William & Kate's Garden Party Look Gives Willy Wonka Meets Kentucky Derby

The royals love a shindig, even if they have to follow weird rules for garden parties, but William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales' latest jamboree wins the award for Most Bizarre. Their official Instagram account shared a carousel of photos and videos from their May 2025 Garden Party, with the caption, "Lovely to meet so many inspiring guests from all over the UK at today's Garden Party!" While it looks like attendees had a great time, we can't stop wondering about the hosts' outfits.

Prince William is channeling Willy Wonka with his top hat and umbrella, which he used as a cane (too bad he didn't do a somersault when he made his entrance), and Kate Middleton looks like she's ready to attend the Kentucky Derby, oversized headwear and all. We truly hope Prince George of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales, and Prince Louis of Wales all roasted their parents' fashion choices before they left for the party.

At least Middleton ditched her overused bow obsession this time, unlike with her VE Day outfit earlier this month. She was completely bow free, meaning no belted bow, hat bow, or ridiculous hair bow. However, Middleton's over-the-top headwear didn't allow her to embrace her signature hairstyle: bouncy curls and shiny waves.

Someone better call Lizzie McGuire, because Catherine, Princess of Wales is an outfit repeater. Kate Middleton first wore her butter yellow dress from Emilia Wickstead three years ago at an event for the late queen's Platinum Jubilee (via Vogue). However, Middleton wore a different obnoxious hat to the event, though they do look quite similar. The garden party hat curves outward, while the Platinum Jubilee headwear curves inward. It seems like Middleton has convex and concave hats for her various parties.

Vogue also noted that Middleton's garden party hat is an old favorite as well, having first been worn at the 2018 wedding of Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex. While the dress looks beautiful on Middleton, it's a shame the Kentucky Derby-esque hat saw the light of day twice. Though it's not the best hat the Princess of Wales has ever worn, at least it's not the worst one, either.

Interestingly, Middleton's matching-colored clutch possibly played a special role for the princess. William Hanson from MailOnline spoke about etiquette when meeting royals, telling the outlet's Femail column in 2017, "It is protocol that you do not extend your hand to any member of the royal family ... unless their hand extends first." Hanson believed that by holding her bag, Middleton avoids shaking someone's hand if she doesn't want to, or if she simply doesn't have the time (although he felt she could do so without holding a clutch). However, that may not always be the case, since pictures from the Garden Party showed Kate smiling and happily shaking hands with guests.