Since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex returned to the UK, poor Prince William and poor Kate have been working their fingers to the nub! The Prince and Princess of Wales have been keeping up a “steady” stream of appearances, sometimes “packing” their schedules with up to three events a WEEK! You don’t even know how tired and overworked they are, truly. Which is why it’s sort of funny that they were barely out this week. It’s not even their kids’ half-term break! William and Kate were exhausted by averaging three events a week for five weeks straight. I wondered if we would even see Kate this week, since she loves to disappear out of nowhere. But here we are, this is why they were so quiet all week – they were preparing to visit Northern Ireland.
If you don’t know, the Windsors never announce their Northern Ireland visits ahead of time. That’s because of the legacy of the Troubles and the Windsors’ attempts to not make targets out of themselves or give anyone too much notice to prepare protests or worse. So William and Kate just appeared in South Belfast with little hype or advanced warning today.
Judging from Kate’s eyebrows, she spent much of the past week at her Botox guy’s office. Kate’s tartan skirt would have been more appropriate for theme-dressing in Scotland, but here we are. The skirt is apparently from Emilia Wickstead. The blouse makes her look like a barrister. Don’t barristers wear those fruity ruffled dickies? Anyway, this look is a disaster. Poor overworked, ruffled, tartan Kate.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales visits The Commons in South Belfast. The Commons is a project that will transform the church at the heart of diverse and vibrant Ormeau Road community into a self sustaining community centre for all Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Belfast, United Kingdom When: 09 Oct 2026 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales visits The Commons in South Belfast. The Commons is a project that will transform the church at the heart of diverse and vibrant Ormeau Road community into a self sustaining community centre for all Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Belfast, United Kingdom When: 09 Oct 2026 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales visits The Commons in South Belfast. The Commons is a project that will transform the church at the heart of diverse and vibrant Ormeau Road community into a self sustaining community centre for all Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Belfast, United Kingdom When: 09 Oct 2026 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales visits The Commons in South Belfast. The Commons is a project that will transform the church at the heart of diverse and vibrant Ormeau Road community into a self sustaining community centre for all Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Belfast, United Kingdom When: 09 Oct 2026 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales visits The Commons in South Belfast. The Commons is a project that will transform the church at the heart of diverse and vibrant Ormeau Road community into a self sustaining community centre for all Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Belfast, United Kingdom When: 09 Oct 2026 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales visits The Commons in South Belfast. The Commons is a project that will transform the church at the heart of diverse and vibrant Ormeau Road community into a self sustaining community centre for all Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Belfast, United Kingdom When: 09 Oct 2026 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales visits The Commons in South Belfast. The Commons is a project that will transform the church at the heart of diverse and vibrant Ormeau Road community into a self sustaining community centre for all Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales When: 09 Oct 2026 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales visits The Commons in South Belfast. The Commons is a project that will transform the church at the heart of diverse and vibrant Ormeau Road community into a self sustaining community centre for all Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales When: 09 Oct 2026 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
Harry and meghan got a lot of attention another surprise keen visit. Outfit is drab looking
At least she tried. Her husband would never.
My god, she dresses like Queen Elizabeth in her 90’s.
What are the chances Charles asked Harry to come back to the UK just to make Will and Kate work more? Intentional or not? It’s working!
Thinking the exact same thing.
You’d think it would be enough of an incentive for KFC to freaking just give them security! The presence of the Sussexes is the *only* thing that gets W&K off their asses.
Will never understand why Kate and Sophie both wear skirts and dresses that are so long. It’s a very dowdy look.
Dowdy and granny chore it’s true. I hate to say it, but they’re so comfortable… I have a flowy pleated one, I am so happy when I have an occasion to wear it.
I agree 100%! I love my long skirts. I even like the one Kate is wearing for this event.
Yes @deniseCB I really like the skirt too!
I love the colour combo but not the lengths of these pieces. The tartan fabric is too heavy for the length. This length is nicer with flowy, light fabrics or knitted fabric and boots.
They started after Meghan did (because it was stylish at the time) and just stuck with it after they should have moved on!
Why dressed so long, so frilly, so Hello Dolly? Because the Palace wants to embrace the Victorian-Edwardian years— the Empire years.
The BRF wants the image of be swept long skirt, long curls and lean ladies carrying parasol (the purse today is the parasol stand in). England wants the romantic Empire image back. So do the white nationalists who concocted fairy tales of how great life was in the good old days. Of course the sad reality is Victorian conditions were shite for the common people and Oliver Twist wasn’t born from some fervid dream. But you know this type of people can only dream of men wearing pith helmet surrounded by bevies of fan waving exotic maids. You get to have maids and footmen to do everything, including wiping your bum. You get to live in manor homes off your investments in foreign colonies. Never mind that the realty is much of the populace even during those good old days were poor and not well educated. The burgeoning middle class striving to copy their upper class betters until they finally figured F that after 2 world wars.
But hey that’s what romantic Kate wanted. She is still stuck at that little girl princess stage and perhaps for her mental health, that’s the best place for her to be stuck in, given the wolves around her.
🎯
I like knee length or just above the knee, but my legs are the last to go so I can still wear them. I don’t like the dowdy look at all, except for flowy summer dresses that have spaghetti straps.
She dresses like my grandmother did.
I came here to say the same. Her hairstyle is giving adult (in contrast to her childish sausage curls), but the rest is looking great-grandmotherly. Insist on the “great-“, am a grandmother myself and wouldn’t dream to dress this dowdy in my worst nightmares!
This outfit is particularly bad, IMO. My friend said she looked like a librarian, but I thought that was actually being overly generous, lol. My librarians dress more fashionably than Kate does.
I like the whole outfit but I can’t think of a place where it belongs, or is it the wrong time.
@Lorelei, my librarians wear blue jeans and seasonally appropriate (so this month, orange) hair and/or man buns.
I love the colour combo but not the lengths of these pieces. The tartan fabric is too heavy for the length. This length is nicer with flowy, light fabrics or knitted fabric and boots.
She looks awfully tanned considering the wet and cold weather we’ve been getting in the UK – a little vacay before the school mid term at the end of Oct??
I was just about to post a similar post. There must have been a heatwave at Windsor in recent weeks. …..
Thought the same you two. Lol @Windsor heatwave.
Is she a smoker? Something about her mouth makes me think she is a heavy smoker.
She definitely was a smoker during the dating years but they have scrubbed a lot of photos of her with cigarette packs in her purse.
She likely still is but they are going to hide it.
A lot of Botox but I like the shade of blush.
Why does she always look so matronly? Ruffles and pussy bows don’t flatter anyone. I don’t get it.
Ruffles and bows to try and distract from her extreme thinness.
This. Ruffles and plaid add volume to create the illusion of fullness where there is none.
Victorian schoolmarm is a horrible look on anyone in 2026. The shirt reminds me of Austin Powers.
Oh god now I won’t be able to unsee Austin Powers
Ha! She just needs glasses!
She looks like a step dancer with the wrong shoes and skirt length. Out CEOing again! So much energy!
Hasn’t Northern Ireland suffered enough??
@QuiteContrary, I’m out in public, and just laughed out loud at this.
Perfect comment ⭐️
When did the rf ever consider the feelings of the Irish? C3 was colonel in chief of the regiment who slaughtered the people of Derry on Bloody Sunday and has yet to utter any regrets.
Charles is punishing Will and Kate with his willingness to have Harry and Meghan back in England. Charles is punishing Harry and Meghan by not giving them or their children security. Both his sons and their wives are unhappy, one set because they have to “work,” the other because they are in fear of their family’s lives. The only “happy” one is Charles. He is making both sons suffer and that pleases him very much. His “cancer” will go into remission, which will really make Will suffer so much more. The “winner” is Charles, horrible man that he is.
Lots of tension in Northern Ireland at de minute between the Unionists and Nationalists, they shouldn’t of came, her whole appearance is just embarrassing, we dont dress like that here Uneducated as per …..
I would’ve loved this outfit with tall boots (low heel) but those shoes ruin it for me.
Same! I actually love the rock and the coat!
Same! Keep the skirt and coat – pair it with a simple, fitted turtleneck or mock neck cashmere sweater, low heeled boots in a rich suede. So much more chic but also modern.
yes!
Her style is so schizophrenic — like, lady barrister meets Kardashians’ tanning salon. And that wacky smile she tends to give, like, “Can you believe I’m here? Me neither!!!”
I just want to put it out there that lady barristers don’t dress like Kate. Amal Clooney certainly doesn’t.
Women who went to school to study law and not chase a rich prince don’t show up in public doing weird American doll cosplay.
Kate is a spoiled rich girl who has never held a job and only guesses at how adult women with proper jobs dress for work.
@nic919 – agree from this lady barrister!
Botoxed and outfitted in a skirt Lady Diana would wear in the 80’s. I don’t understand how one can have the resources she has at her disposal and still come up with an outfit like that.
Tartan is for Scotland. What an airhead.
Catherine, respectfully, there are Irish tartans as well.
Hmmmm not really , maybe Irish dancing 50 years ago and yes lm Irish
Don’t tell me she wore that skirt because the colors is similar to the countries flag?
Of course she did.
My first thought was she has the wrong wig… she needs the grey horsehair barristers wig with that dreary outfit
The pattern on those gray & black pants the silver haired lady is wearing is trippy. And Keen is the only one under an umbrella. That’s all I’ve got.
But I like that woman’s outfit so much more — it’s at least from this decade.
@quitecontrary – me too!
I LOVE those pants. They’re amazing!
She looks like an 80s secretary and not in a good way. Again this is an example of an outfit that could work but she misses the mark entirely – shorter skirt (no not a mini skirt, but I mean, QEII didn’t wear skirts that long lol), maybe boots with it, a different blouse OR a different coat (it wouldnt scream barrister or judge if it wasn’t that combo of black jacket and ruffled blouse) etc. And I actually like the belt.
It shouldn’t be such a bad look but its just like she thinks how can I make a plaid skirt and white blouse look outdated and ugly.
Those ruffles are not what barristers wear. The tabs they wear resemble clergymen and they are flatter and plainer.
Kate is doing late 80s Laura Ashley cosplay.
I’ve only seen movies hahahaha.
The ruffles sometimes show up in European court, usually judges.
For commonwealth countries that still have robes, Canada, Jamaica, Australia, and the UK, it is the tabs for lawyers / barristers.
The horsehair wig is in some jurisdictions but thankfully not in Canada.
I mean this is just me but I wouldn’t have paired this blouse with this skirt.
The blouse would have worked better with no coat and jeans. The skirt would have worked better with a simple jumper.
As usual with Kate, the individual pieces aren’t bad they just don’t fit together.
I actually like the jacket but not with any of the other items she’s wearing. It’s amusing that the BRF still consider Northern Ireland so dangerous
It’s fine. It’s whatever. It’s giving costume. It’s not moving me to seek out any of the pieces or emulate a similar style. Although I think it’s fun as a costume.
Kate and Will are trying to drive the Sussexes out of England so they can do f-ck-all again. So on point for them. The Wails should be embarrassed, even ashamed, but those two emotions don’t exist in the left-behind royals. What useless, contemptible leeches.
@JFerber, I don’t doubt that you’re right, I just don’t see how W&K think this will work, since the Sussexes clearly don’t think about them at all. They’re too busy with their own lives.
Maybe they think they’ll kick H&M off of all of the front pages, lol.
It’s beyond angering that she does this at this time with an contentious Orange march planned through a catholic neighborhood. The march had been banned for years to go through that specific part of town but because of ‘reasons’ it is allowed this year. It’s a very fragile moment and Kate is not meeting it.
Doubt Kate knows much about Ireland and its history. And given the kind of people the Palace hires, they are people who deeply resent Ireland, the Republic to this day. (They hate, hate that this is one European country they committed genocide in and the Irish won’t let them forget it.)
The Palace and the Conservatives prefer Ireland the colony docha know. Plus the Orange is related to the Ulster Plantation (lowland Scots who migrated and colonized Northern Ireland in 17th century) and will cling to England for spite. The younger gens may prefer peace and prosperity and reunification, but it’s easy to whip up nationalism by keeping N. Ireland poor and beholden to England forever so England gets to control and have a say in Irish matters.
Kate is British Melania Trump. She doesn’t know history nor does she care.
Sometimes when I have insomnia (thanks menopause!) I distract myself with fashion ideas for famous people and how I would make them over/change their style. Kate has so much potential—unlimited funds, access to designers, tall, thin, I would have SO MUCH fun being her stylist. My idea for her hair is a fun lob—swingy, still with waves, maybe some low lights, obviously softer makeup and a tailored minimalist style. Kind of Armani with Victoria Beckham and a touch of Ralph Lauren for the more casual events.
This all sounds lovely especially the hair @Susan but I suspect Kate is too basic and up her own arse she would likely reject it all. I would keep her in Emilia, but better items tailored to her body shape. Some proper layering would also help.
This is her most ageing look yet. She looks like a 1940s Girls boarding school matron. You could put a black and white filter over her and say she was The Queen’s educator, and I would believe it!
So, so dowdy! Truly do not understand her fashion sense, especially because when she was young pre-kids she wore some really cute things. She just looks so incredibly dated next to that lady who’s wearing the fabulously patterned modern-cut slacks.
I’m not positive about this, but I believe there are Irish tartans. Not sure which tartan she should be wearing though. I think Kate looks very “Kate.” She is wearing what she naturally gravitates towards. She loves a ruffled shirt.
It might be Anglo Irish style tartans.— which would go down well among the Ulster nationalist type. They are more pro monarchy than the English.
Irish tartans are more recent development and really cater to over seas Irish ancestry diaspora. They don’t have the same historical marker. Plus honestly it’s a dead giveaway to see tartans worn — tourists or wannabe Irish (which they are not being several generations removed). I’ve discovered that Irish people who speak Irish— wears that badge with great pride. And it’s wonderful to see how many young people are embracing their language and using it.
A friend of mine commented that she couldn’t understand why Ireland didn’t become more developed and wealthy as a European country— given its British past. I told her it’s because of 800 years of British colonization that kept the local inhabitants poor and uneducated.
Cromwell ravaged and pillaged the country followed by continual abuses and degradation of native inhabitants well into the 20th century. England took all the resources from Ireland as they did with other colonies. They drove the Irish from rich productive agricultural land onto barren, rocky areas. The Anglo Irish families like the Guinness made millions off such exploitation and many left Ireland to live in the UK. That’s why there are few intact castles and manor homes actually owned by Irish natives. Most were burnt, pillaged and left to decay.
If you look at the recent reveal about the Troubles, you see direct interference and financing of the terrorism and fighting during that time by the Brits. These people who fought on both sides are still alive to tell the tales. If you were Catholic living in N. Ireland back then, you couldn’t vote because voting was tied to land ownership and you couldn’t get a job or housing because you were Catholic. People lived like the poorest West Virginian hillbillies— homes without indoor toilets, families fit in to 2 small, cramped rooms. This was 1970 and 1980’s.
Ireland the Republic never had overseas investment like the US Marshall plan for Germany or even in Japan post WW2. Britain never stepped up to compensate Ireland and went out of its way to incite and continue the Troubles for 30 years.
Think about that. So yeah Kate and her little cosplay in N. Ireland is all about drumming support for the monarchy. The BRF couldn’t care less about the people of N. Ireland or Ireland itself.
The Britts exported their colonizing and exploitation, we Americans (I’m Black) often forget how much damage and pain they did so close to home.
Most of the time we had slaves here, including most of the period of the international slave trade, we were a British colony. Less than 90 years of slavery as an independent nation.
Wait, in the 1970s and 1980s you couldn’t vote unless you were a landowner? I didn’t know that. Wild. And the British like to chide us for this stuff. We had (and have) plenty of problems but we also had an Irish Catholic POTUS by 1960. I get so tired of Brits acting high and mighty with us about basic rights and racism. They are every bit as bad.
My first thought upon seeing that first photo? ‘Oh, dear’. OK, now I’ll go back up & read the article& gasp in horror at the additional photos.
Wow! They call KKKate stylish and chic? Meghan’s desperate for her fashion contacts? Bwahahahaha!!! That outfit can be found in the dictionary under “boring”, “matronly”, and “drab”. No matter how Kan’t tries, she never gets it right.
I will say one positive thing: at least her hairdo is giving “adult”.
Kate would have been well advised not to wear tartan, as Scotland is closely associated with the Unionist tradition in N Ireland and I assume she would like to be inclusive. Perhaps it’s an attempt at an Irish tartan: there are such things but few have the history of Scottish clan tartans behind them.
100% the tartan is more Scottish , hence Unionist.tradition as the Scots came over to Ireland during the British Plantations here. With tensions at a all time high at de minute in Northern Ireland she def should not have worn that attire , lm Irish and lm so insulted and offended that the British Gov can send these two.losers over to charm us, who do they think they are , sod off !!
The combo of a plaid kilt-like skirt and white ruffled blouse is giving School Uniform on “Dress Up Day.” I wore this as a young teenager in the 80s for Christmas concerts. It’s classic and part of me loves it, but it’s dated and age inappropriate. There is a way to adapt this look to make it both fresh and mature.
Wanna bet that this loose, long coat, wide floor-length skirt, and slicked-back hair are an echo of Meghan’s latest look? 🤣
As soon as I saw Meghan in those wide white trousers and that loose, honey-colored coat-slash-cape-slash-trench, I predicted right then that Middleton would go for a loose, floor-length vibe next.
Ask and you shall receive!
Of course, Kate isn’t done yet—so there’s bound to be white and a honey-colored coat; maybe she’ll even grab some Pakistani women.. just like that little girl—a student in a turquoise sweater—remember?
https://www.instyle.com/thmb/ocsdQCJ311Q01Ng-lnvt1OSF-Bc=/750×0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/GettyImages-2167057505-3e12a89196d946069ec92b55a7fae354.jpg
During a visit to Colombia,
Meghan visited a school, and the girl in the photo “fell in love” with her so much that she walked up to give her a hug and then didn’t leave her side for the rest of the visit.
https://whatmeghanwore.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GVH8J1gXoAIJvDR-768×766.jpeg
It didn’t take long for Kate to choose a school with similar uniforms, pay a visit, and latch onto a similar girl, clinging to her hand for dear life the whole time.
The difference was that the girl followed Meghan of her own accord, whereas Kate turned the student into a hostage.
https://media.glamour.mx/photos/67acd557c202af890175d011/master/w_1280,c_limit/kate-middleton-pol%C3%A9mica-looks.jpg
No matter how you look at it, Middleton is pretty messed up. It doesn’t matter that she’s making a fool of herself; what matters more is being just like Meghan.
For some reason, that first link isn’t opening—I don’t know why, as it’s correct. Since the photo is so cute, I’m posting it again, but from a different site just to be safe.
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/12/17/09/93225007-14200637-image-m-7_1734428167831.jpg
Wow, things must be bad, indeed, for them to show up in *Northern Ireland*! 😂
Éirinn go brách.
Kit, thanks for your analysis of the history of Ireland. I entirely agree with you that English colonialists have ruined many countries up to this very day. I’m reminded of the empty museum the Greeks built to shame the English into returning the Elgin Marbles. However, the museum remains empty up until this day because the English NEVER return anything they steal. In other words, their self-appraisal of English honor is horseshit. They will never admit to or be ashamed of the crimes they have and are still committing. Just my take.
Except for the heels this is basically my Miss Marple cosplay for nyc comic con this weekend.
Her signature left eyebrow is very distracting and weird.
We don’t see her sharing her umbrella with the people she is talking too.