Kate Middleton Is Re-Embracing Her Pantsuit Era—and Here’s Why

Princess Kate kicked off February by making her second surprise royal visit in a week—and she brought back a somewhat controversial look in the process.

The Princess of Wales joined a group of school children for a trip to the National Portrait Gallery in London, wearing an oversized brown blazer with charcoal pinstriped pants to launch one of her new early childhood initiatives. What makes the outfit noteworthy, however, is it comes on the heels of an announcement from the palace that they wouldn't be focusing on her wardrobe moving forward.

Kate celebrated a new project from The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood at the museum, an interactive trail designed to get kids "to use and develop different social and emotional skills" as they travel through the gallery. While she leaned heavily into trouser suits in 2023, Kate has been relying on more of a traditional royal wardrobe of dresses and tailored coats over the past year—until Tuesday.

The princess was back to businesswear for her day at the museum, mixing shades of brown, black and gray by wearing a Petar Petrov blazer with a basic black turtleneck and her striped trousers. She went with simple gold accessories, choosing an old pair of Sezane hoops and one of her go-to Halcyon Days bangles. Kate could have been any woman going to the office in the neutral look, but that seems to be the point.

As every Marie Claire woman knows, style and substance can coexist. But according to the Times, Princess Kate does not want the public to focus on her outfits, and Kensington Palace will no longer offer information about her looks to the press.

"There is an absolute feeling that it [the public work] is not about what the princess is wearing," a palace source told the outlet. "She wants the focus to be on the really important issues, the people and the causes she is spotlighting."

The insider continued that "there will always be an appreciation of what the princess is wearing from some of the public and she gets that. But do we need to be officially always saying what she is wearing? No."

In January, I spoke to royal fashion experts Susan Kelley and Christine Ross about what the Princess of Wales might wear this year. As Ross pointed out, Kate "was clearly trying to send a message that she means business, and her work was her top priority" when she wore a parade of trouser suits in 2023.

However, the Princess Project newsletter author shared that "readers and royal watchers started to lose interest as the events blended into one colorful blur. Articles got less clicks, posts received fewer views, and then the charities and programs she was working with didn’t see a successful boost."

While it seems unlikely the Princess of Wales will "return to the 'all trouser suits, all the time' sort of shift," as Kelley said, the move to a more corporate outfit in the wake of the Times piece hardly seems accidental. However, considering the impact Kate has made on the fashion industry—especially British brands—her style choices continue to hold significant economic and cultural weight.