All Of Kate Middleton's Trooping The Colour Looks Over The Years

Each year since the 18th century, the British royal family and their subjects have gathered on a Saturday in June to celebrate the monarch's birthday with the Trooping the Colour ceremony. The event began as a way to celebrate a bygone military practice when King Charles II was on the throne, but in 1748, the event was used as a birthday party of sorts for King George II. Eventually, it was celebrated annually when King George III ascended the throne in 1760, with every subsequent monarch following suit. Interestingly, most British monarchs who've celebrated their birthday at Trooping the Colour were not actually born in June, though a few were.

Actual dates of birth aside, Trooping the Colour is a major event in the royal social calendar. It's accompanied by much fanfare and steeped in tradition, and the public looks forward to it just as much as the royals as they're included in the celebrations. The public are welcome to watch the parade as well as the soldiers' performance. 

Another exciting element of Trooping the Colour for those who don't live in England is the fashion. Each year, the Windsor women show up and show off, wearing quintessentially British ensembles that inevitably draw attention. Since 2011, the general population has been blessed by Princess Catherine's fashion choices for the event. Here are all of the Princess of Wales' Trooping the Colour looks over the years.

Princess Catherine is subject to scrutiny everywhere she goes, and she's careful to avoid needless criticism by paying close attention to what she wears at annual events. For example, since she wore ivory to Trooping the Colour in 2011, she switched things up for the second time attending the celebration. In 2012, Catherine wore a custom baby blue Erdem ensemble, replete with a matching fascinator.

While Princess Catherine was sure not to repeat an outfit, Queen Elizabeth II wore the same bright yellow Angela Kelly dress that she donned for Catherine and Prince William's wedding the previous year. Although the royal family doesn't typically re-wear outfits to the same event, they are known to recycle some of their favorites for other occasions. Queen Elizabeth was likely a little preoccupied just before the 2012 Trooping the Colour as her husband, Prince Philip, was recovering from a recent hospitalization for a bladder infection.

Princess Catherine has a longstanding relationship with the British design house Alexander McQueen. Many of her most famous looks have been McQueen, including her wedding dress, which was designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen. "Miss Middleton chose British brand Alexander McQueen for the beauty of its craftsmanship," a royal representative said in a statement, as reported by the Daily Mail. Being asked to design the princess' wedding dress was a major honor, and Burton took the assignment so seriously that she even refrained from telling her mother about it until the public knew. "Even my mum called me and asked me: 'You would tell me, wouldn't you?'" Burton later said.

Princess Catherine's affinity for McQueen's fashion has never waned as she's donned the designer on multiple important occasions since her wedding. In 2014, the duchess wore another striking Alexander McQueen look for Trooping the Colour. Her ensemble was a gray two-piece set featuring a jacket with clasps along the front and a skirt, which she paired with a matching hat and drop earrings. By 2014, Princess Catherine had established somewhat of a uniform for herself for Trooping the Colour. Onlookers were curious to learn whether there would be a Prince George sighting that year, but since the future monarch had not yet turned one, Catherine and William chose to keep him at home for the event.

Early on in her Trooping the Colour history, Princess Catherine established a uniform for herself. One important aspect of that uniform is a hat. Hats are common accessories at many events Catherine attends, especially the more formal events. As fashion editor Hilary Alexander put it, "When it comes to a special occasion in British society, the special occasion is not complete without a hat (via ABC News). "It's part of the social fabric. For most people, the hat is quite serious and frivolous at the same time. It completes the outfit and it's a finishing touch." Some of Catherine's best hat moments have been at Trooping the Colour, like in 2016. That year, the duchess wore a Philip Treacy hat with a large rose appliqué underneath the brim. The hat made a major statement, even against her Alexander McQueen ensemble.

However, Princess Catherine does not reserve hats for Trooping the Colour. The duchess wears them for almost all formal events (unless she's wearing a tiara), as it's part of longstanding British etiquette. "Up until the 1950s ladies were very seldom seen without a hat as it was not considered 'the thing' for ladies to show their hair in public," said etiquette expert Diana Mather (via the BBC). "But all that has changed and hats are now reserved for more formal occasions."

The year 2018 proved to be another monochromatic year for Princess Catherine at Trooping the Colour. The Duchess of Cambridge once again wore an Alexander McQueen dress, this time in an icy blue, and paired it with an even more exaggerated fascinator than she's worn to the event in the past. Like usual, Catherine kept her jewelry choices simple and elegant, pairing a necklace and earrings with her stunning sapphire engagement ring.

The 2018 Trooping the Colour was memorable for the royal family as it was the first time Meghan Markle attended the event. Meghan's presence made the event stand out for the public, too, as it was the first time in many years that two prominent, young, stylish duchesses were at Trooping the Colour. 

Fashion fans were particularly excited to see what Meghan would wear. The Duchess of Sussex donned a peach dress made by Carolina Herrera, surprising some with her understated color choice, though wearing muted tones became her signature look throughout her time in the firm. Years later, on the Netflix series "Harry & Meghan," the former senior royal gave more insight into her wardrobe choices. "It was also so I could just blend in," she said. "I'm not trying to stand out here. There's no version of me joining this family and trying to not do everything I could to fit in."

The Wales family likely didn't predict in 2019 that it would be their last Trooping the Colour for a few more years. In 2020, of course, the world was rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the cancellation or alteration of most public events. Though Trooping the Colour was held in 2020 and 2021, it looked much different than usual, with far fewer people in attendance and less fanfare. Another major difference was that Prince William and Princess Catherine did not join the queen for Trooping the Colour events for both years during the pandemic, meaning the public was deprived of a classic Catherine fashion moment for two years.

Princess Catherine's absence in 2020 and 2021 made her return in 2022 that much more triumphant. The duchess wore two of her favorite designers that year — a dress by Alexander McQueen and a hat by Philip Treacy — and accessorized with loads of sapphires. Many thought the princess was giving a subtle nod to her mother-in-law, Princess Diana, given the shape of the hat and structure of the dress, as Diana had worn a similar outfit back in 1991. Furthermore, Princess Catherine paid homage to Princess Diana by wearing her diamond and sapphire earrings.