She is the Kate that got the cream. 

At the 2026 Order of the Garter Service at Windsor Castle, the Princess of Wales stepped out in a custom-made coat dress by Patrick McDowell, made from cream brocade fabric custom woven by Stephen Walters & Sons in Suffolk. 

She completed the look with cream suede Gianvito Rossi 105 pumps, £710, a cream ‘Natasha’ clutch by Emmy London, £445, and topped it off with an ‘Enid’ boater, £1930, by milliner Jane Taylor in - you guessed it - cream.

Given that the coat dress was so restrained, sober and classically regal, royal watchers might be surprised to learn that its Wirral-born designer is only 31 years old.

Elegant as it was, it would have looked equally at home on Queen Camilla, a woman three decades older than Kate.

In fact, so tailor-made was the princess’s coat dress that it was even named after her.

According to the description on McDowell’s website, the ‘Wales’ coat dress is “a beautifully tailored piece crafted from lightweight damask fabric designed to sculpt the body, featuring a nipped-in waist with elegant hip pockets”. 

A white version is currently available for pre-order, priced £1990.

Every designer feels grateful when the Princess of Wales chooses to wear their clothes. 

As one of the most closely watched women in the world, ‘the Kate effect’ has been proven to boost a designer’s profile - and sales - exponentially. But McDowell, 31, has more cause to be grateful than most. 

Last year, the designer won the coveted Queen Elizabeth II award for British Design - with the trophy presented to him by none other than the Princess of Wales.

Whether Kate’s endorsement of McDowell will lead to the young designer becoming her go-to name for occasion-wear in the same way that Catherine Walker became a favourite of Princess Diana, only time will tell. 

At first glance, the two don’t necessarily seem compatible. McDowell has also dressed pop star Lady Gaga and actress Sarah Jessica Parker, both of whom are fashion risk takers, a description that could never be levied at Kate. 

On the contrary, the outfit she wore to attend the Order of the Garter service seemed almost wilfully conservative.

It was also wilfully green. McDowell prides himself on being a sustainable luxury fashion brand focused on ‘circular design’, a practice that minimises waste and environmental impact. 

He also offers a redesign and repair service to increase the longevity of every purchase. 

These values will chime well with Kate, who prides herself on re-wearing the same outfits at public occasions.

She also prides herself as being more than just a fashion plate. Ever since the Palace expressed concern that interest in her clothes was overshadowing interest in her humanitarian work, the princess seems to have been at pains to dress so primly and properly that there is little else for fashion commentators to say. 

In McDowell, perhaps Kate has finally met her match: a designer who understands her messaging, as well as her wardrobe needs.