Kate Middleton's Obsession with Bows This Year Has a Symbolic Meaning

Mar. 15, 2025

Kate Middletonhas been embracing bows in her wardrobe this year, and it certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Since stepping out atTrooping the Colourin June — her first appearance afterannouncing her cancer diagnosisin March — Kate has chosen to add a feminine bow of varying size, color and fabric to her looks this year. And the royal-approved styling hack is as chic as it is clever.

“Over the last year, the bow is the one accessory that she’s repeatedly added and it’s totally transformed previous outfits into something that looks quite different,” Bethan Holt, fashion director at theTelegraph,tells PEOPLE, adding of herMy Fair Lady-inspired look for the annual military parade: “It was a safe option but she had fun with it, upcycling it with the bow.”

The white dress with black trim fromJenny Packhamthat Kate previously wore to a pre-coronation lunch last May was upcycled into a very different look with a simple, jaunty striped statement bow on the neckline.

“It was a piece she already had in her wardrobe and she clearly felt very comfortable in it,” adds Holt.

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales attends the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph on Whitehall in central London, on November 10, 2024.TOBY MELVILLE/POOL/AFP via Getty

TOBY MELVILLE/POOL/AFP via Getty

“I think bows are a bit of a perennial in lots of ways, but there is definitely a bow trend at the moment and she’s doing it in her own way,” says Holt, who notes that while Kate didn’t accompanyPrince Williamto theEarthshot Prize Awards in South Africain November (where sustainable fashion was a big theme), upcycling with the addition of a simple bow is a clever way to send a more serious message.

“I think she is trying a more sustainable way of dressing. She already has a vast and extensive wardrobe, so why shouldn’t she be looking for ways to take existing pieces and re-imagine them?” says Holt, author ofThe Duchess of Cambridge: A Decade of Modern Royal Style, adding: “And a bow is a very democratic, universal way to do that.”

And the royal proves it can be budget-conscious too. To host her annualChristmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey earlier this monthshe fastened a$25 velvet bow from the British retailer Jigsaw(for whom she used to work) onto her much-loved redAlexander McQueencoat.

Kate Middleton hosting her annual Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey on Dec. 6, 2024.ISABEL INFANTES/POOL/AFP via Getty

ISABEL INFANTES/POOL/AFP via Getty

“I think it also nods to William’s message about sustainability and his Earthshot project. He went to South Africa and did this whole week of wearing sustainable clothes and really making a big point of it, whereas this is a really relatable way of sending the same message, ie: wear what you already own and add one small thing to transform the look,” says Holt.

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There does seem to be a softer, feminine theme emerging in her style choices this year that may or may not be intentional.

“We haven’t seen much of her for obvious reasons, but in the few glimpses we have seen, she has really gone back to a very authentic Kate — a sense of her being true to who she really is," Holt says.

source: people.com