The Duchess of Cambridge loves tennis. If I was a British duchess who could sit in the Royal Box whenever I wanted, I would probably attend every single day of the Wimbledon fortnight. Kate would have reason to attend every day too – a few years ago, the Queen finally handed down the “patronage” of Wimbledon to Kate, so now Kate can attend matches and it counts as work. Last year, Kate was still halfway on maternity leave, so she only attended the men’s and women’s finals (and accidentally part of one of the men’s semifinals). But this year Kate isn’t on maternity leave nor is she pregnant, so she’s going to come out a lot more.
Today, Roger Federer is playing on Center Court – he’s sandwiched in between two women’s matches, Angelique Kerber’s first round match, and then Serena Williams comes on after Federer. Kate and all the Middletons are huge Federer fans, so that was probably the original intention for Kate – to see Roger. But she did something great, which is stop in (before Federer’s match) to Court 14 to watch a promising young British woman named Harriet Dart. Kate sat happily in the stands of the smaller court with Katie Boulter (another good British player) and Anne Keothavong (British Fed Cup captain). I have my fingers crossed that Kate sticks around and watches Serena Williams after Federer.
As for Kate’s fashion, she chose a new summery frock – this white and black Alexander McQueen, with a small purse also by McQueen. The buttons… my lord, the buttons. She loves a shirt-dress so this is fine. It actually suits her. I would have taken off the black bow brooch (or is that part of the design of the dress?) and put her hair in a ponytail, but it’s fine. She looks nice and Royal Box-appropriate, honestly. Update: The DM changed the ID of this dress, it’s actually a “custom made Suzannah” frock.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
That brooch makes no sense until it’s matching with the larger bow on the belt. Otherwise, it’s a nice dress. Comfortable and appropriate for a day of tennis watching. Glad to see her out for earlier round matches and not just the finales.
That’s some sort of official Wimbledon patron bow brooch she’s wearing. Her dresses lately remind me of what I wore in the ’80s, which reminded me of Lucille Ball’s dresses in the ’50s.
The nurse at my elementary school wore a similar dress.
The design is lovely, the colour is a bit blah.
The only part of this I really, really dont like is the brooch but otherwise i like this dress. I have a t-shirt dress very similar to this one but it has vertical stripes, but same belt and everything, it goes good with a chunky heel.
Also it’s kind of looking like she recently touched up her color, there is some caramel brown in the underneath there. I like the medium brown tones on her. All and all it’s a good look for the occasion.
The dress is not McQueen.
Props to Kate for going what looks like alone to Wimbledon (minus all those bodyguards, or whatever they are). Doesn’t she have any pals she could have taken along?
Ive seen the bows before as pins from Wimbledon. Kate’s not really a bow person as much as her button and polka dots would make you think.
PS dress by Suzannah
I’d like it a lot more with a different neckline. Not a bad dress, but I’m not a huge fan either.
Baseball, tennis, polo, rugby, film premiers…it all counts as ‘work’ for the royals. Kate is not alone in this.
Also that is not a brooch. It’s something she wears every year at Wimbledon since becoming patron. It has the Wimbledon colors on it which I think is given to patrons/members.
Baseball didnt count as work for Meghan,she wasnt mentioned in the CC
The tennis match she attended last year was in the CC as well as the fashion awards were she made a brief appearance on stage. The point is they all do fluff engagements which ends up in the CC.
Kate’s garden visits weren’t in CC papers but ended up in the “official” online one. It’s more of wait and see… it’s not posted online for Harry yet either.
I agree with you. Why are these people worshipped and praised for attending sport matches or spending 45 minutes at charity events? They are not doing anything more notable than celebrities or socialites. The tiaras and palaces really have people fooled that the royals are somehow more special than other people.
Yes, but remember their presence draws attention to the “cause”. L-O-L….
“The tiaras and palaces really have people fooled that the royals are somehow more special than other people.”
pretty much, if they had to stand on their own merit, very few of them could.
@ Melissa : Because too many people don’t think for themselves. This outfit is way too busy as usual.
If I could re-structure the royal family, I would only leave a skeleton crew on hand, only a very few BRF members would be allowed to live this over the top lifestyle and it would be : Prince William, Kate and their kids, Prince Harry, Meghan and their family, plus of course Prince Charles and Camilla.
The rest would have to get a job outside of the royal cocoon and buy their own homes.
I would also designate all of the palaces as museums and only one palace would be designated for all of the BRF members mentioned in my comment as a residence.
Each family would have an apartment for themselves within one palace.
The rest would not be residential and would be only used for museums and ceremonies.
The revenue collected would be used for fixing up these crumbling buildings.
Nice work if you can get it! It would also be nice if a BRF member went to support their women’s team at the World Cup game.
People would complain if William flew all the way to France just to watch football. KP did post a good luck video from William on Twitter.
Except usually those events are coupled with events where they meet participants in charity initiatives that are somehow related to the event, this was literally just watching matches.
No, it wasn’t. She went to the pratice courts to meet people nominated for the LTA awards, which are for people who work to develop grass roots tennis. She also met Andy Murray and Jo Konta before their games.
There’s too much of everything twee here. The buttons, the sleeve, the weird bow brooch, the swinging earrings, the belt. Less is more, Kate.
I’ve since learned that the bow is official for Wimbledon. If you leave on the bow, at least change out the belt to a plain one and lose the fussy clutch.
Agreed. It’s not a pretty dress. But good for Kate for heading into the cheap seats on Court 14 to support Harriet Dart. She rallied and won her first match at Wimbledon!
She was on Court 14 to watch Sports Aid Alumni Harriet Dart. Kate is a patron of Sports Aid. I like how she/KP are linking her engagements with her patronages, essentially hitting two birds with one stone. She did it yesterday when she invited children from the children’s charities she is the patron of to view her Back to Nature garden. Note to Kate and KP more of this, please.
Yeah, there’s a little too much going on. It’s not the worst but just, meh.
Hate the bows. Lose the bows and just a plain black leather belt would have looked much better. Actually love the dress form the waist down but the top is so dated – even if it was a row of single buttons it would be better!
It’s an offical Wimbledon pin.
https://whatkatewore.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Kate-William-Arrive-Wimbledon-July-16-2017-s-lock-i-Images-555-x-833.jpg
She’s worn it many times before, and you can see it on another lady in this picture too.
Is the belt an official Wimbledon pin too? Less is more. The dress looks frumpy. I wish she would go for something more simple if she’s going to wear the pin. It just makes sense. But Kate’s fashun has never clicked for me.
I wish she and Meghan would go together again. Talk about positive PR!
I know, right? It would have been awesome and would have shut the Daily Fail et al up if Meghan and Kate came together and giggled in the Royal box. It’s quite likely Meghan will show up for Serena’s match; I hope Kate is with her!
ITA, that would be really smart!
That would have been great since they did well together last year.
The bow is the same one she always wears to Wimbledon. Will wears the matching pattern/colors in tie form.
She looks good. The dress is appropriate.
KM’s granny style boggles my mind. She has a button fetish too. With her body she could wear anything & look great, but this is matronly & dated. 🤯🙄
I don’t read this as matronly because it’s actually pretty on trend right now, especially the volume in the sleeves.
Lexa I always have to wonder how much of this is a US/UK divide. Not sure where anyone else is but in the UK these sort of dresses are everywhere – what Americans consider “matronly”, most British women consider “appropriate day wear”. It’s not like Kate is scouring vintage shops for these, they are just the style here at the moment.
Magritte- I live in Britain, and think this looks incredibly dated, like something my mother would have worn in 1990. And I’m someone who has liked some of the classic coat and sheath dress looks she’s had in the past!!
…and the purse looks as if it was borrowed from Charlotte. Well, at least she’s consistent.
Pornstache in front of her is giving me the giggles.
Me too. Not his best look.
Haha, I just commented that I want to marry him, I think it really suits him.
Haha yes I instantly wondered, who is THAT guy???
Lovely buttons
I have to agree with the ladies who thumbs downed the bows. And the clutch person. In the pictures it looks awkward. While it’s is ok for the match I would like to see her in something a bit more relaxed. She looks stiff.
Kate’s dress looks my mother’s wedding gown from 1990…that’s not a compliment.
I don’t like empire waistlines paired with A-line skirts but that’s just me. I also think the bow belt is too American Girl.
She stole one of Maryellen’s outfits 🙂
It is very Kate. I hope she and Meghan attend one of the matches together.
The brooch is a Wimbledon brooch!
I can’t believe this is considered “work”—I Legitimately want to know how the royals are able to justify this as such (is it raising money for some charity? or awareness for something?). It’s no wonder ppl compare royals to celebrities, because showing up to places and being seen is a big part of their “work.”
A key difference between them and celebrities is that celebrities do actually work – most of them anyway. Acting, singing, modelling, high-profile athletes etc. all work to earn their keep and support their lifestyles. Being a celebrity is secondary.
Totally agree.
Is that Harry’s ex, Chelsy Davy (sp?) seated next to her?
No, it’s not. It’s a rising young British tennis player, her name is Katie Boulter.
Yes it is Chelsey Davy!
I was waiting to see if anyone was going to notice… 😀
That is tennis player Katie Boulter.
no, it’s not. the post says who is sitting next to her.
The dress is a mess. The sleeves, the bow, the buttons, the darts/pleats and the belt with the bow.
It is just not flattering on her.
I agree she could have put her hair in a ponytail…
The dress is so dated.
The collar, the buttons and how she stlyed her hair. She’s cosplaying 80’s Diana too often.
Meghan has worn a blue shirtdress on her trip to NZ and she managed to hit it off the park.
these long shirt dresses with buttons running the full length remind me of something a substitute kindergarten teacher would wear in 1992 but unfortunately they are back.
Her dress reminds me of Meghan’s Ascot dress from last year
Yes, it does.
Only Kate’s actually fits her
Meghan’s Ascot dress actually fit fine and looked elegant, but I’m sure you can’t stand anything she wears anyway. Typical of people like you.
“People like you”, hmmmm.
“People like you” really?? 🙄
Care to explain your “people like you” comment?
Yes, people who go after Meghan for every little thing while complaining how persecuted poor Kate is. I’ve seen enough of your comments to peg you as the Tumblr/GOMI type.
Meghan could see into the future, and copied Kate! (minus the hideous buttons, of course).
McQueen rolls over in his grave, 24/7. Lee was a visionary. The new designer, not so much.
Rolls over in his grave about another company’s dress?
I think she looks great, I’d totally wear a dress like this and don’t consider it stiff/frumpy/trying to copy the sainted Meghan.
No, it’s stiff and frumpy. No getting arpund that.
Lose the belt bow and I can actually get behind this. Nothing she can do about the Wimbledon bow brooch so I tend to ignore that when she wears it.
This dress reminds me a lot of Meghans black Emilia Wickstead. Thought it was a white version of it at first. I dont know what it is about it but it looks so frmupy on her.
That brooch is just too much with the belt. I would have ditched the belt
I hate to compare Kate and Meghan but I’m really starting to think she’s been admiring Meghan style this look is similar to what Meghan wore last year to Ascot
This! But I like Meghan’s styling better. Kate’s version is too busy with the bow belt and puffed sleeves. I don’t understand Kate’s twee choices that ruined what should have been a fluid, sophisticated look.
Meghan carries herself so well and has such good posture that she seems to look good in everything. She also seems to know what works and what doesn’t.
It just looks weird. Plus the purse she is carrying makes it look like she carrying a little girls lunchbox
I love the purse! It looks so cute!
Well, I thought that purse would look cute with one of Charlotte’s dresses.
Poor Kate. There’s bound to be a slew of articles about how wearing sunglasses is against protocol. And especially wearing them on top of her head! So common and vulgar!
Any minute now…
Hahaha! Good catch. But…of course there won’t be. Just add it to the long, long list of hypocritical and flat out bull$hit coverage of Meghan. It’s infuriating.
Keep waiting.
Saint Kate is perfect.😇
Kate’s happy because it’s sports and Kate loves sports and buttons!
She seems to be really coming into her own. Pics and vids from years ago showed a very different Kate. She’s at the age where she doesn’t care what people think…. Waity Kaity no more lol. She disliked that nickname apparently. FYI, that’s the Wimbledon badge and she fits in with the classic dress code.
Wow…..so much for not shaming women. Is there anything Kate could do that would keep her from the shredder you all seem to like sending her through? I find the dress lovely, bows, buttons and all and very appropriate for Wimbledon. I guess I just wonder how you all would feel if every time you stepped out of the house there was a panel of women judging you and the choices you made on clothing. Ding dang people.
1) This is Celebitchy for a reason.
2) There are plenty of sites that were created to do exactly what you complained about: judging what people wear. This is not unique to this site.
i’d be fine with a panel of women judging me on my clothing every time i left my house if it meant my house was a palace and my clothing costs thousands and i lived in luxury like kate. come on, this comes with the gig.
I feel like your complaint is a bit off for this particular thread as there are just as many people saying they like the dress as don’t like it. Also…is that really shaming to say you hate her outfit? I mean, of course you are entitled to your opinion, just that this seems like a strong word IMO, for the actual content of this thread.
I look forward to seeing this energy on threads about Meghan where her outfits are criticized. Somehow I doubt I will see the same post.
I love the dress! Could have done a different belt and done away with the brooch but she looks really happy and comfortable so good for her. Also LOL at Chelsy Davy. Daily Mail will probably spin it as meanie Kate and bitter ex Chelsy gossiping about Meghan.
That’s not Chelsy.
Oh poo. My dreams have been shattered lol she looks so much like her.
Crisp white for a tennis match — she looks fresh, and I like everything except the bow belt. It’s just too much with the her Wimbledon pin. I like her bag — it’s cute! I think a plain black belt would have been best and she would have nailed this look 100%.
Don’t like the black belt, it cuts the dress in half. Would have preferred a white belt to look more streamlined, especially if she’s wearing the pin. Other than that it’s a nice, cool, summery look and with Kate’s height she can pull off the longer skirt.
The original dress has a thin white belt and looks miles better IMO. I just don’t like all the black and white matchy-matchy with the shoes, black lining on the straw purse, black buttons, black belt.
Who is that guy in front of Kate with the mustache? I want to marry him
SO MANY BUTTONS. I wonder if it’s done on purpose to detract from how thin she’s become. The same thing happened to Diana when Charles’ infidelities became public.
She’s disappearing before our eyes. She’s crying out for help, maybe??
This was an ugly dress Meghan and an ugly dress on Kate. Dated and ill fitting.
So… was the custom-made Suzannah dress really customized so it had a black bow belt that matched Kate’s black bow Wimbledon pin? Wow that is taking themey-to a next level! Although it was just last Wimbledon that she wore that dress with a tennis ball like pattern….
It’s not a custom-made dress, it’s available to purchase on the website. Kate just wore it with a different belt with it. Personally I prefer the dress with it’s original belt.
The belt is McQueen, and we’ve seen it before, she’s just swapped out the one that came with the dress for a more up market one
Yes Tourmaline. She is cosplaying in tennis whites.
Carrying handbags is a thing she picked up recently from Meghan Markle. I find it a useless accessory for both women. Especially when theyre on walkabouts with these tiny purses that likely hold nothing and are out there shaking hands !
Not really, she’s always carried handbags…. look at PurseForum eg. they say it’s to keep hands occupied when standing and waiting. It makes sense to me.
Barftastic buttons
W&K don’t seem to have friends outside of royal circles? You’d think with their access, they could have such an amazing network of friends from the arts, sciences, politics, etc. Such an amazing life. And they could do so much, instead they just seem so so so boring but I guess it suits them. There’s just no real glamour to them…
Im not sure i follow your logic of lacking glamor and therefore not having friends? Is one a precursor to the other?
Having a network is very different from having *friends*. People you network with are not your friends, they’re acquaintances, People you are cordial with when you meet occasionally. Unless people consider acquaintances friends, Friends are usually made early on in life not when you’re almost hitting 40. Friends are intimate. Not relationships that you tap into for benefit. Its not impossible, but it is rare that friendships (not superficial friends) are established at that age. William and Kate do have a set of friends that have been with them from early on (if im not mistaken).
You’re right…what I meant is that glamour is more than what you wear, to me it’s how you think, live, what you care about, where you spend your time, do you have depth, empathy, curiosity. That could come from friends but also from activities, passions, interests. Who knows, maybe they do in their circle and in their family, but they just seem so insular and dull…particularly given their privileges and the responsibilities but also the opportunities that go with that.
Matron called – she wants her uniform back. Seriously, I’ve seen more stylish looking hospital staff. And the sleeves! The band is too tight so they keep riding up, forming an unfortunate droopy pouch. Also pouchy above the waist. Unbelievable, at that price.
I wore these dresses back in the 1990’s. I want to burn all of the photographic evidence I ever owned them.
Don’t ask about what I wore in the 1980’s. Cringe.
Kate really likes cosplay. This time it’s 90’s cosplay. At Ascot it was Edwardian cosplay.