The Princess of Wales switched up the annual tradition of sharing a new portrait to mark her birthday. On 9 January, the wife of Prince William marked her 44th birthday by taking to social media with a new video to wrap up her Mother Nature series, which has involved her narrating a video for each of the four seasons.
Kate’s poignant video saw her revive an accessory that she first wore 19 years ago to the 2007 Cheltenham Festival – a brown and blue paisley cashmere scarf by Katherine Hooker. This outing was a solo one as her then-boyfriend, Prince William, was not in attendance. However, Princess Anne and her daughter, Zara Tindall , both made an appearance at the equestrian event.
Kate rewears her It-girl accessory
© Kensington Palace / Will WarrKate wore a green trench coat and Baker Boy cap with the throwback scarf
In her birthday video, the princess wore the scarf by Katherine Hooker with her Barbour x Alexa Chung ‘Elfie’ jacket with her Iris & Ink ‘Eloise’ jumper underneath. She added Penelope Chilvers’ ‘Long Tassel Boots in Conker’ and a baker boy hat by The House of Bruar to round the look off.
© GettyPrince William’s then-girlfriend Kate Middleton attended the final day of Cheltenham Festival on 16 March 2007
Meanwhile, for a day at the races 19 years ago, a then-25-year-old Kate, who worked as an accessories buyer for the fashion retailer Jigsaw during that year, styled the scarf with a pale blue tweed blazer, also by Katherine Hooker, with a brown swishy skirt, beret-style hat, knee-high boots, and shoulder bag – very noughties.
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© Ryan Jenkinson / Kensington PalaThe Princess of Wales and Prince William visited Charing Cross Hospital
For her monochrome moment, Kate chose the colour of the season – burgundy. Constance Richardson, a London-based stylist specialising in colour analysis, spoke exclusively to us previously about the symbolism behind burgundy. She explained: “It suggests depth, maturity and opulence. It’s a sophisticated alternative to classic red, especially for autumn and winter appearances.”
© Ryan Jenkinson / Kensington PalaPrince William and Princess Kate spoke with patients and volunteers during their visit
During this poignant outing, the princess, who underwent preventative chemotherapy for cancer in 2024, bonded with a volunteer who worked with chemotherapy patients. The volunteer told them how patients and visitors are there “for hours”. Kate, whose cancer is in remission, said: “I know”, before touching William’s arm next to her and saying: “We know.”