Well, here she is. The Princess of Wales left her gopher hole (heh) on Tuesday to make an appearance at an event at St. James’s Palace. This was Kate’s first event since May 14, so nearly three full weeks without any sort of makeshift busywork or implementation of what she “learned” about the Early Years in Italy. In Kate’s absence, it’s not like Prince William was burning the candle at both ends either, but interestingly enough, he didn’t bother showing up alongside his wife last night. Some royal reporters said both William and Kate would attend, but it was only Kate, and there was barely any interaction between Kate, King Charles and Queen Camilla.
As for the event, there was a reason why Charles (presumably) ordered Kate to attend. It was a commemoration for the 125th anniversary of Cancer Research UK. This is the first time Kate and Charles have done anything cancer-adjacent together since they were both diagnosed in 2024. Charles, as we well know, is still in treatment for his cancer, although he’s reportedly doing better this year. Kate has been, in her own words, “cancer-free” since the summer of 2024.
As for Kate’s look… whew. I was going to complain about Kate’s love of polka-dots, but look closely at the pattern – those are actually little white hearts, not dots. The dress is silk twill from Rodarte, and she carried a Miu Miu clutch. I was straining to think of who she was copy-keening and it suddenly came to me: Minnie Mouse. She’s actually going full Minnie Mouse. And I wonder if her reference point is a certain someone’s Minnie Mouse ears.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- The Princess of Wales during a Cancer Research UK reception to mark the charity’s 125th anniversary, at St James’s Palace, London Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 02 Jun 2026 Credit: Yui Mok/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Princess of Wales during a Cancer Research UK reception to mark the charity’s 125th anniversary, at St James’s Palace, London Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 02 Jun 2026 Credit: Yui Mok/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Princess of Wales (right) speaks to Davina McCall during a Cancer Research UK reception to mark the charity’s 125th anniversary, at St James’s Palace, London Featuring: Davina McCall, Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 02 Jun 2026 Credit: Yui Mok/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Princess of Wales during a Cancer Research UK reception to mark the charity’s 125th anniversary, at St James’s Palace, London Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 02 Jun 2026 Credit: Yui Mok/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Princess of Wales during a Cancer Research UK reception to mark the charity’s 125th anniversary, at St James’s Palace, London Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 02 Jun 2026 Credit: Yui Mok/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Princess of Wales speaks with guests during a Cancer Research UK reception to mark the charity’s 125th anniversary, at St James’s Palace, London Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 02 Jun 2026 Credit: Yui Mok/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
This is an awful dress. I cannot imagine it could look good on anyone. Boxy shoulders and white lapels don’t help either.
The hair wig down her back and then pushed over her shoulders is overwhelming. She needs shoulder length hair . after all scooters preaching about his wife he doesnt show up
The hair is totally unprofessional and unflattering. If she played around with different styles from time to time, like flat ironed shoulder length, big wave blow out like Amal these days, long bob etc. The press would eat it up and she would be praised to the heavens. The very short periods when she had shorter and darker hair, she looked so much better, even though she still styled it kind of dated.
Minnie Mouse! Kaiser, you’re so naughty sometimes 😅🤣😂
So she’s been fixated on the Sussex’s trip to Disneyland and decided to show up looking like Olive Oils version of Minnie Mouse.. this is so ugly it’s hilarious.
That dress style is from the 1990s
Is it? I have never seen anything like it. The silhouette, the length, the belt, the lapels, the shoulders are all from different eras. The little hearts are so juvenile, I can’t…
I was thinking 1980’s secretarial (top) by way of the 1950’s (skirt). A whole lot of yikes.
Her wig needs some work too.
I seem to recall Princess Diana wearing a green polka dot dress at some point in the early 90s, before her divorce, when she significantly upgraded her style.
I had a navy and white polka dot dress that was very similar. I bought it at one of the Spiegel catalog outlet stores in the Chicago burbs. That was 1992 and I wore it to a wedding in Chicago.
Just an awful look. It’s very childlike and I think she needed to wear her in ponytail or bun to look more mature.
Agree 💯 very juvenile look. It looks like something for a costume party with a theme, like 40s-50s or something. It’s embarrassing.
She’s only missing the saddle shoes.
Yep, “mutton dressed as lamb” was my first impression. And then “I guess she’s going for a Thin-Off with Harriet for the wedding?” The Firm’s toxic environment is so awful…
She does have that unique ability to look both like a toddler and an old lady. I honestly do not get how someone can have so little self-reflection. The wigs are overwhelming and unflattering. The clothes are ridiculous. Her posture stinks and her clothes do not flatter the figure that she has. 100% of these things are easily solved and she could look like a sophisticated, stylish person. She is truly stuck.
I read that Kate was a last minute addition to the event while William went somewhere for something military (sorry, I didn’t pay attention to the details). What was interesting was Roya’s tweet that he will attend 🤔. Who gave her the information that he would attend? Are the Middletons up with their games? Did William organised his event to avoid Kate’s? So many questions. As far as Kate’s appearance, I believe that even Minnie would be offended by the comparison..🙄
Very unusual for rota like Roya to report William to be there and he doesn’t go especially as the what’s app group is straight from KP.
Something happened behind the scenes with him.
They said he was somewhere for something military? Well, that’s conveniently vague. It does make you wonder why Roya reported that he was going. It’s not like she doesn’t have contacts at KP.
Yeah, usually Royal has a pretty direct line from KP, so I’m surprised that she mistakenly reported that he was attending. I also wonder why he would have been needed if the event was meant to be a joint appearance between Kate and Charles, the two cancer survivors? KP could say that Kate has gained sooo much confidence after her trip to Italy (🙄) that she’s a big girl now and will leave William at home to put the kids to bed. Why say that he’s going to tag along with his wife and father and then he doesn’t? It just feels like a weird decision, and so I wonder if Charles got involved and benched his son. After all of William’s fussing about how things will be different once his father steps down and he won’t simply fill up his calendar with events and engagements, maybe his father was like “Fine with me, Wills. Don’t bother adding this one to your count then”.
After all, Charles wants to be the central character, not a third wheel, and while doing an event with just Kate wearing a dress will bring eyeballs, if both Wales were to attend the press would write about them instead. That’s my guess anyway.
You’d think a loving husband who was concerned about his wife’s health would have come to support her. You know it’s impossible the charity could have invited Kate but not her husband. So either Charles is massively po’d at William over the latest articles about how Willy can’t wait for him to die, or Willy just DNGAF.
Right? A supportive husband would want to be by her side when it’s about something as important as this, considering his wife had cancer, as she said cancerous cells, and as he said precancerous cells.
Her style is atrocious as usual so I have nothing to say there. I didn’t realize this was her first event though since May 14th. I’ve gotten so used to not seeing them that it didn’t even really register. So, going back to March, before they took pretty much a month off for Easter break they did a few events, borough market, that installation for the archbishop, random community centers, and then nothing.
Then she came out and went to Italy, and then nothing until yesterday? So they really are working two or three days a month. And then going to take most of the summer off and be back in the fall. It’s wild that this isn’t causing more uproar, but I think it shows the actual interest in them.
If they were popular, and people cared about what they were saying them disappearing for two or three weeks at a time would be a bigger story. I don’t think it’s just the British media not reporting on it, I think that no one cares.
Eek thats an awful look. I think if the dress was a few inches shorter it would help but as it is – she just overall looks bad. The dress emphasizes her extreme thinness, her hair is a hot mess, the dress isn’t good in general, the clutch and shoes somehow dont really work with it (maybe the shoes but not with the clutch) and then the expressions…….yikes.
notable that william did not attend – he doesnt want to support cancer research considering his wife and father’s cancer journeys? Being “anti cancer” and “pro cancer research” and pro Cancer Research UK is such an easy win for royals – even without the cancer background. And yet this feels like Kate had to be forced to attend and William refused for some reason. Roya has good sources in KP (she’s a stenographer but one with good sources, and she is one of William’s go-tos when he wants to seem legitimate) so why would she say that he was going to attend only for him not to show up?
If the dress was a few inches shorter it would go into rockabilly territory. As opposed to minnie mouse 40s costume party.
https://vintage-vogue.shop/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Dolly-and-Dotty-50s-Retro-Rockabilly-Punkte-Swing-Kleid-Annie-Dots-in-Schwarz-Weiss-1-578×797.jpg
I can’t see the link but I’m assuming its not good lolol.
@smart&messy yes! that is what i was thinking when i first saw it. i don’t hate it as much as others here. it reads vintage adjacent to me, but in a boring way. 60s with a stop in the 80s, which did it no favors. i admit i like a twee style though.
@becks-it is good! it’s a below the knees a-line circle skirt, sleeveless with a t-shirt collar. just google rockabilly dress, and you’ll get the idea. but i’m biased, because a-line circle skirts are my forever style. i love them and feel they’re flattering on almost every body type.
Rockabilly is so fun!! However, it takes a certain exuberant and confident personality to make it work — and maybe a certain type of figure. Maxima would rock the look.
Im over here thinking this dress would have killed when the Hipster trend was all the rage.
1) it looks vintage/rockabilly
2) no one would want to wear it and taking unwearable dresses and making them hip was part of the trend
(I know—i was there 😂)
I like to think that he caught a glimpse of her in this costume and noped out.
all I can see is how thin she is
that belt accentuate her super thin waist. the color and pattern (too childish for my taste) didnt help.
These pictures are alarming and on a human level I hope she’s okay. My brain cannot quite understand how she can have those proportions.
She looks shockingly bad even for her.
The look on her face talking to the woman in the white blouse is jarring.
She contributes nothing to the cause of cancer care or research so what is she even doing there?
I say put her away to rest for another month.
It’s very alarming.
I’m happy to see Kate back to her own style of twee & girly. Not that she looks good — her hair alone seems to be a desperate, silent cry for help — but at least this is a dress Meghan would never, ever wear.
She probably didn’t have a choice about attending this and interrupting her perma-vacation for a few hours. It would be a terrible look for her if Charles went but she didn’t. Charles has done a number of cancer-related events without her, this year and last, and people are really starting to ask questions. Of course she’ll never use her platform to advocate for even something generic, like cancer-stricken women with children, or children with cancer.
But yep, Willy’s no-show to an event that should concern him personally, as the husband and son of cancer patients, is striking.
ITA the wig/halo/extensions are too long, and doesn’t she own a hairbrush? But I’ll say something nice: she seems to have moved away from the massive doll/sausage curls and towards a more wavy style.
She looks like a little girl playing dress ups .
She looks frail and a bit unhinged ,
Yeah like she entered the room right after the meds kicked in.
Agree with the unhinged look. Why is her mouth always hanging open?
She’s been showing up medicated to these events since at least 2023.
This dress would look good on Dita Von Teese. Or someone who does roller derby. So wrong for Kate.
Yes! I was thinking the same thing! This dress is so twee, and I don’t necessarily dislike it, but it needs to be worn with an edge or it just rots your teeth.
Agreed! It seems an unpopular opinion, but I like the heart print and I would totally wear that dress. However, I would need a size 16 not a double zero and I would hem it at the knees for a more retro, playful, pin-up style vibe. That said, I don’t attend formal, professional events at castles or palaces. Her hair is terrible and she really is alarmingly thin. I hope she gets the help she needs.
I could get into the heart print but someone has to wear it with a sense of whimsy and an appreciation of the retro vibe. And Kate is just wearing it straitforward. It would be a costume if she wore her hair differently.
Exactly. this dress needs whimsy and style and Kate wears it literally, so it ends up looking ridiculous. Its like the Alessandra Rich dress she wore for the family pictures that was the same one Abigail Spencer wore to the Sussex wedding. Abigail Spencer pulled it off because of how she styled it.
Kate has no style so many of these dresses just look ridiculous on her. Someone up post said Dita Von Teese could pull this off and I agree with that.
Someone with more of everything could absolutely pull this off but this is much like her phase of (I think) Alexandra Rich which all looked truly dreadful on her and were not the way they were intended to be worn.
YAS!! Was thinking the same! This dress on a full figured woman with pitch black hair and heavy eyeliner, wearing chunky black mary janes would be fab.
I zoomed in on the top photo to see the heart pattern only to see there is another pattern on the fabric. It’s more dots.
Let’s all be thankful for small favors, knowing this dame those could have been more buttons. I wouldn’t put it past her.
Vogue has a good shot of the dress in its write-up of the event she attended.
Kate looked like she raided Diana’s closet from the ’80s.
Diana’s wardrobe was much better than keens and Diana s hair looked better. It looks more like keen borrowed from fergie s wardrobe from the eighties
The dress may be Minnie Mouse, but Kate is becoming a cartoon character of herself, with the giant head and teeny body.
It’s somewhere between Olive Oyl (as noted above) and Miss Peach. (Am I dating myself?)
I actually don’t mind the dress (other than it’s $1,000 price but go off I guess) it’s her style and it certainly fit’s into her uniform style of the contrast collar; polka dots/funky prints (which I actually wish she’d bring back); 1980s vintage cosplay.
What I am curious about however, is that Rodarte is a California based brand. That’s two Californian Based brands Kate has worn back to back. And if we look at the last few engagements and the brands she’s wearing, there’s a deliberate pattern that seems to be emerging: With Nothing Underneath (not Californian based but a Meghan fave); Veronica Beard (a Meghan Staple – Meghan had even modelled for their Movers and Shakers Campaign in 2016); Jenni Kayne (a Meghan favourite); and now Rodarte which hasn’t been worn by Meghan yet. And maybe it is a bit of a stretch since Meghan has worn plenty of British based designers both during and post working royal, but when you’re someone who’s been at the forefront of bullying a woc, and your entire fashion style seems to be enshrouded in the philosophy of single white femaling and attempted image erasure, it can’t help but look sinister.
Whoever is on the styling team (because I still think that woman from Daniela Draper still works for Kate) arr doing a very terrible job. Not that Natasha did any better. She was just as invested in the whole SWF
Huh. The California specificity is interesting. Not just American but Cali designers.
Maybe Kate is trying to ruin the American fashion industry by wearing these brands since she has a reputation for brands going bankrupt after she wears them? I am disappointed knowing that an American company created this horrible dress.
The hem on this dress is very peculiar. It’s a few inches longer in some places compared to others. It may be because her belt has to pull the waist so little but it looks off. Her hair is so bad I have trouble looking at her. I almost feel sorry for her.
I noticed the hem too – it doesn’t look intentionally asymmetrical, it’s just janky.
I looked the dress up on the site and it doesn’t have an asymmetric hem so Kate definitely did something
I think its bc there’s too much fabric for her. The belt has to pull all the fabric in to look snatched at the waist and that causes the material to twist and the hem to look uneven at the bottom. Or at least that’s my guess bc you can see the fabric is a little twisted above the waist.
Her feet are bulging out of those shoes. Ouch.
In that last photo, where she is doing her over-exaggerated crazy expression at her conversation partner, she looks so gaunt. I can’t believe she (and her family) thinks she looks good.
I don’t understand why she doesn’t buy shoes that fit her. She has bigger feet because of her height. Seeing her toes not even fit the shoe is just the sign of someone who can’t accept reality.
These twee dresses are her wheelhouse and she needs to stick to them instead of cosplaying Meghan. THIS is her style, this is what she likes. Is it good? NO. But is it her? YES.
Someone forgot to tell her that wigs need to be washed and conditioned. It looks greasy and unbrushed. Ugly, twee dress is her brand. So is single color dressing. The red shoes and red bag are way too much.
This dress has a very cheap look to it, like a costume you would buy on Amazon. It does not fit her at all. The tight belt at the waist is not flattering because she hasn’t got the bosom, hips, or boot that it’s meant to emphasize. The massive stringy wig seems like it is her security blanket at this point. Clearly she’s lost a lot of her real hair and (understandably) does not want to face the international tabloid uproar that would happen if she walked into an event looking as frail as she does and without the wig.
Yes! To find out it was a Rodarte was a surprise!
The crazy eyes!! The rictus grin! The jaw line that could cut glass! Terrifying.
She looks positively deranged in the bottom photo, and vaguely uncomfortable in the rest.
How can someone so tall look so stumpy? The dress is the wrong length. The hair is the wrong length. The white nursing lapels draw the eye down too. Paired with the aggressive shoulder pads and non-existant hips exacerbating the pointiness, it’s fully awful. I’m thinking crew neck with Peter Pan collar, capped sleeve, no contrast trim, and a black belt and accessories. Hair maybe chignon or formal pony… even a braid… anything but mop. That gets her to twee without as much drag-down.
I would wear those red shoes tho! (Just not with this.)
“How can someone so tall look so stumpy?”
Because she’s still inhabiting the physicality of her original athletic, broad shouldered body type, even though she’s whittled away. Her walk and stance is predicated on a body she doesn’t possess anymore and errors of posture are more evident because of this.
It’s those crazy faces she pulls that get me. She looks utterly deranged.
And the dress is not good. Very dated. Massive shoulders pads, and I can’t work out what’s going on with the hem – it’s all uneven, but that can’t be deliberate surely.
The dress is terrible for this event – it’s a daytime outside dress, not meant to be styled for an evening reception. The matchy shoes and clutch are all wrong, and what’s with the flower pin on her lapel? Don’t even get me started on the delicate jewellery – also matchy – ugh. It’s been said umpteen times: this woman has no sense of style.