Happy 38th Birthday to the Duchess of Cambridge! After the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s shocking Instagram announcement yesterday that they’re intending to step back from being “senior” members of the Royal Family and move to North America part-time, we need something calm and non-divisive to think about. In honor of Kate Middleton’s birthday, we’re taking this time to look back at her top 10 best fashion looks yet.
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Christmas Day Church Service
Even though Kate may have told a fan that “she was feeling too hot” and reportedly said, “I really shouldn’t have worn this,” according to Metro, her Christmas Day church service outfit was remarkable because it featured faux fur. The Catherine Walker grey felt, belted coat was accessorized with hunter green hat, clutch, and pumps, which adorably matched her daughter’s festive look.
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Back to Nature Launch at the Royal Horticultural Society
To launch a new Back to Nature garden, which she originally co-designed for the Chelsea Flower Show in the spring of 2019, Kate wore Emilia Wickstead‘s floral and Swiss dot, seersucker, belted Aurora dress. Delighting fans of the Great British Bake Off, former judge Mary Berry was also in attendance alongside the royal.
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Dutch State Banquet
When welcoming King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima to Buckingham Palace, the duchess chose a pale blue Alexander McQueen gown and paired it with the “Cambridge Lover’s Knot” tiara and its matching earrings, necklace, and brooch. The pieces have been in the royal family since 1914, and the headpiece became a favorite of Princess Diana.
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Charity Gala at Houghton Hall
The duchess wore this Jenny Packham gown twice! Once, in 2011 to one of her first engagements as a member of the Royal Family, and then five years later at a charity gala, paired with the same L.K.Bennett heels both times. Fun fact: Leighton Meester’s character, Blair Waldorf, wore the same Jenny Packham dress on an episode of Gossip Girl.
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Wedding Day
On one of the most iconic wedding days in history, Kate wore an Alexander McQueen gown by Sarah Burton, and the pair worked closely during the design process. Her train was nearly nine feet long, which pales in comparison to Diana’s 25-foot long train. The bride’s dress also featured 58 buttons, English and French Chantilly lace, and a blue ribbon— as her “something blue.” Atop Kate’s head sat the Queen’s Cartier Halo tiara.
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U.S. State Dinner
In another Alexander McQueen design, the duchess attended the banquet thrown by the Queen for the Trumps first official visit to the U.K. at Buckingham Palace. She accessorized with sapphire and diamond earrings, which belonged to the late Queen Mother, and the Lover’s Knot Tiara.
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Royal Ascot with Countess Sophie of Wessex
At the opening day of the Royal Ascot in 2017, Kate Middleton wore a one-of-a-kind, high-neck, white lace Alexander McQueen dress, paired with a custom hat, drop earrings, and Gianvito Rossi stilettos (in the grass!). Aside from her chic ensemble, the duchess made headlines when she caught Prince Edward’s wife, Countess Sophie of Wessex, when she accidentally stumbled into their carriage.
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Baby Prince George’s Post-Birth Hospital Debut
After her eldest, Prince George, was born, Kate introduced him to the world in July of 2013 in a short-sleeved, blue, polka-dot dress by Jenny Packham and Dune sling-back espadrilles. It was a significant moment, not only because Prince George is in direct line to the throne, but also because the new mom’s postpartum bump was visible. It was also definitely a nod to her late mother-in-law, who wore a teal polka-dot dress after giving birth to Prince William three decades earlier.
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Baby Princess Charlotte’s Post-Birth Hospital Debut
To introduce her only daughter in May of 2015, the duchess wore a yellow buttercup-print dress, also by Jenny Packham, and Jimmy Choo nude, leather pumps.
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Baby Prince Louis’s Post-Birth Hospital Debut
For her youngest child’s debut this past April, Kate again nodded to Diana with her hospital outfit. Outside of St. Mary’s Hospital, she wore a red dress with a Peter Pan white collar by Jenny Packham and Gianvito Rossi’s Gianvito 105 pumps in taupe suede. The look was strikingly similar to Diana’s ensemble to introduce Prince Harry to the world.
With all the chaos seemingly unfolding at the palace, we can always count on the Duchess of Cambridge to at least serve us chic fashion looks through and through.