Kate Middleton's Trooping The Colour 2024 Look Sends Secret Message About Her Return

Kate Middleton appeared to send more than one secret message about her return to public life during her much anticipated Trooping the Colour appearance in London on June 15, 2024. Stepping out for a big event for the first time since breaking the news of her cancer diagnosis, one of her most obvious subliminal messages came via the color of her dress — an elegant white Jenny Packham ensemble with black accents. White represents the likes of hope, honesty, and purity, and after the difficult few months Kate has endured, it made the perfect shade for her first big step back into public life to tell the world how she was feeling. The dress also had a nautical feel, not too dissimilar to the navy dress Princess Charlotte wore for the occasion. Charlotte's dress featured a white bow and trim, tying the twosome's outfits together to represent a united family.

White has also been a favorite of other royals at past Trooping of the Colour parades because of its appearance on the Union Jack flag. Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh (the wife of Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, brother of King Charles), wore white in 2023. At the time, Susie Nelson, Modes and More founder, told Express, "White is one of the three patriotic colours, others being red and blue, and would therefore be a suitable choice for a working royal at this event." Kate was likely showing her continued dedication to the British public by choosing the color this year after not being seen for the while.

Another way Kate Middleton may have been sending a hidden message to her fans via her Trooping the Color outfit? By wearing pieces we've seen her in before. Kate's look harkened back to the days before she made her cancer treatment public, as she previously wore the dress for an event at Buckingham Palace in 2023 without the large bow across her collar. We know Kate is a pro at re-wearing her royal looks, but her decision to wear something she already owned, especially knowing how much she'd be photographed, is likely a nod to the past and the fact she's still the eco-conscious woman royal watchers know and love, who isn't planning on breaking tradition anytime soon. By giving the public something familiar, Kate was likely looking to give the world, and (maybe even herself) a little comfort, too.

However, it wasn't only her dress we've seen before. Kate opted to wear a pair of gorgeous pearl earrings she's sported multiple times before. The royal wowed in them for the first time all the way back 2018 during Prince Louis' christening, and we love that Kate was clearly keeping her children (who also attended the event) close to her in such a sentimental way. The other accessory with a sweet, sentimental meaning was her Irish Guards Regimental Brooch, which represented her holding the title of Colonel of the Irish Guards (which used to belong to William, Prince of Wales).