In a touching essay penned by Princess Beatrice over the weekend for British Vogue, she shared new pics of baby Athena, now two months old, while speaking openly about her daughter’s pre-term birth on January 22 this year.
I Was So Distracted By the New Royal Baby Photos, I Almost Missed the Hidden Message in Princess Beatrice’s Outfit
Cue the subtle nod to Kate
Published Mar 24, 2025
•5:43pm
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But there was something unexpected that caught my eye in the snaps of Bea, who also announced her brand-new royal patronage with Borne, an organization on a mission to end premature birth: She was wearing an outfit once worn by Kate Middleton. (The photo, also from the British Vogue piece, shows Beatrice alongside her friend and Mrs. Alice founder Alice Naylor-Leyland as the pair unveil a baby shower collection with all proceeds set to go to Borne.)
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Flashback to 2022 when the Princess of Wales donned the ‘Elta’ dress from Emilia Wickstead for the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee and in a butter yellow hue. For the photos of Bea holding Athena and included with her essay, she wears the exact same ‘Elta’ silhouette, but in an elegant steel blue.
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It’s a sweet nod to Kate—but also a testament to the royals’ love of Emilia Wickstead. (Everyone from Kate and Beatrice to Princess Eugenie—pictured above wearing the brand in orange—and Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, have reached for the U.K.-based designer.)
It also appears to be a brand the royals rely on when the occasion is significant. Case in point: Kate wore the ‘Elta’ to help the queen mark 70 years on the throne; Beatrice chose the designer (and, coincidentally, the same style) to reveal what she went through with Athena—and to honor her work to help mothers who find themselves facing a similar experience.
More than anything, it’s fun to see any royal sartorial overlap.
