One of the mysteries left over from the coronation of King Charles last Saturday, May 6, 2023, was the beautiful dress Kate Middleton wore for the ceremony. This outfit, designed by Alexander McQueen, the same fashion firm that dressed her at her wedding, became the center of debate on social media for a particular detail.
With the publication of the official photos, we could better appreciate the design worn by the Princess of Wales. Kate wore a white dress with silver embroidery and designs on the sleeves, neckline, and bottom of the dress. Thanks to the image we see it in full.
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Kate Middleton’s coronation outfit
However, there are several details that do not add up and are a mystery. For example, in the dress that Kate wore during the morning you can see that the neckline is closed, and round and does not show the imposing festoon necklace that belonged to Queen Elizabeth II, but the dress seen in the official portrait has a V-neckline and the necklace is visible.
There are several theories that explain what happened. The first one is that there are in fact two dresses, one for the ceremony and the other for the official portrait. Another theory points out that the design allowed the dress to be worn both with the front V-neckline and with a closed neckline, as we saw at Westminster.
And the third, and perhaps most logical, is that she wore another closed cape under the Royal Victorian Order that she wore in the morning. This was presumably worn to protect the dress from possible damage caused by the Victorian Order cape.
The clasps are composed, among other materials, of wire, so it would have been easy for them to scratch the delicate silk crepe from which the dress worn by the princess is made.
George VI Festoon necklace
One of the tributes to Queen Elizabeth II during Charles’ coronation is the necklace Kate Middleton wore at the ceremony. Specifically: the Festoon necklace.
The history of this piece of jewelry is very special since it is a necklace that King George VI had commissioned to design for his daughter, the then Princess Elizabeth in 1950. The jewel was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth II and she wore it on many occasions. It is composed of three rows of stunning diamonds.
