Kate Middleton's Fashion Throwback Is A Heartbreaking Reminder Of Her Tough Year

Over the years, Catherine, Princess of Wales, has been known to repeat many of her gorgeous royal looks. Whether her outfit is dressy or more casual, Kate's consistently emphasized environmentally-conscious fashion. In addition, with each of these re-wears, viewers often take a look back at the various events surrounding Kate's outfit. Even when she's not recycling a look, Kate doesn't hesitate to stick with her favorite patterns and styles.

On August 12, 2024, Catherine and William, Prince of Wales, appeared in a video montage to salute the U.K.'s Olympic athletes. While William's beard stole the spotlight, discerning viewers may have noticed that Kate's white shirt with dark stripes looked familiar. Back in March, the princess wore a very similar outfit when she delivered a moving video message announcing her cancer diagnosis. 

Both the striped tee and the sweater have been worn by Kate on numerous occasions. Made by Erdem, the warmth of the cashmere sweater Kate wore in March was ideally suited to the video's outdoor location. In contrast, the lighter-weight striped tee from the Olympic video had a lower boatneck rather than a crewneck and lacked the ribbed cuffs at the ends of the sleeves. Made by Ralph Lauren, Kate's had this shirt for over a decade. To add to the similarities between these pieces, Kate's paired them both with dark blazers to provide a distinctly polished, professional look when she re-wears her stripey favorites for other royal appearances..

The Ralph Lauren shirt and the Erdem sweater are far from being the only striped pieces that Catherine, Princess of Wales, owns. Since she's committed to sustainable style, Kate leans into enduring patterns. The princess' collection predominantly includes stripes in blue, navy, black, and white. In particular, the blue and white striped pattern is known as a Breton stripe, and, over a hundred years ago, Coco Chanel was instrumental in elevating its fashion status.

Besides being stylish, stripes also convey a down-to-Earth vibe and Kate's worn her various striped shirts for multiple sporty events, like the recent Olympics tribute video. In addition, the princess has demonstrated that her wardrobe decisions have a lot of thought behind them, including her reliance on stripes. "It's become a uniform for her which means when she wears it she'll instantly feel confident and at ease especially through difficult times," explained Clemmie Fieldsend, fashion editor for The Sun.

Understandably, the princess has made fewer public appearances this year as she's focused on her health. However, when she does appear, beyond patterns, Kate's also conveyed meaning with her color choices. For instance, when she attended Wimbledon in July 2024, the princess wore a brilliant purple dress which was believed to be emblematic of her cancer diagnosis. Speaking to People, Bethan Holt, the Daily Telegraph's Fashion Director, observed that the hue was "the color of courage, which could be a nod to what she is going through."