The royal reached into the back of her closet during an outing in Wales, repurposing a tweed jacket that she previously wore in 2007
Kate Middleton is the queen of recycled outfits, but her latest look was nearly two decades in the making.
Princess Kate and Prince William made their second joint outing of the year on Feb. 26, visiting Wales ahead of St. David’s Day. While the Princess of Wales arrived in Pontypridd sporting a vibrant red coat, continuing her tradition of flag dressing by representing one of the colors in the Welsh flag, she later changed into a brown tweed jacket reportedly by Ralph Lauren — a piece that’s been in her wardrobe for at least 18 years.
For their stop at the Meadow Street Community Garden and Woodland, Kate, 43, changed into the tweed coat, pairing it with a midi skirt and black turtleneck sweater. Royal fans realized that the jacket was the same one that she wore on March 13, 2007, at the Cheltenham Horse Racing Festival. Nearly 20 years ago, Kate paired the jacket with a matching skirt and sunglasses for the day at the racecourse with Prince William…four years before they married!
Her latest sustainable fashion statement comes shortly after Kensington Palace released a rare statement regarding Princess Kate’s style. After a Feb. 1 Sunday Times article titled “Princess of Wales: Focus on my work, not my wardrobe,” several op-eds criticized the notion that the royal’s style should be downplayed, emphasizing the vital role it plays in shining a spotlight on British designers and boosting the country’s fashion industry.
A palace spokesperson responded with a statement to PEOPLE: “Over the last week, I have received numerous questions about a story regarding The Princess of Wales’s clothing and how Kensington Palace shares information about her outfits. To clarify, the comments that appeared in the article were from me, not The Princess of Wales. The comments that were reported should not be directly attributed to The Princess of Wales. To be clear, there has been no change in our approach to sharing information about Her Royal Highness’s clothing.”
Susan Kelley, the founder of the first-ever style blog dedicated to Kate’s clothing choices, told PEOPLE, “It’s understandable that the Princess would like the emphasis to be on her work and not her fashion, and that’s a conundrum many women face, especially women in high-profile positions.”
However, Kelley said she has no sense of concern from the style blogging community, who identify Princess Kate’s outfits without any assistance from the palace.
“The reality is that people have an interest in the Princess’ style, and that is not something Kensington Palace or anyone else can control,” she explained. “People are going to seek out the information by various means.”
Princess Kate has long been known for her tendency to recycle previous ensembles, sometimes many years apart.
Perhaps the items that have been in her royal closet the longest are the brown leather boots from British brand Penelope Chilvers, which she purchased in 2004 and has worn on numerous occasions since, including a five-hour hike in the Himalayas during a 2016 royal tour to Bhutan. The shoes are so synonymous with Kate that they even appeared in the final season of The Crown!
“I’m delighted that these boots, designed to last a lifetime, have been worn by someone who lives by the same ethos as I do for my brand,” Chilvers told PEOPLE in 2023.
Even evening gowns get the rewear treatment from Princess Kate, like the lilac floor-length dress by Alexander McQueen that Kate wore during her 2011 visit to Los Angeles as well as a decade later to the inaugural Earthshot Prize awards. The royal has also upcycled old dresses, like the white Grecian-inspired Alexander McQueen dress that she wore to the BAFTA Film Awards in both 2019 and 2023 with some different styling and details.
The Prince and Princess of Wales took the train to Pontypridd, where they were put to work at The Welsh Cake Shop. The couple donned aprons as shop owner Theresa Conner showed them how to make traditional Welsh cake, with Kate and William kneading and cutting the dough.
Although Prince William was heard joking, “You’ll have to sell these for half price,” Conner seemed impressed with their baking abilities: “I should have roped them in to help with St. David’s Day while I had the opportunity!” she tells PEOPLE.
The couple then spoke to local business owners at the Fountain Café to hear how recent floods had impacted them.
At the Meadow Street Community Garden and Woodland — established in January 2021 to create an open space that welcomes the community to try gardening, woodwork, weaving and more — William and Kate were told how large parts of the site were disrupted again after the floods of December 2024. The garden promotes the benefits of nature while also helping to build resilience within individuals and forge connections between people.
