All the looks Kate Middleton has worn to Royal Ascot
Lydia Warren
- Kate Middleton wore a bright-red Alexander McQueen dress for her latest Royal Ascot appearance.
- In 2019 and 2022, she opted for elegant midi dresses covered with polka dots.
Every year, people wear their finest suits, dresses, and hats for Royal Ascot, a horse-racing event at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire, England.
The racecourse, which was founded in 1711 by Queen Anne, hosts members of the royal family for the event, but Kate Middleton had been married to Prince William for more than five years before she finally made her debut.
Since her inaugural appearance in 2016, she's been wearing elegant dresses, eye-catching hats, and heirloom jewelry. For this year's event, which was held from Tuesday to Saturday, she stepped out in her boldest Ascot look to date with a vivid red dress by Alexander McQueen.
Here's a look at Kate's Royal Ascot outfits, including her hats, throughout the years.
Kate Middleton wore a white lace Dolce & Gabbana dress in 2016 for her first Royal Ascot appearance.
She wore the A-line dress, which had a high neckline, long sleeves, and a full skirt, with nude pumps by Gianvito Rossi, a woven clutch bag by LK Bennett, and pearl drop earrings.
She previously wore the dress — which cost £3,450, according to a 2016 Vanity Fair report — just a month earlier, at the Windsor Horse Race, where she paired it with a red coat from Zara.
For her hat — a Royal Ascot must — she wore a woven design by Jane Taylor.
The royals sit in the Royal Enclosure at Ascot, and according to its ladies' dress code, "Hats must be worn." (There are hat requirements for men, too — they must wear morning suits that "include a black or grey top hat," according to the Royal Ascot website.)
In 2016, Kate wore a gold-hued hat with a large cream rose. It was designed by one of her favorite milliners, Jane Taylor.
The following year, she wore a similar white dress — this time by Alexander McQueen — that fell just below her knee.
"This year Kate made a return appearance, and ... if you thought you were in fact looking at a picture of her at last year's Royal Ascot, it would be understandable," wrote Vanity Fair's Josh Duboff in 2017, while noting that the latest dress had a higher neckline.
She accessorized the dress — which had a lace overlay reminiscent of her wedding gown — with suede nude Gianvito Rossi pumps and a Loeffler Randall clutch.
Her custom white hat was also similar to the 2016 design, although it had additional, delicate floral embellishments.
She also wore earrings reportedly borrowed from Queen Elizabeth II.
In 2019, she wore a sky-blue Elie Saab dress featuring velvet polka dots, sheer sleeves, and a large bow detail.
Known to recycle her best looks, Kate rewore this dress for a garden party at Buckingham Palace in March 2023.
She finished the look with a hat by royal favorite Philip Treacy.
Her topaz-and-diamond earrings were by Kiki McDonough.
In 2022, Kate wore a midi-length, polka-dot dress by Alessandra Rich.
Beyond the polka dots, her 2022 outfit shared other elements with her 2019 look, from the cuff sleeves and fitted waist to the high neckline. This dress also had a pleated design across the chest.
She paired it with brown pumps and a brown clutch.
She also wore a saucer-style hat by Sally-Ann Provan and a pair of diamond-and-pearl earrings that had once belonged to Princess Diana.
Diana wore the South-Sea pearl earrings to multiple events throughout the 1990s, People magazine reported. Kate first publicly wore the earrings at the 2019 BAFTAs, Insider's Talia Lakritz reported.
Kate's brown hat by Sally-Ann Provan — another favorite milliner of the royals — featured white orchid embellishments.
This year, she stood out in a bold red dress by Alexander McQueen.
Kate's dress featured a V-neckline, a belted waist, and long sleeves with a slight puff. She wore coordinating red heels by Jennifer Chamandi.
Her coordinating hat by Philip Treacy featured large flowers, keeping with her floral-hat theme.
She finished the look with a pair of black-and-gold earrings by Sézane, a departure from the heirloom jewelry she's worn to the event in the past.
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