops in those three months, of course – there were the photo-ops to church at Balmoral, there was last week’s meeting at Windsor Castle with a 17-year-old girl with cancer, and of course, there was idiotic sepia-toned “cancer-free” video she released in September. But Kate and Prince William’s event in Southport on Thursday was their first public event together since Trooping the Colour in June. It’s a pretty big deal.
Some details about her outfit – Kate wore a polka-dotted dress from Whistles and a McQueen peacoat, both of which look newish to me? The Telegraph dutifully announced that shades of burgundy & merlot are the hottest autumnal colors this year. Naturally. Tatler made a big deal about her fern earrings from Catherine Zoraida – those are a repeat, but according to Tatler, “ferns represent the importance of family bonds and signify hope for the next generation. They are also said to symbolise endurance, with many cultures viewing the unfurling of the plant’s fronds as the natural embodiment of resilience through hardships.” Some people are doing entirely too much to give Kate credit for her symbolism. This is the woman who cosplays national flags. She’s not researching the meaning of ferns. Kate was also notably not wearing her sapphire-and-diamond engagement ring. Again. That ring has been disappearing a lot lately – she wasn’t wearing it in the cancer-free video, nor in the Olympics video.
Most people were not expecting to see Kate this week, as I said yesterday. Most of us thought that she would only come out for some Remembrance events in November. Gee, I wonder why she made a point of going to Southport this week? Especially when the British media was on Day 5 of their aggressively bitter coverage of “Meghan wore a red dress to a charity gala.” It’s almost like that’s why Kate decided to come outside! Speaking of, the Daily Beast’s coverage made note of something curious: “Some media outlets including the Daily Telegraph said that Kate had chosen to join her husband ‘at the last minute’ but an official source at Kensington Palace told the Daily Beast that was not an accurate characterization of matters.” Meaning, what? Kate saw the pics of Meghan on Sunday and decided that she just had to go outside, therefore it wasn’t a last-minute decision?
Will & Kate also did a tweet.
We continue to stand with everyone in Southport. Meeting the community today has been a powerful reminder of the importance of supporting one another in the wake of unimaginable tragedy. You will remain in our thoughts and prayers. W & C pic.twitter.com/CP2DXJaqW2
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) October 10, 2024
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.