Kate Middleton made a high-profile appearance alongside the rest of the royal family at the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on March 9.The event is a staple in the royal diary every year and is held on the second Monday in March.The Princess of Wales wore a navy blue Catherine Walker coatdress and a pair of diamond and pearl earrings from Queen Elizabeth’s collection.
In the royal family’s most high-profile en masse appearance since the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor last month, Kate Middleton was one of the attendees at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey on March 9. The service is an annual celebration that brings together representatives from the 56 nations that make up the Commonwealth and is held on the second Monday in March each year.
Kate Middleton and Prince William on March 9, 2026.
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The Princess of Wales is typically a staple on the guest list at the event, and today, wore a navy blue Catherine Walker coatdress, a matching hat, and a pair of Queen Elizabeth‘s diamond and pearl earrings. Kate further accessorized with a five-strand pearl necklace by Susan Caplan from her own collection.
She was joined by her husband Prince William, King Charles, Queen Camilla, and Princess Anne at the event, which made history this year as the first Commonwealth Day service to not be broadcast live on the BBC—the first time it has not been shown in 37 years. It has been shown on the network every year since 1989, apart from 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the BBC cited “funding challenges” as the reason why this year’s event would not be shown, per Hello!.
Kate Middleton wearing a pair of earrings from Queen Elizabeth’s collection.
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In his message this year, the King—who is the head of the Commonwealth—warned of the “increasing pressures of conflict,” adding that this is a “time of great challenge and great possibility.”
“It is often in such testing moments that the enduring spirit of the Commonwealth is most clearly revealed,” he said in part, adding, “Working together, we can ensure that the Commonwealth continues to stand as a force for good—grounded in community, committed to the kind of restorative sustainability that has a return on investment, enriched by culture, steadfast in its care for our planet, and united in friendship and in the service of its people.”
Kate Middleton wearing her own Susan Caplan five-strand pearl necklace.
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Kate in particular is a highlight of every Commonwealth Day service, and royal biographer Russell Myers—author of William and Catherine: The Monarchy’s New Era: The Inside Story—told Hello! of the future queen that “She is critical to the running of the monarchy, and she really does understand the vision of the future.”
Fellow royal biographer Robert Jobson called the Princess of Wales “the glue, really. She has an understanding of the way the world works. This is a woman who has come from the people and actually does understand what people expect.”
Kate Middleton at the Commonwealth Day service on March 9, 2026.
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Of the Prince and Princess of Wales, “We’ve seen so many fractious relationships in this family,” Myers added. “To have a couple who have stability at the center of what they do is important. When everything is burning around you, you need the central figures to remain solid—and that’s what the Waleses do.”