The Princess of Wales has impressed royal fans with her beautifully understated mourning looks, complete with poignant nods to the late Queen in her choice of accessories. But did you notice her coat?
PHOTOS: 10 poignant photos of the royals in mourning dress
On Thursday, the 40-year-old royal looked elegant in a Dolce & Gabbana coat during her first official royal engagement following the late monarch's state funeral. Princess Kate and Prince William paid a visit to Windsor Guildhall, meeting volunteers and operational staff to thank them for their involvement in the Queen's committal service held in the grounds of Windsor Castle. All eyes were on Princess Kate in her gold button-down coat – a choice that was actually carefully curated.
WATCH: The Prince and Princess of Wales make special trip to Windsor
The mother-of-three previously wore her favourite 'Black Collarless Long Coat' for her first public engagement following Prince Philip's funeral in April 2021, joining her husband at an air cadet centre. She teamed the jacket with suede Tod's pumps with a chunky block heel and a simple Mulberry clutch at the time.
MORE: Supernanny reacts to Prince William and Princess Kate's 'careful' parenting at Queen's funeral
This week's look was a touch more glamorous, with Kate opting for her go-to Gianvito Rossi 'Gianvito 105' black suede pumps and her Annoushka 'Baroque Pearl Drops' earrings.
The Princess of Wales wore her Dolce & Gabbana coat following the Queen's funeral
The Princess of Wales often reaches for her D&G coat to mark sombre occasions, having memorably worn it on Remembrance Sunday back in 2017, and the decision to wear it again this week - as pointed out by twitter account @windsorwatcher - was no doubt intentional.
The royal family are well known for using their clothing to portray a message, and that doesn't change when they are mourning a loss.
Princess Kate also chose the coat after Prince Philip's funeral
In fact, royals follow a number of traditions out of respect for those that have passed - famously, Queen Victoria spent 40 years wearing black in tribute to her late husband Prince Albert as an outward sign of her grief.
RELATED: Princess Charlotte debuts formal hat for the first time at Queen's funeral
She also accessorised with either black or colourless jewellery, including pearls, which were thought to represent tears.
To this day, the tradition of wearing pearl jewellery during the period of mourning is one that royal ladies still adhere to.
Like this story? Sign up to The Royal Life newsletter to get your weekly dose of royal lifestyle inspiration, from the must-see fashion moments to sneak peeks into royal homes and wellness news.