To mark Armed Forces Day in Great Britain on the 25th of June 2011, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton and Prince William) attended a ceremony at Windsor’s Victoria Barracks. The Royal Couple presented medals to members of the Irish Guards .
The event was Kate’s first military role as a member of the Royal Family and we think she dressed the part! Her ensemble was demure yet serious: very apt considering Kate met with families of the Irish Guards who had been killed in Afghanistan.
KATE’S OUTFIT:
Kate chose a dark blue military-style coat-dress by Alexander McQueen . The designer label confirmed this in a tweet at the time.
Kate’s coat is doubled breasted, features a high collar, epaulettes and is adorned with gold buttons.
The coat is a bespoke design, created just for Kate. However, it does contain elements found in McQueen’s dresses and coats from the Pre AW11 ready-to-wear collection:
In keeping with the military theme, Kate wore a beret style hat in a matching blue colour. The hat has a bow embellishment on top. It was by Rachel Trevor-Morgan Millinery .
Kate carried the Anya Hindmarch “Marano” clutch bag in blue. The piece is made from shagreen (stingray) fabric and features gold hardware.
Kate’s yellow teardrop earrings were by Kiki McDonough . The earrings feature a citrine pear-shaped stone suspended from an 18-carat gold hoop.
The jewellery designer describes the earrings as “a simple and extremely wearable style … perfect for adding a touch of colour to the face.”
The Duchess also wore a charm bracelet that was a gift from the Duchess of Cornwall. The gold piece features Kate’s monogram engraved onto a disk. Camilla’s monogram features on the other side of the disk.