Former Royal Correspondent Michael Cole has revealed the “very clear tribute” Princess Kate made at Trooping the Colour, as the royal made her first public appearance since announcing her cancer diagnosis.
Returning to the royal spotlight after six months, Princess Kate arrived with her children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis after confirming her attendance to royal fans on Friday.
The royal opted for a white Jenny Packham dress with black detailing, pairing the ensemble with a black bag, white shoes and a matching black and white hat.
Discussing the Princess of Wales’s outfit choice on GBN America, Cole told host Nana Akua that she carried off her return with “great dignity, great elegance and with great stoicism”.
Princess Kate opted for a Jenny Packham dress at this year’s Trooping the Colour as she made her return to public life
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Cole told Nana: “Courage is grace under pressure, it’s often defined as that, and I think we saw that with Kate.
“My goodness, it’s harrowing enough coping with cancer for anybody, but for somebody to have to do that, knowing that the eyes of the world are upon her, a thousand lenses, looking at her at the same time as she’s undergoing preventative chemotherapy for the undisclosed cancer from which she is suffering – what an ordeal.”
Drawing attention to Kate’s outfit, Cole claimed there was a “clear tribute” made to a famous costume from the 1964 film My Fair Lady, starring Audrey Hepburn.
Cole revealed: “The gown was by Jenny Packham, but it was a very clear tribute to Cecil Beaton, who designed the black and white Royal Ascot scene for the film of My Fair Lady, with Audrey Hepburn playing the role.
Many royal fans have compared Princess Kate’s Trooping outfit to Audrey Hepburn’s in the 1964 film My Fair Lady
Warner Bros. / Paramount Pictures / 20th Century Studios
“If you look at Audrey Hepburn’s costume and you look at what Kate was wearing at Trooping, well, it’s a delicious steal from one to the other.”
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Cole also drew on a further connection between Princess Kate’s outfit and My Fair Lady, as the royal calendar this week marks Royal Ascot, which is portrayed in the film when Audrey Hepburn’s character wears the inspired outfit.
Cole added: “The timing is great because Royal Ascot, the five days of racing on the Ascot racecourse, which is owned by the King and where there’s been horse racing since the days of Queen Anne, has now begun.
“The King and Queen will both be riding in a carriage up the course with other members of the family in the following carriages. So it’s a very busy week for the Royal Family.”
Reflecting on Princess Kate’s appearance at Trooping the Colour, the former Royal Correspondent praised the royal for making the effort to step out despite her cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Michael Cole says Princess Kate looked ‘beautiful’ at Trooping the Colour
GBNA
Cole concluded: “I come back to the word courage because it’s not easy to do while looking so brilliantly beautiful.
“If you and I went to a Hollywood casting agency and said, please cast us a Princess, Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly not being available, they’d come up with somebody like Kate, the Princess of Wales.
“And in everything she does, she carries it off with great aplomb.”
