Kate Middleton's Most Memorable Public Appearances

It seems like only yesterday that Princess Catherine said "I do" to Prince William, effectively becoming an international treasure. The wide-eyed Berkshire gal swiftly captured the nation's heart with her amiable girl-next-door persona and calm demeanor. Accordingly, she has captivated fans the world over with her memorable public appearances. However, her future within the royal family was beset with uncertainty following a series of tragic events.

King Charles III and Princess Catherine's dual cancer diagnoses in 2024 shocked the world. Having undergone chemotherapy, Catherine took a lengthy hiatus from her royal duties in order to focus on her recovery. "[Catherine] may be keen to attend events as and when she feels able to," a spokesperson told The Telegraph, noting that the princess may be unable to adhere to a regular royal schedule to begin with.

With the elderly and ailing Charles potentially relinquishing the throne sooner than expected, the Princess of Wales' transition to queen consort may very well be looming. There are so many ways Catherine's life will change when Prince William becomes king, and when she ascends the throne her public appearances will be twofold, finding herself in high demand both at home and abroad. Her most memorable public appearances show that she has what it takes, though.

Following Princess Catherine and Prince William's fan favorite royal wedding in the spring of 2011, the former began her first official royal duties as the Duchess of Cambridge. But her initiation into The Firm was far from seamless.

In what was undeniably a learning curve, albeit an embarrassing one, Catherine suffered a wardrobe malfunction of sorts when she greeted troops in Calgary months after her nuptials. Wearing a pastel yellow dress, the princess' lady parts were nearly exposed when harsh winds caused the delicate material to develop a life of its own. Inevitably, the moment went viral, with Catherine channeling her inner Marilyn Monroe.

Following the fashion faux pas, designer Jenny Packham revealed to the Evening Standard that she was on the receiving end of criticism from angry royalists, who questioned why she didn't put weights around Catherine's hemline. "Well, I didn't know it was going to be worn on a windy runway," she joked. "But I did think maybe in future I will put in more weighting, just in case." Now far more savvy in her royal role, Catherine utilizes static-enhancing dressing techniques to prevent wardrobe malfunctions.

There's an enormous amount of pressure on women to "bounce back" right after childbirth, never showing signs of stress or a mom bod. But for royals, this pressure is twofold, with royal women rarely — if ever — being photographed with a single hair out of place.

The birth of Prince George in July 2013 was one of the most eagerly anticipated dates in the royal calendar, signifying Prince William's transition from boy-next-door to dad-about-town. But it was his wife who generated headlines. Princess Catherine turned heads by posing for photos on the steps of London's St Mary's Hospital just one day after giving birth to the couple's first child. Despite pushing a whole human out of her body mere hours earlier, Catherine's hair was styled to perfection and her makeup was equally flawless. During an appearance on the "Happy Mum Happy Baby" podcast, she admitted to feeling overwhelmed by the experience. "Slightly terrifying, I'm not going to lie," she laughed.

Though Catherine did everything she could to look perfect post-childbirth, her public appearance spawned much toxicity, from claims that her hair was thinning to talk of how she would regain her svelte figure. However, she was also praised for proudly displaying her postpartum body. "In a couple of minutes on the steps of the Lindo Wing Kate has done more for new mums' self-esteem than any other role model," Netmums founder Siobhan Freegard said, per The Telegraph.

Towards the end of 2017, the burgeoning MeToo movement exposed scores of Hollywood executives as serial predators. During the ensuing awards season, women and male allies decided to protest via their wardrobes, wearing all-black to bring attention to the movement. However, when Princess Catherine attended the BAFTAS in February 2018, she infamously didn't adhere to the unwritten all-black rule, instead wearing a green gown. She was heavily criticized for her choice of attire, with social media users accusing her of failing to show solidarity with the MeToo and Time's Up movements. "I know the Royals aren't supposed to get involved with 'protests' or anything ... but would it really have been THAT bad for Kate Middleton to wear black?," lamented one X (formerly Twitter) user.

It was a rare controversial blight on Catherine's otherwise untainted public record. However, she likely opted out of participating in the feminist protest due to strict royal protocol that forbids any overt political displays.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, later referenced the controversy in his memoir, "Spare," noting that the media erroneously interpreted his wife's vocal support of the MeToo movement as throwing shade at Catherine. "It wasn't real," the prince wrote. "But I think it had Kate on edge, while putting her and everyone else on notice that she was now going to be compared to, and forced to compete with, Meg."

There's nothing quite like a royal twinning moment. In 2018, Princess Catherine and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, synced their outfits for Christmas festivities at Sandringham. Catherine was a vision in red, wearing a tailored coat and matching hat, while Meghan dazzled in a navy coat and fascinator combo, complimenting her sister-in-law.

Notably, the two women laughed and smiled as they ambled alongside one another, seemingly quashing rumors of a royal rift. This apparent rapprochement may have been initiated by Queen Elizabeth, who reportedly wanted her grandsons' respective wives to make peace in time for Christmas. According to insiders who spoke to The Sun, both the queen and King Charles had hitherto tried their best not to interfere in Catherine and Meghan's affairs. "But they both made it clear that Christmas was for the whole family to really come together," the insider explained. "That meant the two couples walking into church together ... Yes, it was awkward and uncomfortable given what's gone on over the past 12 months. But the alternative of even more negativity on Christmas Day wasn't worth thinking about."

Princess Catherine and Prince William's 2022 tour of the Caribbean went viral for all the wrong reasons. There was widespread condemnation from the outset of the trip, with protestors calling for the couple to apologize for Britain's bloody colonial past. "Kate and William are beneficiaries," protestor and former professor Opal Adisa told Sky News, "so they are, in fact, complicit because they are positioned to benefit specifically from our ancestors, and we're not benefitting from our ancestors."

But in perhaps the most notorious moments from the tour — one that will likely plague the couple for years to come — a grinning William and Catherine reached out to Jamaican locals who were behind a metal fence. The image was a painful reminder of the horrors of the British empire's long history of colonization, and one completely inharmonious with the public portrayal of William and Catherine as thoroughly modern royals. 

Subsequently, the royals were widely mocked on social media, with bemused critics wondering how William and Catherine's PR team ever approved such a photo-op. "I do wonder what the hell palace organizers were thinking with some of yesterday's photo moments," royal author Omid Scobie wrote on X. "The planning and recon that goes into every step of these engagements is next level, so how did no one think to avoid certain imagery? This is why diversity on a team matters."

In 2023, Princess Catherine showcased a retro green look at Wimbledon, which harked back to the classic style of Princess Diana in her '80s heyday. The royal took her role at the prestigious event seriously, having previously prepped with a tennis match against Roger Federer. "To see the training and the dedication and the amount of time that is put into training and making sure this sort of goes well on the day for the champions who are playing at Wimbledon ... it's incredible to see it behind the scenes," Catherine told the Wimbledon ball boys and girls in the lead-up to the event.

Following her appearance at the tennis tournament, the princess began trending when the official Wimbledon TikTok account uploaded a humorous clip, captioned, "All eyes on me." Fans were amused by Catherine's head movements as she intently watched a match, with the royal perfectly synchronized with her fellow attendees. "I could never go to a tennis match cause I'd be cackling in at the audience," wrote a TikTok user, per Newsweek. It was a lighthearted and wholesome viral moment, demonstrating that beneath all the prestige and pageantry, Catherine is no different from any other sports fan.