Celebrations are in order as Catherine, Princess of Wales marks her 43rd birthday on Thursday, 9th January.
After a tumultuous year for the royal known warmly by many as Kate Middleton, the princess is set to enjoy the day at Adelaide Cottage, in Windsor with husband the Prince of Wales and their children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and six-year-old Prince Louis — a change, due to school term starting, from her usual day spent in the family’s Norfolk home, Anmer Hall.
While the past twelve months saw the princess take a step back from the public eye as she undertook chemotherapy treatment, on the occasions she did step out, she did so dressed gracefully as ever.
The Princess of Wales wore an Alexander McQueen coat for the ‘Together At Christmas’ Carol Service at Westminster Abbey, 2024 (Getty Images)
The Princess of Wales, of course, is no stranger to dressing up. Over the past two decades she has worn countless glamorous ball gowns, well proving that when faced with a formal occasion, she will rise to it with sophistication and not a little sparkle.
Such events range have ranged from London premieres — there was the black lace Temperley London gown she wore to the 2012 War Horse premiere, as well as the unforgettable gold glitter bomb dress by Jenny Packham which ricocheted across the internet after the No Time To Die James Bond world premiere in 2021 — to Royal Variety Performances, State Banquets and galas at the National Portrait Gallery, where she has been a patron since 2012.
The Princess of Wales wore Jenny Packham to the world premiere of No Time To Die, 2021 (Getty Images for EON Productions)
Over time, Catherine has developed a formula for such occasions which, predominantly relying on Packham as well as Alexander McQueen, designed by its former creative director Sarah Burton, who also made her wedding dress in 2011. Middleton’s most memorable looks have come thanks to shocks of colour, which in turn have dominated front pages — the shimmering, fuschia The Vampire’s Wife gown worn to a special reception hosted by the Governor General of Belize in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 was a highlight; so too was the neon green Solace London she wore to the Earthshot prize in Boston that same year.
The Princess of Wales wore The Vampire’s Wife to a special reception hosted by the Governor General of Belize for The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, 2022 (Getty Images)
Here are 43 of the Princess’s most fabulous looks:
Attending the ARK 10th Anniversary Gala Dinner at Perk’s Field, 2011 (Getty)
Attending the ‘BAFTA Brits to Watch’ event at the Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles, California, 2011 (Getty Images)
Attending a reception in aid of the National Memorial Arboretum Appeal at St James’s Palace, 2011 (Getty Images)
Attending the UK premiere of War Horse at Odeon Leicester Square, 2012 (Getty Images)
Attending ‘Our Greatest Team Rises -BOA Olympic Concert’ at the Royal Albert Hall, 2012 (Getty Images)
Attending the Tusk Conservation Awards at The Royal Society in London, 2013 (AFP/Getty Images)
Attending The Portrait Gala 2014: Collecting To Inspire at National Portrait Gallery, 2014 (Getty Images)
Attending a state banquet for Chinese President Xi Jinping at Buckingham Palace, 2015 (Getty Images)
Attending the world premiere of the James Bond film ‘Spectre’ at the Royal Albert Hall, 2015 (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Attending the 100 Women In Hedge Funds Gala Dinner In Aid Of The Art Room at the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2015 (Getty Images)
Attending a Charity Gala at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel during the royal visit to India and Bhutan, 2016 (Getty Images)
Attending The Art Fund Museum of the Year prize at the Natural History Museum, 2016 (Getty Images)
Attending the premiere of A Steet Cat Named Bob in London, 2016. (Getty Images)
Attending a reception at Government House on day three of a Royal Tour of Canada, 2016 (Getty Images)
Attending the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) at the Royal Albert Hall, 2017 (Getty Images)
Attending a dinner hosted by Her Majesty’s Ambassador to France, Edward Llewellyn, at the British Embassy in Paris, 2017 (Getty Images)
Attending the Portrait Gala at the National Portrait Gallery, 2017 (Getty Images)
Attending the opening night of the musical 42nd Street, at the Theatre Royal in London, 2017 (AFP/Getty Images)
Attending a reception dinner at the British Ambassador’s residence during day one of a Royal visit to Sweden and Norway, 2018 (Getty Images)
Attending an official dinner with Norway’s King Harald at the Royal Palace in Oslo, 2018 (NTB Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)
Attending the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) at the Royal Albert Hall, 2018 (Getty Images)
Attending a State Banquet with Rear Admiral Ludger Brummelaar at Buckingham Palace, 2018 (Getty Images)
Attending The Tusk Conservation Awards at Banqueting House, 2018 (Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)
Attending an evening reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps at Buckingham Palace, 2018 (Getty Images)
Attending the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) at Royal Albert Hall, 2019 (Getty Images)
Attending a Gala Dinner in aid of Mentally Healthy Schools at the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2019 (Getty Images)
Attending a special reception hosted by the British High Commissioner Thomas Drew, at the Pakistan National Monument, during day two of a royal tour of Pakistan, 2019 (Getty Images)
Attending the Royal Variety Performance at the Palladium Theatre, 2019 (Getty Images)
Attending an evening reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps at Buckingham Palace, 2019 (Getty Images)
Attending the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) at Royal Albert Hall, 2020 (Getty Images)
Hosting a Gala Dinner in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Place2Be at Buckingham Palace, 2020 (Getty Images)
Attending the World Premiere of No Time To Die at the Royal Albert Hall, 2021 (Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Attending a special reception hosted by the Governor General of Belize in celebration of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, 2022 (Getty Images)
Attending a state dinner at Kings House in Kingston, Jamaica, 2022 (AFP via Getty Images)
Attending the State Banquet for the President Of The Republic Of South Africa at Buckingham Palace, 2022 (Getty Images)
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Attending The Earthshot Prize 2022 at MGM Music Hall at Fenway, Boston, 2022 (Getty Images)
Attending a Diplomatic Corps reception at Buckingham Palace, 2022 (Getty Images)
Attending the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, 2023 (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Attending the State Banquet for Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee at Buckingham Palace, 2023 (Getty Images)
Attending an evening reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps at Buckingham Palace, 2023 (Getty Images)
Attending day fourteen of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships on July 14, 2024 (Getty Images)
Attending attend the “Together At Christmas” Carol Service” at Westminster Abbey, 2024 (AFP via Getty Images)