This week, Kensington Palace released a very odd video with the Princess of Wales. The video was filmed in March, and the palace clearly sat on it so they could release it during a period of time where people wondered where the hell Kate was and what she was doing. Kate hasn’t had a work event since St. Patrick’s Day, mind you, and she was just caught out by Paris Match for having her third holiday of the year. So the palace broke the “in case of emergency” glass and released the video of Kate wandering around the woods and hanging out with Scouts. Obviously, the British media has been duly placated and they’re now running multiple stories about Kate’s jeggings and baker’s boy cap.
The Princess, who has served as joint president of the Scouting Foundation since 2020, was filmed on a visit to the scenic Lake District with a group of scouts. The combination of cable-knit sweater, cargo-style skinny jeans and walking boots is straight out of her country style playbook, but the addition of a wool bomber jacket and Baker Boy cap added a modern touch to a classic ensemble.
The look cast a spotlight on Bella Hoskyns, the made-in-Britain brand behind Catherine’s wool bomber jacket. With its Nehru collar and olive green hue, it strikes the perfect on-trend note, while remaining practical with its Melton wool exterior and quilted lining. With all fabrics sourced in the UK and pieces manufactured in the north of England and Scotland, the brand has already won over the in-the-know country set, but this royal seal of approval will doubtless amplify it further – just look at the “Kate effect” on small British brands like Beulah London, Zoraida and Finlay & Co.
“I love heritage style with practical appeal and always design my clothes with the aim that they will stand the test of time,” says founder Arabella Hoskyns-Abrahall. “Bella Hoskyns clothes are meant to feel like they’re instant old friends and the classic you reach for time and again in your wardrobe. They’re also a ‘go-to’ for the change in any season, whether layering the gilets or throwing on the jackets.” Catherine’s £385 jacket, which is currently in stock in all but size 14, will likely fly off Hoskyns’ online shelves.
Her Baker Boy cap, meanwhile, has divided fashion commentators. It’s not the first time the Princess has resuscitated the trend, which she was last spotted sporting in a picture taken by Prince Louis and released to mark World Cancer Day 2025. She has also donned a similar style in tweed on a number of occasions, including on a previous Scouts-related trip to Cumbria on a snowy day in March 2013. This was identified as the “Lindsay” cap from Really Wild Clothing, so royal fashion fans have deduced that the more recent incarnation is also from the British brand.
Other elements of the look featured in the new video came from some of Catherine’s long-time favourites. One of these is her cosy-looking cable-knit wool sweater in “sand”, £610, by British designer Emilia Wickstead. The Princess often favours Wickstead for formal attire, from a memorable regal purple suit to pretty coat dresses and even a dress renamed “Kate” in her honour. Showcasing the brand’s simultaneous low-key appeal, the jumper is already sold out – and little wonder; while it’s clearly an investment, this is a timeless piece, and the super-soft yarn allegedly has a cashmere-like feel. Fans will be pleased to know that similar jumpers in the same material are still available online.
As a base for outdoorsy looks, Catherine often turns to Amsterdam-born denim brand G-Star Raw, and her latest ensemble was no exception. She wore the brand’s “Kafey Cargo” skinny jeans, £110, which are now sold out in multiple colours on the brand’s website – although, at the time of writing, there are still select sizes available on Amazon. She’s worn the jeans on a number of previous occasions, including the Big Help Out celebration in London on the week of King Charles’s coronation (when she also donned a Scouts scarf) and again on a visit to a seaweed farm in Wales in September 2023.
And the final item she repeatedly dons for royal engagements in sometimes testing natural settings? A trusty pair of brown leather hiking boots, £165, from Berghaus. Her Supalite ll Gortex boots are, unsurprisingly, currently sold out, although UK size 7 is still available in the men’s section. From battling snowy conditions in camo for Irish Guards training to abseiling with the Welsh mountain rescue team, these ever-reliable boots have seen her through an impressive array of outdoor activities.
I was honestly surprised that the Telegraph went so far as to detail every single item worn by Kate. Did they forget that Kate threw a tantrum earlier this year about how she’s not going to give out fashion IDs anymore and people need to stop talking about her style? So why the change? I think this is Kate’s answer and the British press’s answer to the Duchess of Sussex’s ShopMy page, honestly. This is new – the obsessive reporting of Kate’s casual ensembles alongside the tracking of whether the items are still available. They’re trying to force “The Kate Effect” to happen in direct competition with Meghan. Also, and this is just my opinion: Kate needs to phase out the skinny jeans. There were a few shots in that video which were super-unflattering, that’s all I say.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red/Kensington Palace and screengrabs from the KP video.
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- The Princess of Wales spent time with a group of Scouts aged between 10 and 15 from groups in Cumbria and Greater Manchester on a walk near the shores of Lake Windermere as they undertake a challenge to earn their Naturalist Badge. Left to Right: Esmee Chan (from 1st Buddha Light Explorer Scouts, Stretford, Greater Manchester), Kurt Lindhofer (from 1st Ulverston Scouts), The Princess of Wales, Erika Rawlinson (from 1st Ulverston Scouts), Yuxun Choy (from 1st Buddha Light Explorer Scouts, Stretford, Greater Manchester),Image: 988235623, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kensington Palace/Avalon
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- The Princess of Wales spent time with a group of Scouts aged between 10 and 15 from groups in Cumbria and Greater Manchester on a walk near the shores of Lake Windermere as they undertake a challenge to earn their Naturalist Badge.,Image: 988235630, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kensington Palace/Avalon
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- The Princess of Wales spent time with a group of Scouts aged between 10 and 15 from groups in Cumbria and Greater Manchester on a walk near the shores of Lake Windermere as they undertake a challenge to earn their Naturalist Badge.,Image: 988235630, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kensington Palace/Avalon
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- The Princess of Wales spent time with a group of Scouts aged between 10 and 15 from groups in Cumbria and Greater Manchester on a walk near the shores of Lake Windermere as they undertake a challenge to earn their Naturalist Badge.,Image: 988235641, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kensington Palace/Avalon
This doesn’t seem that much different to things she has worn in the past without a lot of buzz. Is it really getting that much attention or do they just want people to think it is?
I just think the “buzz” is the BM finally having some content from Kate. They’ve been MIA for a while now and they’re absolutely trying to get a “Kate Effect” going.
This. What else is there to currently buzz about? They’re on vacation and have done f-ck all except ski and go to FB games. Apparently the BM is choosing not to go into detail about the SKI sweater….
So yeah, this is the only “work” content they have to buzz about. Plus, KP released a rare on the record statement about stepping back from the news that Kate would no longer talk about fashion. Blamed it on a staffer who spoke out of turn. And one of those critiques was how her fashion was meant to support British brands. So now she’s wearing a bomber jacket from a uk brand. So…her team listened and pivoted, lol.
The buzz is that she is getting dragged big time. They even had to turn off the comments on some sites.
Jeans, sweater, and wool cap? Daring and fashion forward!
Yes you nailed it this is a response to the Shop My Page and they are trying to push the Can’t wears brands too narrative. I don’t see that people will runout and get that crazy hat or leggings just because she wore them because she doesn’t have the it factor that Meg clearly has so nice try but I don’t see this working.
I really hate the brown on brown filter. I’m guessing all the wool makes it a fall experience? It looks hot and itchy. (I have sensitive skin.) Could she have a pop of color somewhere? It’s really drab IMO. She looks washed out and I HATE that hat.
That hat is just horrible 🫣
My love of costumey clothes has me loving that hat🫣. But I’m aware that’s a me thing.
I actually really like the whole look but couldn’t pull off the hat. But that sweater is really pretty. The issue for me is that it doesnt seem appropriate to wear thousands of pounds of clothing for hiking and playing outside with scouts all day, at least when its not practical hiking clothes. those jeans look uncomfortable for hiking and climbing around etc.
I concur…. It’s a big nope….
Isn’t this the same hat – or the exact same style hat – that she wore years ago when she was posing with scout leaders? So this is her theme dressing for scouting and scary forest photos.
I LOVE it! Kate made this huge announcement about how she didn’t want the focus to be on what she wears but on her work, and this is a clear rebuke to her that nope, that’s not an option, Waity. It’s the only thing people think of or care about when it comes to her. (Not to mention that there IS NO “work” to speak of.)
I know! I am shocked they didn’t have I.D. on her undergarments, this is HILARIOUSLY specific.
@Christine, her undergarments, 😂
I’m sure they would have included those if they could have.
They’ve been starved for Kate content for so long, and then when she finally does actually do something, she does an end run around the ROTA and posts the video herself, cutting them out completely. They’re letting her know that no matter what, THEY will still control the type of coverage she receives. And in her case, it’s strictly about her clothes, hair, and accessories.
It feels like some spon-con for the bomber jacket brand. Bc technically KP walked that statement back so this felt like KP capitulating and throwing them a bone of something to write about. Here’s a new jacket I’m wearing from an up and coming British brand. And the press playing in their face by detailing everything.
That’s the stumbling block, isn’t it? It’s one thing to talk about work, but for the narrative to continue you actually have to do it. There are plenty of internet sleuths out there to identify Kate’s outfits. The press doesn’t have to do that for her, but she hasn’t given them anything else.
This is all a reaction to the “Meghan Effect” — they went into details on those sad clothing items Kate wore because they want those items to sell out. The knitwear that Meghan wore when she cooking in her kitchen and hugging her pup sold out within hours. They’re helping Kate compete and it’s pretty pathetic…but also very funny 😆
This is absolutely the BM trying to big up the “Kate” effect – notice how often they mention that items were “sold out” or “almost sold out”, lol. Surprisingly, they don’t have affiliate links in the text, but it feels like that might be coming!
I particularly liked the bit about selling out of the boots, just a man’s size 7 left.
My favorite is how the sweater “allegedly has a cashmere-like feel.”
The boots only being available in a men’s 7 had me on the floor!
That hat looks absolutely ridiculous. The sillhoutte is giving Strawberry Shortcake. Doll hair and all. She looks so top heavy I’d be concerned that a stiff breeze would take her out. Also, her obsession with “nature” makes her sound like she lives in a Victorian work house instead of a giant, sprawling estate surrounded by park land. Give me a f’ing break lady.
It really reminds me of her Jecca Craig cosplay era.
That’s the abjectly glum part about being No Princess For The People: no affection or wardrobe funds from her slumlord millionaire husband, in addition to no personality of her own, so she has to pathetically cycle through approximations of the wardrobes of other people who actually have drive, ambition, and superior sartorial sense.
Meanwhile the KP hobgoblins keep trying to make Fetch happen in their self imposed “Battle of the Duchesses”.
KP courtiers, you were already telt: don’t compete where you can never compare, darlings.
While I was reading this piece I also thought that it was the Telegraph’s answer to Meghan’s shopmy page. LOL. This is so sad. The Telegraph failed to mention that the jacket that Kate wore was the same one she had on in that manipulated Mother’s Day photo.
Wait what? I assumed that was a new jacket with the way they went on about it. That was from the frankenphoto?
If the kate effect hasn’t happened after over a decade, it won’t happen now so they should stop . It’s pathetic
IMO the “Kate Effect” happened briefly around 2011-2013, back when she was still new to most of the world, and she tended to wear more affordable pieces from places like Zara, Reiss, and Whistles. Then she started wearing bespoke McQueen or Jenny Packham coatdresses all the time. Now she’s trying to go back to her roots because she’s competing with Meghan (although her sweater in that video was $800, so idk how many people they think will be running out to buy that one).
Agreed. There was a Kate effect but that disappeared after she got the ring and her laziness shone through.
That’s a good point – all of the “bespoke” pieces and her tendency to wear pieces that are no longer available will put a bit of a damper on any affiliate/ commission links the BM has in mind.
They are desperate for her to have the fan following and loyalty that the Duchess of Sussex has and it has become obvious to the point it is disturbing.. middle school mean girl who covets whatever another woman has is the story of Waity.. without the clothes there isn’t much to write about because she has no substance. Those skinny jeans needed to go a long time ago but I feel that way about her ugly coat dresses also.. both are dated and unflattering especially on her.
@Hypocrisy, I didn’t love the parade of coatdresses in every color of the rainbow, either, but at least it was Kate’s own style and she became associated with them. She was really the only person wearing them, and they were sort of Kate’s trademark look, just like the Queen’s bright colors. It was a uniform of sorts for her. But then she tried to start copying Meghan, so she completely changed her style, and now it’s just all over the place.
Kate told the newspapers that she wanted them to write about her work, not her clothes. What work?
“What does she actually do?” – QE2
Look at me, screams the grinning idiot 🙄 Oh *and* a photo op with a POC. This should go on the court circular twice then!
The BM clearly got their talking points ahead of time – how something something nature, as this was all so coordinated. Too bad they decided to put Katie Keen against Meghan’s COAFF II, hence robbing Keen of the slightest chance to attempt to shine on her own and *not* lose in comparison.
I love how many commenters beyond the Squad pointed out FakeyKatie’s fake posh accent and her mumbling.
I love how many commenters beyond the Squad found the pics of Kate shooting pheasants and grouses (?), or carrying dead birds in her hands.
“Also, and this is just my opinion: Kate needs to phase out the skinny jeans.”
One of those “Abolish the monarchy” accounts posted something akin to “forgot to put on underwear” (paraphrasing). FewchaKween and her chav ancestry on full display.
There was one of her grinning and carrying a shotgun to hunt birds.
Kate should definitely phase out skinny jeans. But she never will because she hates looking “fat,” aka normal. I hope she’s getting help.
Quite, my reaction to that sentence was yes but then how will she show people how skinny she is. Other than flashing us all yet again.
On a side note, I was just listening to a Fresh Air episode with McCay Coppins, on his recent Atlantic article about the Murdoch family real-life succession drama. The way Rupert Murdoch treats his own kids… 😳 Same kind of toxic father we find in Charles. We shouldn’t be surprised that Murdoch’s creations cause so much damage, in the world.
“The Kate effect” LMAO. Tomorrow they will publish an article how fast all the pieces Kate wore were sold out.
Even Liz Jones at the Daily Mail made fun of Kate’s hat and how her pictures were “drip fed” by KP and of poor quality. When even the DM doesn’t like you…
Where did concentrate on my work and not on my clothes go?
Clearly in the minority lol, but I really like Kate’s outfit. Not for a trend and definitely not something I would wear, but I think it looks like “Kate” for lack of a better explanation. I am fine with people having their own style and not being on trend or setting the trend. All of this looks like stuff Kate wears in her day to day (because it is) and that she likes on her. That’s cool with me. Same with buttons (also in the minority I know!). They look ridiculous on me and I don’t think they’re ever going to have a moment, but Kate seems to really like them and that’s really fine with me. It’s how I think fashion and personal style should be, tbh! Wear what you like!
I don’t mind it, either. I don’t even mind her hair, as long as it’s not on my head. I think the reporting around her wardrobe is kind of irksome, because to me she’s not a style icon, but she might very well be to a certain subset. What’s interesting to me is the apparent PR battle between KP and the media – “Talk about my work, not my clothes” versus “We’ll talk about whatever we want.”
It does feel more Kate so I prefer it to copy-keening Meghan. Although the jacket is apparently on trend for “the in-the-know country set” so maybe its part of that “country” aristo-style.
@JAIS
Kate’s style is butt on display, breasts on display, terrible make-up, ugly shoes, tacky handbags and a sweaty face from alcohol. That’s how she looked in almost all photos before and long after the wedding. All Middletons are tacky and trashy and nothing has changed here, unless Kate dresses up as someone, then sometimes she looks better for a moment. And country style is copy/paste Jecca.
Not gonna lie, I wear the hat.
I guess they are going to drop the relatable thing because that outfit was north of 1000 £. That’s for a brief walk in nature after the third holiday.
The comments under the Good Morning Britain post on Twitter were brutal. A lot of people questioning the work and calling for the end of monarchy.
I think the honeymoon is over for Kate and the public.
Gotta try to make fetch happen for fewcha kween. Can’t have her fashion ignored, not while Meghan’s style is selling out!
There’s really no comparison between the two women but the rota rats and the Royal Racist keep trying.
As I said in the original thread, Keira Knightley wore that hat better in “Love Actually.”
And those skinny jeans are tragic.
I’d wear the sweater in another color, and the jacket’s great. There, I’ve said something nice about Kate’s fashion. That’s my quota for the year.
… wow.
NOT ONE WORD about anything she said, her interactions with the Scouts, the Scouting program, the kids, how they felt meeting Kate … NADA.
I actually went and read the whole article, which I usually never do because I don’t want to give the BM even one click: they quoted a designer, but not Kate. She could just as well have been a High Street shop window mannequin.
Why are y’all paying for her again?
Sorry all, I was distracted by the bad hair pieces.
And yes the DM is trying to get people to buy what she wears like Meghan. Good luck.
Err are we going to brace ourselves for seasonal videos of Kate skipping about the countryside wibbling on and on saying “hello clouds, hello sky” like Fotherington-Thomas?
Fotherington-Thomas was introduced by Nigel Molesworth, the narrator of Down with Skool!, in 1953: ‘As you see he is skipping like a girlie he is uterly wet and a sissy.’ Geoffrey Willans featured the school sissy again in How to be Topp (also illustrated by Ronald Searle, who had spent time in a Japanese prison camp): ‘It is only fotherington-tomas you kno he sa Hullo clouds hullo sky he is a girlie and love the scents and sounds of nature.’
Lady Digby, this is fascinating!!! I look at the royals as a kind of Rorschach blot, as an American living in the UK, a bit of lighthearted cultural anthropology. But the thing is, it’s not remotely lighthearted. It’s like the loose end of a thread in a quilt that, once pulled, unravels the whole painstaking stitched creation. I actually did this to a quilt my mum had handmade and she was horrified. It wasn’t intentional. Anyhoo. Your comment reminded me of how much biting satire there was of domestic rank and hierarchy in the ‘20s and ‘30s, it actually reminded me of Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh in which the boy shoots himself in the foot, but it’s played a comedy. Also obviously allegorical. I imagine this bitter brand of iconoclasm followed the lions-led-by-donkeys affliction in World War I. That had to be a revelation to British people, of how ineffectual their elites were, coasting on posturing, tone policing, and gate keeping. The thing is, the tide turned during WWII as everyone seems to have pulled together. But had it not been for WWII, I tend to believe the native elites would have been much more effectively superseded by meritocracy than they were. The irony is, socialism, as interpreted in the Beveridge report, as understood by the Attlee government, gave them a new lease on life. Go figure.
@Parkrunmum I thought I’d explain the Fotherington-Thomas reference for any Cbers unfamiliar with the Molesworth books from the 1950s. It’s a classic boarding school satire with wickedly funny illustrations. My older brother used to read them out loud to us and them my own sons adored them to.
https://davidbuckingham.net/2022/02/12/wizz-for-molesworth-british-private-schools-and-the-making-of-character/
Weirdly enough, Kate usually looks her best wearing retro-Sloane Ranger/country stuff like this. The leggings are disastrous, though…
Yup, this is definitely the British media/Kate definition of shop my page . These people are beyond pathetic. And I noticed they forget the gofer Wiglet in squirrel hue . Is that not on her shop my page telegraph edition lol.
I don’t particularly care for the hat, but apart from that I think she looks quite good in this outfit as she often does in casual clothing… but then I saw the hair. What’s the point of all that fake hair tumbling down her back with this outfit? She would look better with an understated ponytail of her own hair. I have never understood her fixation with fake hair. She has made it a major part of her appearance, and it’s so obviously fake. Surely she doesn’t think people think it’s real? It’s hardly her “crowning glory” when it’s fake. It’s as though she is using that fake hair as a crutch to make up for something that’s lacking.
Oh, please everyone, let’s quit making fun of her jazz hands, because the hook-finger gesturing is scary, and I don’t want to see it again.
I hate those hats with the power of a thousand suns. I was a scout, albeit a million years ago. We wore dark green chinos and our uniform hat was a dark green beret. This cos-play is such foolery!