The Prince and Princess of Wales attend the second annual Earthshot Prize awards ceremony (Ian Vogler /Daily Mirror/PA)
(Picture: PA Wire)The Prince and Princess of Wales arrived in Boston on Wednesday (November 30), as part of a three-day trip to the city.
It’s their first visit to the US since travelling to New York in 2014 as relative newlyweds. Then, they mingled with LeBron James and rubbed shoulders with Hollywood royalty like Jay Z and Beyoncé. This time they’re in Boston to present the Earthshot Prize Awards, Prince William’s environmental initiative which culminates in a star-studded ceremony on Friday night.
Eight years on from the last time they were stateside, a lot has changed for the two royals. They’re now the Prince and Princess of Wales first and foremost, not the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, they have three children, have been rocked by several royal scandals, and dealt with two monumental family losses.
They’ve evolved into senior members of the royal family and the Princess of Wales’s carefully selected fashion represents their elevated status within the monarchy. In 2014, Kate was seen wearing a grey Tory Burch coat with a belted neckline, paired with fitted black trousers and black pumps. It was, for all intents and purposes, the royal equivalent of jeans and a nice top.
The Princess of Wales has refined her style in the years since her last visit to the States. Tory Burch has turned into Alexander McQueen, and Reiss skirts have been replaced with Burberry dresses and Balenciaga earrings. Sure, she’s not quite entered Loewe breastplate and Crocs heels “fashun” territory, but she is branching out and classing up.
So far, as you might expect, Kate has championed British brands on her trip to Boston. On arrival in the city, she was seen wearing a deep-plum Alexander McQueen trouser suit, complemented with double-drop sapphire and diamond earrings, which used to belong to mother-in-law Princess Diana.
Later that evening, she stepped into a structured tartan midi dress by Burberry, paired with a Mulberry handbag, suede moss-green pumps, and — a Kate classic — drop-pearl earrings from Shyla London. The couple then braced the cold to kick off the Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony countdown by lighting up Boston landmarks green, the princess wrapped up in a pine-green Alexander McQueen coat with gently puffed shoulders.
Kate has had a well-documented love for Alexander McQueen, ever since creative director Sarah Burton designed her wedding dress in 2011, and some of her most memorable looks have been McQueen: the ethereal 40th birthday portrait dress, her 2011, 2017, and 2019 Bafta gowns. and a blush-pink look for sister Pippa’s wedding were all McQueen.
For the Boston Celtics basketball game, Kate stepped away from her British brand loyalty and turned to the French, choosing a vintage Chanel blazer to go with her black trousers and pumps.
On day two, the Princess sported another killer trouser suit, this time designed by Roland Mouret in a more colourful wine-red, with a blush pink pussybow blouse underneath.
She revealed a second-helping of Chanel was stowed away in her suitcase: a classic Chanel top-handle bag in burgundy shade to match the suit.
Next, for a freezing trip to Boston harbour in baltic temperatures, the royals wrapped up in their overcoats - giving Kate an opportunity to whip out another Alexander McQueen number, this time a full-length, double breasted brown coat.
Peeking out from underneath was a pop of colour in her high neck knitwear and skirt by Gabriela Hearst, offering some blood orange to balance out the brown.
The visit to Boston harbour came just hours after Harry and Meghan released the trailer for their “unprecedented and in-depth” tell-all Netflix documentary, threatening to rock the Royal Family with even more bombshells. However, Kate and Will appeared all smiles as they walked side by side with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Reverend Mariama White-Hammond, chatting about climate innovation.
Kate’s sartorial messaging culminated at the Earthshot Prize ceremony where she took to the green carpet in a Solace London dress she rented from Hurr for £74. She gave the column gown a regal touch with a green choker-style necklace which had belonged to Princess Diana.
Click through the gallery above to see the best of the Princess of Wales’s looks from the Boston tour.
