The Princess of Wales is known for her elegant Trooping the Colour outfits, opting for favourite designers including Alexander McQueen and Catherine Walker
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Does anyone wear a Trooping the Colour outfit better than the Princess of Wales? Catherine has attended every iteration of the royal tradition since she married into the Firm in 2011 – outside of 2020 and 2021, when the event was stripped back due to Covid – and has turned the monarch’s birthday celebrations into something of a style masterclass.
The annual occasion, which sees the royal family gather on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to wave to the public and witness a flypast, has changed considerably since Kate made her debut: under the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the extended royals were welcome to participate, with the balcony crowded with cousins, like Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and rarely seen members of the family, including the likes of Princess Michael of Kent and Lady Sarah Chatto. King Charles, however, chose to strip back the family to only its working members.
While the balcony might be more sparse now, the Princess of Wales’ Trooping the Colour outfits remain a stalwart staple of elegance and grace. Blending bold summer block colours with her favourite silhouettes, Catherine has stuck to a number of her most trusted designers across the decades, opting for Alexander McQueen a total of eight times.