The Princess of Wales wore a baby blue Catherine Walker coat dress to Trooping the Colour 2026 on Saturday, June 13, in London, choosing a look that closely mirrored a Catherine Walker design Princess Diana wore to the same ceremony in 1987. Princess Catherine paired the couture coat dress with a matching Philip Treacy hat for the annual military parade marking the British monarch’s official birthday.
The choice marks the second consecutive year that the Princess of Wales has selected Catherine Walker for the high-profile royal event, reinforcing the house as her go-to label for ceremonial dressing.
The Look: Catherine Walker Lafayette in Baby Blue
Catherine designed the appearance around the house’s “Lafayette” coat dress, a hand-crafted couture piece in soft baby blue. White contrast piping traced the lapels and pockets, a detail of precision tailoring that defines the Lafayette silhouette.
She topped the look with a pastel blue Philip Treacy hat and added Cassandra Goad flower-shaped pearl earrings. On her lapel she wore the Irish Guards Regimental Brooch, reflecting her role as Colonel of the Irish Guards. Her hair was styled in an updo, with a white dress visible beneath the coat.
“An impeccably tailored, hand-crafted couture coat dress defined by precision, every line deliberate, every seam exacting, a statement of quiet authority and timeless sophistication.” Catherine Walker & Co. on the Lafayette coat
The Diana Tribute: An Almost Identical 1987 Look
The styling read as a deliberate homage to Princess Diana. In 1987, Diana wore a near-identical Catherine Walker coat dress in the same soft blue shade, with the same white contrast trim and similar pocket details.
Catherine Walker designed more than 1,000 pieces for Diana across a 16-year working relationship that ran from 1981 until the Princess’s death in 1997. The fashionable coat dress, a silhouette Walker pioneered in the 1980s, has since become shorthand for elegant royal daytime dressing. Princess Catherine’s choice extends that lineage across two generations of the title.
Catherine Walker: The Royal Couturier Behind Both Looks
Catherine Walker was a French-born couturiere who opened her Chelsea studio in 1977. She never showed on a catwalk, working strictly couture by appointment, and was named Couture Designer of the Year at the 1990 British Fashion Awards.
Walker died in 2010, and her husband, Said Cyrus, now runs the business. The house keeps a deliberately low public profile compared with the showmanship of Chanel Métiers d’Art 2026 London launch or the packed schedule at Paris Haute Couture Fall 2026. That by-appointment exclusivity is exactly why both Princesses of Wales return to it.
The Ceremony: June 13, 2026
The 2026 Trooping the Colour drew more than 1,400 soldiers and over 400 musicians to central London. The weather cooperated for the first time in years, a welcome change after recent rain-soaked editions.
Prince William rode on horseback in his Welsh Guards ceremonial uniform. The Princess of Wales traveled by carriage with the couple’s three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. The appearance followed a busy public stretch for Catherine, including Kate Middleton’s Roland Mouret look at the Peter Phillips royal wedding earlier this season.
King Charles 2026 Birthday Honours: Fashion Industry Recognized
The King’s 2026 Birthday Honours list, published the same morning, put the fashion and beauty industries front and center. Charlotte Tilbury was awarded a CBE for services to British beauty, and Sandra Choi, creative director of Jimmy Choo, received an OBE for services to fashion. Clare Hornby, founder of Me+Em, was also honored.
The timing tied a single day of royal ceremony directly to British fashion’s commercial heavyweights. It capped a strong month for the UK industry, which also saw bespoke moments like Dua Lipa’s custom Schiaparelli couture at her London wedding and the Manolo Blahnik x Emilia Wickstead capsule at Net-a-Porter.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the Princess of Wales wear to Trooping the Colour 2026?
She wore the Catherine Walker “Lafayette” coat dress in baby blue with white contrast piping, a matching Philip Treacy hat, Cassandra Goad pearl earrings and the Irish Guards Regimental Brooch.
How did the look connect to Princess Diana?
Princess Diana wore an almost identical Catherine Walker coat dress in the same blue shade with matching white trim to Trooping the Colour in 1987, making Catherine’s 2026 choice a clear tribute.
Who designs for the Princess of Wales?
Catherine Walker & Co., the Chelsea couture house founded in 1977, remains a favored label. It is now run by Said Cyrus following founder Catherine Walker’s death in 2010.
For more from this week’s biggest red carpets and royal appearances, see our roundup of the Tribeca Festival 2026 best dressed. Subscribe to the FloraDress newsletter for breaking royal and runway news delivered every morning.
