20 Best Kate Middleton Outfits for Her Return to Work

It feels like ever since Kate became the Princess of Wales, she's tried to have her fashion lean a little more business professional. Although she still loves a dress, we also love seeing her in bold pantsuits like this purple one. We hope to see more colorful suits in her future.

It isn't often that the royals actually pull out the crown jewels. Tiaras are reserved for very special formal events, and even in the many years that Kate's been part of the family, we have only seen her in a crown a handful of times. Hopefully some kind of formal occasion post-surgery will allow her to shine once again.

Kate can pull off fussy fashion with the best of them, but she also always looks great in laid-back styles. As she eases back into public life, she could very well do it in something a little more comfortable such as some simple pants and a button-down shirt.

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The 2024 Pantone color of the year is Peach Fuzz, and we are rooting for Kate to take this shade for a spin. She actually very rarely wears orangey colors, but when she does, she always looks radiant. Perhaps she still has this peach coat in her closet just waiting for a second chance.

According to GB News, Will and Kate had a royal tour of Italy planned for the spring, but the trip was postponed to allow Kate to heal. If she does end up going eventually, we'd love to see her in some Italian designs. The princess is pretty good about wearing local fashion on her tours, and maybe we'll see the return of something like this Gucci dress.

Kate usually wows any red carpet she steps on, but she wasn't able to attend the 2024 BAFTAs while she was healing. Although we still got to see Prince William all dressed up, we hope to see Kate back in a glamorous gown when she's feeling up to it. In a fancy dress, she always looks like the real-life princess she is.

Kate Middleton looks great in green because the shade brings out her eyes. Sadly, her recovery timeline means that she has to skip her annual St. Patrick's Day outfit, and we will sorely miss seeing her in this hue. Even without a holiday to tie in a green outfit, we hope that she pulls this color out of her closet soon.

Over the years, the Princess of Wales has coordinated outfits with her kids on numerous occasions. For events like weddings, balcony appearances, or visits to another country, one of Kate's ways to make her family look put together is to put everyone in the same color clothing. We'd like to see her family coordinating again soon.

Just like Kate prefers to dress her family in matching color schemes, she also usually likes to coordinate her own outfits as well. If she's wearing something red like a sweater or dress, we can pretty much count on her shoes being that same shade of red — and probably her hat and purse, too. After all, nothing can clash when it's all the same color.

The "rules" of royal dressing have never really been enforced, but it does seem as if Kate tries to adhere to them as much as she can. But every once in a while she will wear a more daring look that shows a bit of skin. We'd love to see her in an off-the-shoulder dress again or something else that breaks so-called protocol.

There's nothing better than when Kate wears a look that harkens back to her late mother-in-law. Kate has twinned with Princess Diana several times in the course of her royal career. We loved when Kate wore this dotted dress to the Royal Ascot. Diana wore a nearly-identical dress to that very same event decades ago. We need more homages like this.

The Barbie movie brought pink clothing back in a big way, but we don't want the trend to go away just because it's a new year. Kate has a few pink items in her closet, but we especially love when she wears the color in unexpected ways. Sure, a pink dress is always pretty, but we love this dark pink sweater and matching coat even more.

We can pretty much count on one hand how many times the Princess of Wales has worn shorts during her time as a royal. One of the most recent occasions was still two whole years ago in July of 2022. She's due for a summer romp in some chic shorts. Maybe 2024 will be her legs' time to shine.

Looks like Kate got the memo that skinny jeans aren't as trendy these days. In November of 2023, she was spotted in flared jeans at an appearance in Scotland. She totally rocked the style, and we'd love to see her back in flares — or some other new trend — once she's back. It's always nice to see her willing to take fashion risks.

Speaking of fashion risks, this animal-print skirt was definitely a bold choice for the princess because she usually wears solid colors. We'd love to see this exact item make a reappearance if not something else as equally fun. The princess in cheetah was never on our bingo cards, and yet it was totally awesome to see.

We've yet to see King Charles unveil his Royal Family Order brooch, which is traditionally presented to working royal women. According to People, Kate has one from the Queen that she wears pinned to her gowns at special events. She's likely to eventually get one from Charles. We hope to see it once both royals are on the mend.

There's something so deliciously dramatic about a caped silhouette. Kate has worn a cape dress a few times. She donned this red piece to welcome the president of the Republic of Korea, and she wore a glamorous gold cape to the No Time To Die premiere. We need so many more capes from her — it's a stunning look.

It was initially thought that Kate would be back in commission for the 2024 Trooping the Color and its annual balcony appearance this summer. However Forbes reported that the Trooping website has since been updated to remove any mention of the princess. If we are lucky enough to see her back by then, we can't wait to see what balcony outfit she puts together. She usually picks a colorful dress and a matching fun fascinator.

Depending on how her recovery goes, we could see Kate back in the Wimbledon stands this year. The tennis event is scheduled for July of 2024, and the princess has been in attendance for years. It's where we've seen some of her best summery fashion.

Fashion experimentation is fun to witness, but we also want to see Kate bring back some basics when she's in the public eye again. The princess has made coat dresses a staple of her wardrobe ever since she married Prince William, and we know she must have a few in her closet that she can don upon her return.