Princess Kate wore Suzannah London at the Archbishop of Canterbury’s enthronement

Real talk: I thought the installation – or “enthronement” – of the new Archbishop of Canterbury was going to be a morning or mid-day event. I was not expecting yet another royal-ish service or ceremony to start so late in the day on a Wednesday. This keeps happening, by the way. This is like the third major royal event which used to start a lot earlier in the day, but has now been pushed back. I wonder if there’s a reason for that? I feel like I’m being gaslit about this!! Why is a major archbishop enthronement starting around 4 pm GMT? Has everything been progressively pushed back to ensure that Prince William has enough time to sleep it off?

So, the Prince and Princess of Wales attended the enthronement of Dame Sarah Mullally as the first woman Archbishop of Canterbury. Dame Sarah replaced Justin Welby, who basically resigned because he mishandled a sexual-abuse case within the Church of England. It’s tradition for the heir to the throne, and not the king or queen, to attend the enthronement of a new Archbishop of Canterbury. So William and Kate wandered into Canterbury Cathedral in Kent at a leisurely pace in the late afternoon on Wednesday. This was a rare moment when William was probably grateful to have Kate by his side – everyone’s talking about her outfit instead of William’s vacant, meathead faux-Christian belief system.

As for Kate’s outfit, it’s new! They let her get some new clothes for this event. That’s been happening more and more – in the past six months or so, it seems like Kate’s clothing allowance finally got upgraded. She wore a £2,850 Suzannah London houndstooth coat which would have looked sharp on Downton Abbey’s Lady Mary. On a modern princess in the year of our lord Beyonce 2026, it just looks dated and costumey. Kate’s £690 straw hat had some pizzazz though – it was made by Juliette Botterill. I assume it’s a custom piece, made to match the houndstooth coat. She also carried a Chanel purse. I see she’s wearing a small cross necklace too. God loves a theme-dresser! #HoundstoothJesus #KeenAboutChrist

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.

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107 Responses to “Princess Kate wore Suzannah London at the Archbishop of Canterbury’s enthronement”

  1. Jan says:

    The Wind almost blew over Unable and Cain had to help hold her up.

    • Dee says:

      Holy grimace, Batman, you all have to see this video. Khate’s face keep dropping into its natural angry resting state. Trying to smile seems painful to her. I think the tweet’s comment about this is accurate. Wow. https://x.com/CL_Meadows/status/2036858357181460630

      • Goldenmom says:

        She doesn’t know what to do with her face if she can’t gurn and guffaw. And nothing is inexplicably hilarious in church.

      • BeanieBean says:

        I noticed this last week with her & William’s airport run photos. Quick little smiles then back to sullen, bored, unhappy, just get through this, whatever it is.

      • Mrs.Krabapple says:

        In the very last second, you can see Kate correct her posture — probably doesn’t want to be criticized by William again. In the rest of the video, she walks like an old woman.

    • Me at home says:

      I can’t really tell from the video, but is she trying out a closed-lip smile in some of the shots? Did Liz Jones’ piece last week about the “performative gurning” really sting? Because KP sure had it taken down fast.

    • StillDouchesOfCambridge says:

      Daily fail said she was entering her melania era 😂 hilarious

  2. Amy Bee says:

    I have no doubt that this service started so late in the day because of William and Kate. The stans love this 1950s dressing but to me it’s just boring. Kate’s found her signature silhouette and she’s not deviating from it. I still remember royalists stating with authority that royal women are supposed to wear bright colours. Where’s the outrage that Kate has worn another grey outfit?

    • Hypocrisy says:

      she really needs to stop with the dated coat dresses.. I find this outfit just as bad as her flight attendant outfit she wore last week.

    • Starry Owl says:

      It’s strange. I love some of the 1950’s looks. Same with the 40’s. And I see these silhouettes used again and again – which makes sense. They are classic, if done in a modern way and not in a costume way. Ie no polka dots etc.

      I mean a column dress is very 40’s in a technical sense. I can see a lot of the coat dresses looking 50’s because of the silhouette and the fit.

      I see this as like an early 90’s call back? Maybe it’s less boxy than a true 80’s/ 90’s piece.

      Fashion is fascinating.

      Anyway. I love that her hair is up!

      • Snaggletooth says:

        I actually disagree. Coat dresses are her lane and she looks terrible in anything else, except for the preppy sporty looks. Are they interesting? Of course not! But they’re the closest she can get to a look that’s authentic to her.

      • BeanieBean says:

        You know, I look at the intricacy of the hair bun thingie & I just can’t figure it out. little bits here, little bits there, no particular pattern or structural need that I can see. Just weird swirly bits.

  3. Tuesday says:

    That hat is ridiculous. I’m glad she wore her hair up.

    • Jais says:

      I’m glad they were seated to the side so that the hat didn’t block anyone’s view.

    • Lady J says:

      I love the hat but think it would have been better suited for an outdoor event.

      • Lamb Chop says:

        She now regularly wears flying saucers – church and other events). It’s her newest power move – no one behind can see past her. Plus it’s another form of sartorial distraction from everything else.

      • Mrs. Smith says:

        That’s what was bugging me — this hat is meant for an outdoor event. I zoomed in on the photos from yesterday and was puzzled…is that material raffia? Burlap?? Straw?? With unfinished edges?? I was stumped!

    • Herrgreter says:

      It’s elegant in some way but it also gives away Cruella Deville/witchy-vibes. And all these sharp lines and edges edges and the big heads scream DO NOT COME NEAR ME, like a shell or armored animal.

    • Becks1 says:

      I actually like the hat objectively, but it doesnt quite go with the dress even though color wise it works. And its huge. Thank goodness no one was sitting behind her. I feel like it would be better for Trooping or Ascot.

      • Nic919 says:

        She went too matchy matchy with the hat so the pattern on the hat doesn’t quite match the prince of wales tartan and it looks like she has a table saw blade sitting on top of her head.

    • Barb Mill says:

      Her hair up is a major improvement.

    • Chrissy says:

      I’d like to see her getting in and out of their car with that giant flying saucer. Anything for attention…..

    • Gabby says:

      That hat. She might as well have a pizza pan on her head.

    • Minerva says:

      I didn’t know she was a mariachi 😆

    • BothSidesNow says:

      @ Tuesday, that hat was ready to take flight any moment….. I can’t believe that Unable is actually money to look like THIS!!! She has lost all of her senses and looks absolutely ridiculous….

  4. Dee(2) says:

    This outfit would not look out of place on Dynasty or Knot’s Landing. Kate is only a little more than a year older than me, it’s hard for me to believe that this is just her natural style. Even if she grew up idolizing her mother who may have dressed like this in the 80s.

    I wonder if her mom is dressing her the way she would have preferred to dress if she could have afforded it in the 80s, because otherwise I just don’t get somebody that young constantly dressing like she would be in her 70s. Even if she is trying to emulate Diana.

    As for the lateness of the services, are these events that they are the only ones attending? Because if it’s this late for everyone, who knows. If it’s events where they are the main event, maybe they are allowing enough time for them both to get dressed and to meet up somewhere private enough that it won’t be obvious that they aren’t coming from the same home.

    • Lady J says:

      Dee, I totally agree that Carole has an enormous hand in choosing these outfits.

      I think that th longer hemlines are to avoid the upskirt issues she used to have, but curtain weights and properly tailored clothes would take care of the issue. No one ever saw QE2’s knickers.

      • Bqm says:

        There’s one photo of the Queen walking down the steps of a plane where her shirt blows up to her waist. But she was wearing a slip so all was fine.

      • Nic919 says:

        The difference with kate is that she never wore a slip.

    • Jais says:

      Dynasty vibes for the RF sounds about right.

      • MsIam says:

        My first thought was Kate is really leaning into her Alexis Carrington look. Maybe she and Camilla will fall in a swimming pool and fight.

  5. Tessa says:

    I don’t like the flying saucer hat.

    • Alex Can says:

      The hat would work (I think) for a different type of event. But for this historic occasion I find it incredibly inappropriate and disrespectful. It’s huge and attention grabbing. And people say Meghan needs attention! Kate has zero class.

      • Debbie says:

        Kate must have thought that the former Archbishop of Canterbury was dead. She wore her quiet “funereal” hat. This dame! There is not a bride or a corpse safe at ANY event she is invited to. Some way, somehow, she must have the limelight. To her, the only significant thing about that day was “Don’t let it be forgot that… Kate did an event today.”

  6. He looks so tired and the weight loss is not doing him any favors. She’s really leaning into the Cruella de Vil look huh? Cruella without the talent or style. Shaped like a column, she could take an eye out with those shoulder pads! Maybe she’s trying to take out her husband’s…

  7. Brassy Rebel says:

    If she gets any thinner, she will disappear entirely. I don’t like to speculate about eating disorders but…

    • seraphina says:

      I wonder if she sees herself in need of help. I had an eating disorder. I saw myself in a picture and I recall how ill it looked. Granted I was in a short spaghetti strapped cocktail dress, but my mom confronted me and it was like water was splashed on my face.
      I hope she has a support system in her mom, but from the looks of it I don’t think so.

      • Brassy Rebel says:

        Is the flying saucer 🛸 hat an attempt to hide her gaunt, heavily made up face?

      • Nic919 says:

        She doesn’t have a support system because it would be her mother and she’s there for the perks. Kate has been shrinking for years, even before she disappeared for months.

  8. Anita says:

    Well, I am most probably in a very small minority, but I like how she looks here.

    • Jais says:

      She looks fine. It’s well put-together. A little costumey but fine. It’s a very Kate look.

      • Kat says:

        I actually like de Hat, but for de Races maybe , too big for a Church Service l think, v 80s inspired …

        Coat, is well fitted , panel is a NO, shoes aren’t great , that’s it, all lve got, always looking for de camera as per, William looks fed up here, kinda feel a bit sorry for him image been dumped with de Middletons !!!

    • Dee(2) says:

      There’s nothing wrong with the outfit. It just seems very oddly aging for someone in their mid-40s. The hat is a bit much for a church service inside to me, but it doesn’t necessarily look bad. It just feels like this isn’t the natural style of someone born in the early eighties.

      • Becks1 says:

        Yeah this outfit is weird to me bc I like it but at the same time I don’t. maybe its the dynasty thing you mentioned above. She just doesnt dress in a modern way but she also doesnt dress in a timeless way. i dont know who she is trying to copy. Diana dressed in a very 80s and 90s way – her outfits are iconic because she was Diana, not because they were classic and timeless for the most part. QEII dressed very stylishly especially when she was younger. She just kept dressing the same way from her 40s on, lol.

        Also while I am generally a sucker for houndstooth, it doesn’t always photograph well which you can tell in these photos.

      • Starry Owl says:

        @becks1

        That’s a good way to put it. Kate doesn’t dress in a current modern way – although she used to more. She doesn’t now. But she also doesn’t and didn’t dress timelessly. Or in “classics”.

        I feel as though she has a better grasp on the fashion expectations/ demands of different events in years past. Perhaps because she used to attend more events and maybe work with someone to plan out her outfits well ahead of time.

        If someone told me to get dressed for the throning or whatever it’s called of a new archbishop – I have no idea what I would wear. It’s in a church – which holds the damp. I wouldn’t want to be getting in and out of a coat, due to how rumpled and messy that can make one look.

        So what on earth does one wear to these bizarre events?!?

    • Lady Esther says:

      Come sit by me! I thought she looked fantastic, best she has looked in a long time…appropriate for the event; houndstooth looks great on her color- and pattern-wise, much better than polka dots; classic tailoring which suits her SO much better than the twirly girly infant attire; great accessories including THAT HAT! Fantastic hat, and the straw it was made of landed the outfit right between “gusty early Spring” and “before Easter’s bright colors.” And her hair was in a beautiful, neat chignon. The only problem as always is her gauntness, which gets more concerning every day she appears in public.

      I cringed in the video seeing her clop-clop-clopping truck driver walk she always does because apparently poise and walking like a lady was never in her wheelhouse, but otherwise I loved the outfit!

    • BeanieBean says:

      I don’t care for how she’s squishing that Chanel. It’s not a clutch! They make top handle bags if that’s what she wants. But I guess when you have crazy stupid money like she does she doesn’t have to take care of her things.

  9. Sophie says:

    Maybe later in the day to minimize protestors?

  10. Tessa says:

    The hat is like the one bette davis wore in now voyage r in the nineteen forties.

    • Sure says:

      Now Voyager! Loved that old movie!

    • Me at home says:

      Now Voyager! A great movie. My mother had it on DVD and now I have it, although I haven’t cranked up my DVD player in years.

    • Debbie says:

      Not bad, but I think she looks more like Kate Winslet in the first time she was seen on screen in Titanic. Or maybe Kate is taking fashion tips from Melonia.

  11. Stella says:

    That dress is so boring and she looks like william’s distant aunt. Now I finally see what people in the forum complain about keen dress. She looks more and more out of touch with public . Her image with current generation is tanking heavily because nowadays public prefer authenticity over perfect. Keen is one of those celebs still stuck in pre social media era. Her dressing styles come across like grandma and public see through smear campaign and how much media white wash keen image. Her engagement articles even in fail doesn’t hit numbers like before and so much negative towards her in the comments and fail is cleaning up real time.

  12. Smices says:

    The underside of that hat trying to hypnotize me.

  13. Lamb Chop says:

    It’s very costumey and old fashioned. Im guessing her fans think something from the 40s is perfect princess material.

    Is that basically the same make-up as the state dinner? Not much into changing it up to suit the occasion.

  14. Magdalena says:

    I think they keep pushing things back and having them starting later and later in the day because they want to be featured on same-day US morning television news programmes? Still chasing the elusive American spotlight despite regularly making snide remarks about Americans and running a years-long smear campaign against one particular American.

    That, and of course, despite having access to a helicopter, the Waleses don’t like to get up early for anything.

    A third reason just occurred to me: they need to coordinate their journey, as they’re leaving from separate residences. That takes time.

    • BeanieBean says:

      I looked this question up online & I saw a few things say it was because it was being broadcast around the world. That doesn’t really make any sense, because their big deal weddings are always broadcast around the world & they started at 11AM.

  15. AustenGirl1975 says:

    A rather minor point, but her ugly, dated coat dress is Glen plaid, not houndstooth.

  16. Calliope says:

    Once she finds a silhouette she likes, she really doesn’t deviate from it. This looks like the dress she wore to welcome the Nigerian delegation. The hat seems…impractical? For a church service. It’s a bit odd and I don’t think flatters her at all but, agree, at least it’s interesting. She’s also carrying gloves! Traditionally required for these types of events and I’m not sure I’ve seen her do that before.

    Is she walking ahead of William here? She seems to be shaking hands with the greeter first. Curious. Is she giving him a hard time or is her job to distract since he’s dragging his feet?

  17. samipup says:

    Who is thew woman in the maroon coat and hat? Is she the new AOC? If she is, why isn’t she wearing robes. So many abuse scandals coming to light! All those hurt and scarred children!

  18. Me at home says:

    I’ll say something nice. I like that her hair is up behind that bun hairpiece (we’ve seen before) instead of hanging down to her waist in ratty doll curl extensions. And I think the hat is the funnest thing about the outfit – I like what they did with the swirly straw pattern.

    • CatGotMyTongue says:

      The hat would be fine for an outdoor event. It’s way too big for church.

      The flying saucer hats are all supposed to be tilted the same way.

      This works to Kate’s advantage when she’s to Willy’s left, because they don’t have to look directly at each other. Perhaps that’s why her hats are getting larger.

      It works to her disadvantage because the forehead scar is on the side that is tilted up.

  19. Jen says:

    I feel like Kate used to have really pretty clothes around 10-15 years ago. She’s the one who got me into jackets. But it’s like the second she turned 40, she’s only allowed to wear matronly clothing for older women.

  20. Sue says:

    Starting a ceremony at 4pm doesn’t really help with the narrative around the Wales’ laziness. Will probably get some story about how they have to do the school run before they can do anything else during the day.

  21. Gail says:

    Maybe she wears these outfits as “costumes” aka her “work clothes”. I may have made this up, but I think I remember reading the reason George is always in a tie in public is so when he’s dressed in regular clothes he is a little less recognizable. Maybe that’s part of her theme dressing? So when she’s out and about normally, she’s a little less recognizable? I have no idea.
    I’m glad she’s back to a silhouette she feels comfortable in. And am delighted her hair is up.

  22. Wildrose says:

    What a vicious look Mrs Wails has plastered on her face. I am surprised that they didn’t choke on the words they were singing.

    I pity the fabric makers seeing this “as worn by” Mrs Wails. The hat was totally wrong for the occasion and I am surprised that she didn’t have corks dangling from it (which in hotter climates) keeps the blow flies away, failing that she could have put a thick veil over it and looked like a bee keeper tending her hives. Not quite sure which look she was going for. Suzannah must have had forceful instructions to make her look as thin as possible.

    That third photograph where Mrs Wails is shooting Mr Wails one hell of a look (he is purposely ignoring her) makes me think that he gave her a telling off about getting ready and still being late. Same sort of scenario as the Coronation day when they turned up after the King had arrived.

    That is pretty much it from me – I just do not have any more words to describe the Wails however, rest assured, because tomorrow there will be the usual “paying tribute to” or there is “a hidden message” article being regurgitated.

    Spare us that load of tripe.

  23. Rachel says:

    #keenforchrist made me almost spit out my coffee – perfection!

    • LittlePenguin says:

      I too was sitting here drinking my tea reading the article and got to the hashtags which are just perfection! Thank you @Kaiser for the best thing I will read all day. Please use this hashtag on all future church service posts!

    • Nic919 says:

      Wearing a cross made of diamonds also confirms that kate has no clue about words in the gospel. Being showy and superficial about presenting one’s faith is specifically criticized more than once, but it would be too much to expect her to know that.

    • Christine says:

      #KeenforChrist made my morning!!!

    • BeanieBean says:

      My fave, too! 👏

  24. MSJ says:

    The outfit is in her lane. Good that she chose to stick to her signature style – coat dresses and hats – instead of copying her SIL.

  25. DeniseCB says:

    I grew up adjacent to Black American church hat culture and this is a really nice one. It is large and in an American church without the side-pews I’d feel sorry for anyone sitting behind such a large head-piece but it is a nice design.

  26. Kaaaaz says:

    That hairdo is an improvement from the ratty extensions at least. She looks like a chopstick though.

  27. Irving says:

    These things start late in the afternoon because it’s enough time for William’s hangover to mostly dissipate but before he starts on tonight’s bender. I also like Magdalena’s theory above, that coordinating the trip from separate residences is best done later in the day.

    Kate’s updo is literally a hair croissant. And with that hat, she is all set to join a mariachi band.

  28. Thelma says:

    I can’t bear to watch her wasting away. We’re all complicit. Is there no one in her life who can advise her on what a healthy weight is?

  29. Cerys says:

    I get Melania vibes from this outfit. Someone on Twitter posted that she wore the big hat to keep William away from her. Lol

  30. Mel says:

    I love the hat. Everything else, not so much. She looks dated. The coatdress is sooooooo boring. It’s too long, the shoulder pads highlight how thin she is because she’s given herself linebacker shoulders, it’s just so Carol…

  31. Penelope Cowell Doe says:

    I think she looks elegant and appropriate. For once. Yes, it’s a costume. But it’s that kind of event. Doesn’t hide that she’s skeletal though.

  32. QuiteContrary says:

    The color of the coat dress does nothing for her. This outfit is so close to being right, but as usual, Kate just misses the mark.

    The hat is fabulous, but too large for the occasion. Her jewelry is appropriate for daytime, finally. Her hair looks good up — very polished for a change. But the color is just drab. Had she gone with this outfit in navy, maybe, with a smaller hat, it would have been great.

    But yeah, she’s scary-thin.

  33. Henny Penny says:

    A few weeks back, I said that we were about to witness the miraculous dedication of his life to the Lord by a born-again Christian Prince William and his pious Princess Kate. I even noted that I’d begun taking bets on how long before we’d start seeing Kate wearing a cross around her neck. And here we are. So predictable.

  34. Beth says:

    When I was a child there was a cartoon
    of Huckleberry Hound flying in a spaceship. Kate’s hats,with this silhouette, make me think of him flying around with his goofy smile!🛸

  35. tamsin says:

    That hat would look fabulous at Ascot. It reminds me of the hat Audrey Hepburn wore to the races in My Fair Lady because of the size. However, it does hide Kate’s face, which may have been the goal. Like everyone else, I think it’s a bit much for church. You poke someone’s eye out next to you, and completely block the view from the person behind you. Ironically, while the hat on one hand hides the face, on the other, it screams “look at me!” from its attention grabbing size. I think Kate looks quite put together, and she is sticking to her own style and silhouette. It looks dated to some, but then the whole role of royalty is dated, and how William and Kate are “royalling” is dated. Queen Elizabeth, who became Queen in the 50’s is gone, and they are still trying to follow in her footsteps. Why try to look like you live in the 21st century when you are participating in a ritual from the last century and before?

    • LeaTheFrench says:

      I agree. This outfit does not quite work together. The hat is a bit much for Church, and would be more appropriate for something outside, like a garden party. The coat is exceedingly conservative – appropriate for the occasion, but then really out of balance with the hat. Her outfit would have been better calibrated and less disjointed with a less outsized hat and a more modern coat.

  36. Grant says:

    I love her look here. That coatdress is incredible and I love the hat. But she looks very, very slim. I hope she’s ok.

  37. YankeeDoodles says:

    So. Small thing, but the timing — if this were a Catholic service, it would be in the AM, largely owing to the fact that one is expected to fast before taking Communion, especially if one is planning to attend Confession prior to said taking of Communion. That always struck me as an elegant and moving way to weave together the individual and the group: Confession is private and privileged, Communion is shared and public. The CofE — in watering down the Church of Rome, as they call it — threw out the baby with the bath water, in some ways. But. It does have its own traditions, some of which are transcendent and epic, some of which are quiet and rooted. I’m guessing Kate’s level of engagement with this is….. performative. That hat. Oh, my, that hat. Like a Rockette met a Mariachi band and decided to lead them on a ticker tape parade. Not for church. I would like to cite Mr. T: I pity the fool.

    • Becks1 says:

      you only need to fast for an hour or two before the Eucharist. Catholics have ceremonies late in the day all the time, even important ones. My confirmation was at 4pm.

      • YankeeDoodles says:

        You can have mass at midnight, it’s not an obligation to have it in the AM. But I’m struggling to recollect a time I ever witnessed or partook of Communion after 11am.

      • Alarmjaguar says:

        Lots of Catholic Churches have Saturday evening and Sunday night services. I’ve never heard of a morning only communion service.

  38. kelleybelle says:

    That hat is beyond ridiculous and doesn’t even match the dress. And again – yawn – photos of Kate looking at Will but none of him looking at her.

  39. HuffnPuff says:

    Love the heads up while singing shots. They have definitely been paying attention to the headlines. Also interesting to wear such a wide hat that cocks to the side. Was she trying to keep distance with Scooter King?

  40. L4Frimaire says:

    That hat is very distracting.

  41. Melisande says:

    That hat is straight out of the Melania playbook.

  42. jferber says:

    The hat really helps Kate look the villainess. She looks super-mean when she does not fake smile. I thought maybe Kate had no underwear on because her one-button dress coat flew open at one point. But no big reveal, as Kate has delighted in that pastime since college days (Kate Middlebum). I wonder if she wanted to go for it, but William wouldn’t allow it? I can assure you that potential Queen Rose would NEVER flash her ass or vagina in public. That’s a bar set in hell, yet Kate couldn’t reach that bar in the past. You just know she’s dying to flash her bits for attention.

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