Duchess Kate dusted off the wedges of doom during the Cambridgeshire trip

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge had a “full day” of events in Cambridgeshire on Thursday. Their first stop was the Fitzwilliam Museum to view their commissioned couple-portrait. After they left the museum, they went to Newmarket’s July racecourse, where they met people and observed Cambridgeshire County Day. At some point during the grassy, country events, Kate switched out her blue suede pumps for her ratty, janky old wedges of doom. It’s been a while since she’s worn those hideous death-trap shoes. I feel like we haven’t seen them since, like, 2020? I honestly thought she phased them out of her professional wardrobe, but no. Kate sometimes backslides sartorially and this is what happens – an LK Bennett dress which is too wispy and girlish for her and her ugly-ass wedges.

William and Kate also visited East Anglia’s Children’s Hospice in Milton at some point on Thursday. Kate is patron of EACH (so is Rose Hanbury) and this week marks Children’s Hospice Week. William joined her – they did some kind of discussion with parents, and then Kate played with some of the kids.

They also visited a “housing charity” with modular homes for unhoused people – these seem like fancy-yet-simpler trailers?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar.

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92 Responses to “Duchess Kate dusted off the wedges of doom during the Cambridgeshire trip”

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  1. Lamaitresse says:

    I may be wrong, but I’m pretty sure that’s a £1650.00 Vampire’s Wife dress she had shortened. Stupid cow with those trashy wedgies.

    • Hannah says:

      Hi, dress is LK Bennet. £299 ($363.63 give or take)

    • Lila says:

      Calling women ‘cows’ is really what we need in 2022.
      I’m sure this type of language will really push forward progressive ideas and make a safer world for all girls and women to exist. 100%

      • Nic919 says:

        So are we going to pretend that a random comment by an anonymous internet poster carries the same effect as the false story kate put out against her sister in law which created a smear campaign and and agitated the racists and increased the need for Meghan to require security at all times? And Kate’s continued silence when her sister in law was suicidal?

        Ok sure. Let’s make sure we don’t say mean things about a white supremacist who could care less about the plight of women including her own damn sister in law and has literally done nothing to help any woman her entire life.

      • Escape says:

        Thank you. Yeah, we need to move past calling women cows. It’s time.

      • Aiglentine says:

        Cows are gentle animals who do no harm.

      • MJM says:

        👏🏼 No need to be disparaging cows comparing them to Kate in 2022.

      • Msaubra says:

        lmaooooo Women with progressive ideas who are pro woman don’t exatctly always speak well of other women either…and I’m not talking about political opinions either

      • CocofromCanada says:

        (Eye roll) Thanks Tips!

  2. It’s not at all appropriate for the outing, but I actually like the dress. The purple color is really pretty.

    • BB says:

      I like the dress too. It’s cute. No comment on the shoes, everything been said already.

    • Wiglet Watcher says:

      The outfit looks like it’s meant for a child in an adult size. Which Kate is.

      • kirk says:

        Maybe I’m going blind, but it looks like she’s wearing dark bra and a half slip in some other color. The dress is ok, but underneath not great.

      • Mustang Sally says:

        Why does she insist on wearing dresses with seams at the waist? It cuts her off mid-way up her torso. I can’t understand why she just can’t wear a chic sheath dress.

    • Isi says:

      The dress is cute, but it really doesn’t work with her masculine frame, short legs and thick arms!

      • Lux says:

        Thick arms?? In what universe does she have thick arms? I can see the long torso/shorter leg proportions, but her arms have always been very thin.

      • Sam says:

        I also think she has big elbows compared to the rest of her body. Usually the elbows are as narrow as the ankles, but hers are very conspicuous.

      • Christina says:

        Thick arms, short legs?? I think she has thin arms and long legs. The shoes and dress do not go together. I like the dress.

    • Barb Mill says:

      I like the dress and she looks much better without the coat she was wearing earlier.

  3. Becks1 says:

    oh god the wedges of doom. You all know how I feel about those. Although I guess at least in this situation they are more practical than wearing her heels. Why didn’t she just wear flats?

    I think the dress would have looked a lot better if it had more of a waist, maybe if she had added a belt?

    • Nic919 says:

      I do not understand why she only wears stilettos or these ugly wedges. There are thousands of better styles that would work.

      But she also needs to tower over everyone, so the wedges look even dumber because they are way too high for the more casual type wear that wedges are normally used for.

      • MadamNoir says:

        I have a theory she only really wears heels and wedges because she likes to tower over people. She’s a relatively tall woman and with the heels and wedges she’s even taller than average people and it gives her a feeling os superiority.

      • Mrs.Krabapple says:

        First, because Kate has to try to be the tallest and thinnest woman at an event. Because that’s all she has going for her — she will never be the smartest, most accomplished, most well-spoken, or most loved woman, but she will do her best to be the tallest and thinnest.

        And second, maybe she can no longer wear flats without pain or discomfort? Wearing high heels can cause permanent damage to muscles and tendons, making it painful for women to walk without the heels (for example, a shortened achilles tendon can cause pain if you try to switch to flat shoes).

        Kate also has terrible posture, and I’ve wondered if it could be related to her constant use of stiletto heels (or poor nutrition, or both?). Someone should probably have a talk with her, but I doubt anyone in that family cares enough to make the effort.

    • Emme says:

      @Becks1… I think the problem isn’t so much if the dress had a waist, but that the waist it has doesn’t fit at her waist which is much lower than the dress shape. She has such a long torso that she needs the dress to be made to fit that, instead of buying off the peg clothes that don’t fit right.

  4. India says:

    Well, here we go again! Both Egg and Stick are doing the Claw in the pics above. What is wrong with them and why do they do this weirdness?

    • WHAT says:

      Point was made. The pose WAS their version of Meghans and Harry’s time magazine shoot. He did Harry hand in pocket and Meg pose. Still a sad version. Also, did anyone notice that he is barely reaching out to her in the picture 🖼️ above. But go to video where they visit the hospice and she bends over to shake a childs hands and she clearly bumped into William. He flinched and MOVED away from her.

      • Lady Digby says:

        Wow if you instinctively flinch away from your spouse then the relationship must be very tense and miserable in private. Keeping up appearances seem to be beyond Will at this point whereas his dutiful wife still gives him adoring looks. She must have an absolute core of steel to continue with the very much happily married couple act. I wonder how much they row in private or does he just sulk and she flounce off to mummy for a pep talk?!

    • Mrs.Krabapple says:

      Ricky Bobby: I don’t know what to do with my hands

  5. equality says:

    They seem to actually be stepping it up some. So did PC lay down the law about working or are they competing with people not competing with them? Funny that they are doing things like Cambridgeshire County Day. It seems more like Anne’s sort of gig. I thought PW’s plan was just to have a few big causes. This, with no mention of ES during his big BD PR, makes it seem like he’s been told to stick to the basics.

    • Becks1 says:

      They do these kinds of days maybe twice a year? I think its partly bc they’ve been told to work, and partly bc its a way to up the engagement numbers for both of them. Like yesterday probably will end up counting for 5 engagements (or more, let’s call it Cambridge Counting) for each of them.

      To me, its also always a signal that they’re about to go on vacation. I bet there was one or two other events yesterday that haven’t been publicized yet that they’ll release in a week or so.

      • Woke says:

        Lol yep exactly they’re about to disappear so they have to make it seem like they’ve been everywhere so that their fans can defend them when people point out how ridiculously long their vacations are.

      • Ginger says:

        That’s what I’m thinking. We usually don’t see them much in the summer. I’m not sure when kids get out for the summer in the UK.

      • Nic919 says:

        Those are my thoughts too. Well except for Wimbledon where kate will be. But once that is done they will be gone basically until late September.

      • Jan90067 says:

        Pretty soon, when the kids are off, they’ll take off till mid/end of Sept. Then they’ll take off again by beginning/mid Dec for another couple of months. As Charles’ aide once said: “The Royals have a way of making it look like they’re very busy, when in fact they only work for a few months a year total” or something to that effect.

    • Laura D says:

      @Becks – It’s so obvious! They couldn’t go straight from the Jubilee to Wimbledon (which starts Monday) and then go on holiday. 😉 Kate in particular always ups her engagements just before Wimbledon. The surprise this year would be if she did a few appointments before she takes her seat at Centre Court.

      • Becks1 says:

        Ah you’re right I had forgotten about Wimbledon! So now they have this day prove how hardworking they are, then she’ll be busy next week “working” at Wimbledon, and then they’ll disappear for a month or so.

    • Margaret says:

      Or are they overshadowing charlie?.

      • equality says:

        They “overshadowed” him with their portrait release while he was on some type of tour. Funny how that wasn’t made a big deal in the press.

    • Lucy says:

      And he looks like he is actually tolerating her at this event. So love! Much team!

      • TigerMcQueen says:

        He’s not making faces at her, but in both videos above it looks like he’s tolerating her because he’s barely acknowledging her presence. It’s like they’re strangers. He walks ahead of her constantly and never looks over at her see how she is, where she is, to acknowledge a shared experience…nothing. Every time he goes to shake someone’s hand, he just lunges ahead and doesn’t look back to see if she’s there or include her or anything.

        Now, I get he’s the FFK and maybe it’s protocol that he shake hands first (riiiiiight). But when Mr TMQ and I meet people, he usually naturally holds back and waits for me to shake their hand first. And when it’s in a situation where he should do greet/meet the person first, he does that but also has his free hand out toward me in an inclusive way (he usually touches me). Just body language when I shake hands after him that pulls me into the circle and says we’re a couple. If that makes sense. We also glance over at each other a lot. Elegant Bill NEVER looks at Mutton Buttons. It really is like they’re new work acquaintances who have to attend a function together.

    • StupidCow says:

      Comparing women to animals is pretty degrading. The shoes however, are a different story.

    • First comment says:

      I believe it’s a combination of things. First of all, they had to multiply their work events after the Queen’s jubilee and Harry’s and Meghan’ s presence in order to show that they are the future of the monarchy and eliminate discussions about Harry and Meghan. Secondly, they had to make up for Luis’ tantrum which spoiled their cultivated image of the perfect family so that people stop talking about it. In addition, almost right after the jubilee, we had William’s birthday. Add to that the move to a third residence which is rightly criticized for a couple who hardly works …and voila, why we have seen them so often recently… I bet that during June, they must have at least 40 work events each, counting, of course, by the cambridge’s way, as becks1 commented above.. they will certainly break their own record this year… prepare yourself for numerous articles that will praise them for stepping up at the end of the year 😄

  6. Lucy2 says:

    I like some wedges, but those are odd.

    • Erin says:

      That’s the worst part for me. There are so many espadrille wedges out there that are so much cuter. The color, weird toe, the heel piece, and the wrapping ties. It’s just a bad shoe period.

      Also, she should’ve just opted for some casual athletic shoes like those supergas she has. It’s so weird that she feels the need to have a heel on in these situations.

    • AmB says:

      Chadwicks, ca. 1992.

  7. Seraphina says:

    I continue to lament that some of the world’s best jewels, fashion apparel, hairstylists, and beauty experts are at her finger tips and THIS is what Kate decides to come to the the table with. As the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. Sigh.

    • Chaine says:

      She has every opportunity in the world to highlight innovational designers and unique fashion takes, and she does nothing with it! The dress is ok but in an “I bought this at the Ann Taylor Loft outlet mall store” kind of way. Very generic and the fabric looks cheap and synthetic.

    • goofpuff says:

      She tends to only look good when she is cosplaying Meghan’s professional attire. Her normal taste in professional fashion is stuff like this.

  8. teehee says:

    Hey man I love a wedge. But the Espadrille/Basket material kind? Never have I worn them. And that wedge is really high.
    I go more moderate, in leathers.

    • Fabiola says:

      I don’t know why people keep saying the wedges face a high heel. They seem very short to me. I have a lot of wedges that are a lot higher.

  9. Aurora says:

    William needs to fix his face. We make fun of Kate’s hyena grin but the press would rip her to shreds if she showed up at events looking as surly as William.

    • SomeChick says:

      fwiw, the root of the word “surly” is “sirly” – in other words, thinks he’s better than us peasants.

  10. Woke says:

    The coat she had on needed to be paired with a straight dress. And if it was the dress she wanted to wear more a structured blazer or jacket would’ve been better. The wedges are fine by me I don’t get the aversion for them. They’re super comfortable.

  11. Noki says:

    She would actually have looked better especially with playing sports and the grass had she opted for some k swiss sneakers or something.

  12. Rapunzel says:

    The shoe switching is weird when the outfit remains the same. Why not pick approptiate shoes for the whole day?
    (Eta: Becks, just noticed you said the same thing. Great minds.)

    She ruined those blue heels on grass too. It’s so sad. Neither shoe was appropriate, really. If you switch, why not switch to really different shoes? These both have high heels.

    My suspicion is she does this to have an excuse to buy shoes. I’ve noticed more new accessories lately. Maybe she’s to investing in mode shoes/bags/hats because they’re less obvious than new outfits? Repeats aren’t thrifty if you’ve got expensive new accessories.

  13. rawiya says:

    Oh, she remembers that EACH exists? Lazy, useless cow. I apologize, but I refuse to be nice to these idiots any longer. She does NOTHING for any of her charities. He does NOTHING for any of his charities. They’re both pathetic. Oh, Willy’s back caring about homelessness. Why? Is it because Harry’s doing more in the mental health space, with BetterUp. And the wedges are out. Lemme check to see what type of shoes Meghan wore to the polo game last Saturday.

  14. The Hench says:

    After obsessing about the number of suede stilettos Kate owns I came across an article that quoted the designer of said stilettos. He said her ‘elegance’ was all down to her (his) shoes but then also added that Kate was already tall so adding a four inch heel meant she towered a head above even the men in the room. So I think dominance/prominence/look at meee is the reason she doesn’t wear a far more appropriate, practical and comfortable flat shoe. All very normal…nothing to see here.

    • Hannah says:

      Hi, I didn’t read the article you refer to. I initially thought they were Gianvito Rossi (a brand I know The Duchess of Sussex has worn) and she’d (KKKhate) copykeened Meg and just lazily ordered 1 in every colour. Suede in summer 🫣😖 But I think hers are Emmy London (a much loved bridal shoe brand here) for very well off brides albeit. I don’t know why she had to wear the Wedges of Doom. White plimsolls would have looked fine and are all the rage here atm with floral dresses. I think that we have a default *summer shoe* problem in England: Wedges & Espadrilles 😩😩😩 especially amongst mature women

    • The Hench says:

      I found the direct quote. The designer was Rupert Sanderson talking about his Malory, 4 inch pump:

      “The Duchess uses a stiletto heel as part of her sartorial arsenal in transforming herself from a busy mother into one of the world’s most photographed women. She’s tall, but in heels she becomes commanding, often standing a head above the men in the room.”

  15. Amy Bee says:

    I don’t mind wedges they just don’t go with this dress. Some flats would have looked better.

    • Fabiola says:

      A lot of women wear heels not to just look taller but also skinnier. If I was famous and constantly photographed I would never be seen in flats.

  16. Moira's Rose's Garden says:

    In the lead pic is he trying to topple her over?

  17. emmlo says:

    I kind of hate the print on that dress. The color is ok but the overall effect looks like she has a full body rash.

  18. Merricat says:

    I swear these photos look exactly the same as all the other photos of them, just different clothing. Wheee.

    • Eurydice says:

      It’s weird, isn’t it? No matter what the event or who they’re talking to – they look and act the same. Like robots with limited programming.

  19. Mary Tosti says:

    Is he touching her in the first pic? My my… much affection.

    • Jais says:

      He see seems like he’s kind of making more of an effort around her? Not sure if I’m seeing things. Still mostly ignores but there seems to be a tiny bit more effort. Wonder if it’s so he can one day say see I really did try.

      • Harper says:

        No, he did not make an effort. I suffered through all three minutes of that video at the fair, looking for interaction and he continued to ice her. Although, there was one video I saw yesterday of Kate holding a baby and acting typically ridiculous about it. Then he did interact with her, poking her on the back and telling her to put the baby down and walking off. Delightful.

      • Jais says:

        Ha! Okay, I didn’t watch the video so appreciate your suffering @harper and trust your take.

  20. Lucy says:

    In the immortal words of Alyssa Edwards…”WTF is a wedge?!”

  21. Red Weather Tiger says:

    Yesterday on the portrait post I wondered why she never took her coat off. Seeing these pics today, I’d like to formally request she put her coat back ON.

  22. North of Boston says:

    When I started reading this post I was thinking “I have wedge espadrilles… what’s wrong with wedge espadrilles?”

    And then I saw them and was like “oh, yeah those are nasty”. It’s like they take the worst of the decade-old leg colored pumps ‘trick’ and old kick around loafers that should have been tossed 3 summers ago and combined them into a look that doesn’t go with the dress and drags everything down (plus I didn’t think fussy espadrilles were possible but Kate managed to find and keep some)

  23. Gabby says:

    I’m just gonna say it…… I like these wedges. I hate just about everything KKKate wears, and this stupid dress is no exception. The idea of wearing heels on grass doesn’t make sense to me. Heels sink into the soil. I stayed out of the wedge debate during the Caribbean Flop Tour, but today, I take a stand.

    • Jenn says:

      I do think everything somehow ends up looking very dated on Kate, BUT espadrille wedges are back on trend and very stylish right now! Your latter point also stands: A 2018 Good Housekeeping article suggests that all ladies of the Royal Family, including Meghan (!!), wear low espadrille wedges when they know there is going to be lots of grass underfoot. (These are anklebreakers, comparatively, but they count)

    • CourtneyB says:

      I’ll stand with you. 😆 I don’t like the skinny laces or color but I love wedges.

  24. Julia K says:

    This is a nice summer dress. Thin and floaty. I like the color as well. And guess what? It’s either lined or she’s finally wearing a slip. No see through legs. Do not care for the shoes. Not appropriate for sports but perhaps she thinks it makes a good picture. I have trained myself to just ignore what she does with her hands.

  25. Mina_Esq says:

    The dress needed a belt and metallic shoes. Sigh.

    • First comment says:

      The belt would emphasize how thin and tiny her waist is… that’s why she didn’t wear one… as far as the shoes, white sneakers would be great and modern with this dress, but, alas, that wouldn’t show how taller she’s than everyone else around her.

      • Hic says:

        Madeleine of Sweden did an event for kids in Sweden last week in the royal stables. She wore a pink dress and sneakers.. so pretty. Kate should have copied her.

  26. AnneL says:

    I don’t like the color or the ankle straps, but otherwise they’re OK shoes. I don’t know why she thinks they’re appropriate for kicking things around, though.

  27. Normades says:

    Unpopular opinion but I like the dress and the shoes. Would totally wear both (but not together).

  28. Lauren42 says:

    It’s like… nothing happens at these events that isn’t telegraphed and scheduled beforehand. Why on earth — when she knows she’s gonna kick a ball — would she wear these cockadoodie wedges? The only answer is that she’s lazy and uninterested.

  29. Beverley says:

    Fugly shoes. Wouldn’t be caught dead in them.

  30. zoeart says:

    Espadrilles! But is she still wearing them with pantyhose like she has in the past? Ugh.

  31. JackieJacks says:

    The wedges aren’t my favorite with those laces going up the leg. A very casual shoe for that dressier style of dress. I don’t feel that the flutter sleeves compliment her body – maybe a sleeveless or cap sleeve would have been better? Also the length is a bit much. If she brought up the hem to just below the knee or at the knee and maybe just chose a closed toe wedge heel in leather to account for unstable ground/grass it would have been better. Also I feel like a skinny belt in a color matching the dress would have worked too to give some interest in what was happening.

  32. kelleybelle says:

    Wow, in one shot he’s actually looking at her, which is odd these days.

  33. Shannon says:

    I couldn’t help but notice that the title of the first video was basically “Kate and William take pictures with…“
    Because that’s it. That’s all they do. That’s all they offer

  34. Carolind says:

    Don’t understand why people do not use Meghan’s own name but insist on calling her William and Kate’s “sister-in-law”. Meghan is not defined by her relationship to W and K and at least deserves to be addressed by her name.

  35. Daisy says:

    Those shoes do not go with that dress. Also, she smiles like Chantel from 90DF….the botox messed up her bottom lip.

  36. Riley says:

    Kate wore the wedges of doom with the pink dress (that CarolE borrowed last week) on the last day of the Carribean flop tour. There is something ‘heavy’ looking about those wedges that make them look weird with her floaty dresses.

  37. jferber says:

    In the first pic when W is putting his arm on K’s back, I’m sure this was from PR input to W saying how bad a look it was at the Jubbly when W constantly ran away from K. “Touch her once in a while, sir. It will look good.” Mission accomplished.

  38. Kelly says:

    Are we certain she is well? She looks like a chemo patient in these pictures.