Kate wows in red Catherine Walker coat dress and £450 Gina Foster hat as she makes triumphant return to Commonwealth Day Service – and pays tribute to Diana and the late Queen

The Princess of Wales made a triumphant return to the annual Commonwealth Day Service of celebration for the first time in two years today as she joined the King and members of the Royal Family at Westminster Abbey.

Kate, 43, dressed to impress in her red Catherine Walker Beau Tie coat dress, which she’s worn twice before in December 2022 and November 2023, as well as a matching £450 red hat from Gina Foster. 

Walking alongside Prince William, the mother-of-three teamed her vibrant ensemble with her beloved Collingwood pearl and diamond earrings, which once belonged to Princess Diana, and the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Japanese four-strand pearl choker.

Sporting a stylish curly half-up half-down hairdo and a smattering of glamorous makeup, Kate couldn’t keep the smile from her face as she stepped out for the prestigious occasion.

Both the Princess and King Charles were reluctantly forced to miss last year’s key royal event as they were undergoing treatment for their respective cancers.  

This year, however, the monarch led a large showing of senior royals which also included Queen Camilla, Princess Anne and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.

Kate showed she was just as thrifty as ever today as she donned her red coat dress, which featured statement bow detailing at the neckline, for the third time.

She first wore the elegant number for the Together At Christmas Carol Service at Westminster Abbey in December 2022 and again in November 2023, for the South Korean President’s State Visit. The Princess also has a black version of the dress. 

For Kate’s necklace, the pearls were gifted to the late Queen during her first state visit to Japan in 1975, which was then constructed into the piece of jewellery by court jeweller Garrard. 

Meanwhile, the pearl earrings worn by the Princess today were gifted to Diana before her wedding to Charles in 1981. 

The earrings, made by Collingwood, mark a touching handover from one Princess of Wales to the other. 

They became firm favourites of Diana and were sported on royal tours of Australia, Canada and Italy.

The earrings feature a round diamond stud, from which is suspended an additional round diamond and a bell cap set with three more rows of small diamonds. The bell caps each contain a pearl drop. 

Diana began wearing the earrings before she was Princess of Wales. They were a gift from Collingwood, a jewellery firm that was a favourite of the Spencer family.

She wore them on several occasions throughout her marriage. They made her gala outfits sparkle during her tour of the US in 1985, where she wore them with a lacy white gown and the Lover’s Knot tiara for a gala dinner at the British Embassy.

She also wore them with the form-fitting black dress she sported as she attended the Vanity Fair party at the Serpentine Gallery in November 1994 in London, which then later become known as the Revenge Dress. Kate has worn the earrings several times. 

William and Kate were welcomed by Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, ahead of the arrival of the King and Queen.

The monarch and his wife then arrived, with Camilla wearing a pink wool crepe and satin coat dress by Fiona Clare and pink beret hat by Philip Treacy.

Among the stars joining them today were former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell, cycling legend Sir Chris Hoy with his wife Sarra Kemp and actress Baroness Floella Benjamin.

Also in attendance were Prime Minister Keir Starmer, his deputy Angela Rayner, the Foreign Secretary David Lammy, Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, Prime Minister of Samoa Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa and the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Baroness Scotland.

The royal party were greeted by the Dean and Westminster before meeting members of the Shree Muktajeevan Swamibapa Pipe Band, a community band from the world’s first Hindu eco-temple in Kingsbury, north London.

Following their performance at the Great West Door, the King – who is head of the Commonwealth – and his family formed a procession behind the Commonwealth Mace Bearer, three-time Paralympic champion and two-time world champion track cyclist Kadeena Cox.

Heritage Sanmi Lawal, a Commonwealth Youth Gender and Equality Network member from Nigeria, carried the Commonwealth flag.

Following the end of the service, Kate and William were spotted leaving Westminster Abbey together with the Princess of Wales clutching a bouquet of flowers while the Prince held the programmes as the pair chatted animatedly. 

It comes as the King emphasised the ‘vital role’ of the global ‘family of nations’ at a time of international conflict and uncertainty in his annual message. 

He said: ‘Last October, leaders from across the Commonwealth came together in Samoa to reaffirm their “belief in the value of the Commonwealth as a trusted forum where diverse voices of our member states, the large and the small, the young and the old, come together as one family.” 

‘In these uncertain times, where it is all too easy to believe that our differences are problems instead of a source of strength and an opportunity for learning, the Commonwealth’s remarkable collection of nations and peoples come together in the spirit of support and, crucially, friendship.’

The Commonwealth is one of the world’s oldest political associations of states, with its roots in the British Empire.

However the last four countries to join the 56 member organisation had no links with British colonialism, emphasising its role as a voluntary organisation of independent and equal nations.

Its population is in excess of 2.7 billion, with some 60 per cent aged 29 or under, and a combined GDP of more than $13 trillion.

To mark Commonwealth Day, a global celebration of the organisation, the King also highlighted how, as the world marks the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, more than one a half million men and women who fought and served in it came from member states.

He said: ‘The Commonwealth’s ability to bring together people from all over the world has stood the test of time and remains as ever-important today. 

‘Leaders recently reiterated the importance of collaboration for peace and human rights, as well as for the restoration of nature both on land and in the oceans. 

‘As we mark this Commonwealth Day together, there is no more important task than to restore the disrupted harmony of our entire planet. 

‘For the sake of our younger generations’ threatened future, I can only hope that the Commonwealth will continue its vital work to restore that harmony.’

This year’s Commonwealth Day theme is ‘Together We Thrive’, celebrating the ‘enduring spirit of the Commonwealth family’.

Today’s service will feature special musical performances including traditional Masai singers, percussionists, musicians, acrobats and dancers, as well as Joan Armatrading CBE reforming an arrangement of Love and Affection.

Since 1969, the King has visited 48 of the Commonwealth states.