Kate Middleton's Most Stunning Red Carpet Moments

Catherine, Princess of Wales, knows how to walk a red carpet. As one of the most photographed women in the world, the princess can pull together a look that absolutely slays time and again. We love catching glimpses of her ensembles; not only does she give nonstop style inspiration, but she's also had a really remarkable fashion journey. She's had a fascinating evolution, and Kate Middleton's style has notably changed throughout the years. She's gotten some flack a few times for wearing inappropriate outfits, but for the most part, Catherine doesn't get it wrong. She's even had some cute moments where she and her husband, Prince William, coordinated their outfits. They'll show up at outdoor events in matching utility jackets, or he'll match his tie to her dress and more formal occasions. It's really adorable. 

When it comes to major red carpet events, Kate and William don't necessarily coordinate, but they both get really dressed up. Since William mostly wears a black tuxedo to these events, all eyes are on Catherine. She's recycled looks, and she's stepped out in never-before-seen show-stopping gowns. While it's nearly impossible to pick our favorites, these are Kate Middleton's best red carpet looks. 

In December 2013, Catherine, Princess of Wales, and William, Prince of Wales stepped out to attend the premiere of "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom" at Leicester Square in London. The duo were brand new parents; their eldest, Prince George, was born on July 22, 2013. So George was just a wee baby when parents Catherine and William took a night off of childcare to attend the event. Kate wore a cream-colored gown by Roland Mouret that featured a front slit on the otherwise conservative dress. She paired her dress with dark heels and a black clutch, and accessorized with a statement necklace. While we're used to seeing her rocking her signature, flowing locks, she did something a little different that night. She wore her hair pulled back in a low ponytail.

The cream gown was actually a repeat dress for Princess Kate. She already wore the Roland Mouret dress back in May 2012 when she and the hubby had dinner at Claridge's, an event that was hosted by the Thirty Club in London. For anyone who follows Catherine's fashion journey, the fact that she wore a recycled look on the red carpet is nothing new. What she does is accessorize the recycled dress in creative ways, and she wears her hair in a different style to give the look its signature flare for the event. With this Roland Mouret gown, she did a great job of giving it an aesthetic all its own.

On November 3, 2016, Catherine, Princess of Wales, attended the premiere of "A Streetcat Named Bob" at the Curzon cinema in London. For the event, the princess wore a white maxi-dress by the brand Self Portrait that cost roughly $380 U.S., so it wasn't terribly expensive in terms of red carpet gowns. The white dress featured a high slit to contrast the high neckline and long sleeves. Catherine accessorized the white gown by bringing red into the look. She wore red pumps, held a red clutch, and wore an enameled poppy on her chest. She rocked her hair in the classic, long loose curls that we love on her. Kate has long loved the brand Self Portrait and has frequently been photographed in looks by the company. Interestingly, she'll frequently have pieces altered for modesty, particularly if a neckline is too low. However, for this white dress, she clearly chose to rock the thigh-high slit. It's a great choice for a red carpet. 

Princess Kate attended the event as a royal duty since she was acting as the patron of the charity Action On Addiction, and the event showcased films about addiction and recovery. The event centered around the real street cat, whose name was indeed Bob. Catherine got to greet the famous cat, who was humorously ambivalent about the big moment.   

It's not terribly surprising that we see Kate Middleton and Prince William so regularly at the BAFTAs. Prince William became the royal president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 2010, even before he and Catherine got married, so this is one reason why we see the couple so frequently at these events. On February 18, 2018, Catherine and William showed up at the 71st BAFTAs at the Royal Albert Hall in London. While William wore his classic tuxedo, Catherine wore a dark green gown by Jenny Packham, and heavily accessorized the look with a show-stopping collection of emeralds and diamonds. The look was, of course, a maternity look as Princess Kate was pregnant with their third child, Prince Louis, at the time. 

Surprisingly though, Kate's dress actually sparked some controversy. In 2018, several Hollywood stars decided to wear black to red carpet events to show their solidarity with the Me Too movement and Time's Up. There was much curiosity as to what Catherine would wear; people were curious if she'd show her solidarity with women in Hollywood by wearing black. When she arrived in green, some were disappointed that she didn't use her spotlight to support the endeavors. To be fair, though, royals rarely take sides in public issues such as these. And perhaps Kate gave a nod to these movements by wearing the black waistband and carrying the black clutch. 

When Catherine, Princess of Wales, finds a designer she likes, she sticks with them. For the 2020 BAFTA Film Awards, on February 2, 2020, Catherine wore a white and gold gown from Alexander McQueen gown by Sarah Burton. She accessorized the look with a gold pair of Jimmy Choo heels and a glittering, gold clutch by Anya Hindmarch Marano. Kate's jewelry was also notable with this look. She wore a necklace and earrings by Van Cleef and Arpels Magic Alhambra that cost almost $17,000, per E! Online. 

This dress was actually recycled, as the princess wore the gold and white gown while on a trip to Malaysia. She and Prince William were dinner guests of His Majesty The Agong at the Istana Negara Palace, where protocol required that women would cover their arms. The dress was also designed to feature hibiscus flowers, a signature flower of Malaysia. Because the dress was so specifically chosen for Malaysia, it's interesting that she chose to sport the look in 2020 at the BAFTAs. Part of her choice was likely to set an example of re-wearing clothes to resist any look of excess coming from the royal family, and part of it may have been nostalgia for a long-finished trip. And likely, she picked the dress because she looks amazing in it and it's a great gown. 

We got another great glimpse of Catherine, Princess of Wales, reusing a favorite gown in London on October 17, 2021. She had worn the exact gown a decade earlier in Los Angeles, and here she was, pulling it out for the first-ever Earthshot Prize, hosted at Alexandra Palace. Prior, Kate cinched the dress with a white belt; here, she gave the dress a different look by cinching it with a silver belt. Catherine accessorized by wearing a pair of Kiki McDonough earrings, which were also recycled. She had worn them to the wedding of her sister, Pippa Middleton in 2017.

The Earthshot Prize was founded by Prince William in 2020 as an initiative to support creative ideas to save the planet. Those with the best environmental ideas are awarded over $1 million to fulfill their initiatives, and the award ceremony is a big deal. With so much emphasis on the environment, it certainly makes sense that both Catherine and William wore recycled ensembles. As Vogue notes, guests were asked to "consider the environment when choosing their outfit." William re-wore a velvet green tuxedo jacket with a turtleneck to follow suit. So the two of them set a good example of re-wearing looks, even for major events. 

Continuing her new step towards contemporary looks, Catherine, Princess of Wales, wore a modern dress to the Earthshot Prize Awards in Boston on December 2, 2022. However, the outfit also had nostalgic roots in royal history. For the big night, Kate chose to rent a dress from Solace London, using the rental site HURR. The form-fitting dress featured an off-the-shoulder cut, and the green was an obvious nod to environmental health. While the dress was an even more bold departure from her previous looks, it was a success. "The green dress was such an eye-popping color, it had so many echoes of the late Queen to me," Bethan Holt, fashion director at "The Daily Telegraph," told People. "To do something so unexpected and carry it off, it was such an amazing fashion moment."

Catherine accessorized the minimal look with maximalist pieces. She chose to wear glittering, gold shoes, which added dazzle. But it was her jewelry that was perhaps the biggest statement. She wore the famous emerald and diamond choker that the late Princess Diana had worn as a headpiece while on tour in Australia in 1985 (Diana also wore it as a necklace on other occasions). Kate paired the necklace with emerald and diamond earrings by Asprey. "I loved how she teamed a very accessible rental dress you can hire for £74 with a priceless emerald choker — that was such a brilliant high-low moment," Holt added. It was a home run. 

On February 19, 2023, Catherine, Princess of Wales and William, Prince of Wales showed up at the Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank Centre in London for the BAFTAs. People instantly recognized her recycled white gown from Alexander McQueen, which she wore in 2019. The dress was altered on the shoulder. What had once featured a small gathering of white flowers was now a flowing bow of material, creating a cascading effect. Kate added a jolt of sex appeal to the outfit by wearing long, sleek opera gloves. She carried a black clutch and wore dangling, opulent earrings from Zara. 

It was the opera gloves that completely revamped the look. "Opera gloves are transformative; they have enormous leverage," Genevieve James, creative director at royal glove supplier Cornelia James, told People. "They turn any event into an occasion and a dress into a statement." In an era of recycling outfits, the opera gloves were a stroke of genius. "Imagine Audrey Hepburn in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' without the gloves — it's just another little black dress. With the gloves, it becomes iconic and emblematic of our age — always relevant, always contemporary," James went on, praising Catherine for this sartorial move. The look was both fresh and a great revival of a favorite gown that worked so well the first time. If we've learned anything from Kate Middleton, it's that she can take something old and make it exciting again.