(Note: The photo above is from April, not today.)
Good news! The Princess of Wales finally wore a new ensemble instead of pulling something from her closet. What’s funny about that is… Kate already has tons of navy coats and coatdresses, and half of her closet already looks naval-themed. Prince William and Kate were in Glasgow today to launch a new ship, the HMS Glasgow. Kate was tasked with smashing a bottle of whiskey against the hull to officially launch the ship. Kate wore a Suzannah London dress in (obviously) navy and white.
The Princess of Wales has officially named HMS Glasgow by smashing a bottle of local Scottish whisky against its hull. Kate, 43, was joined by her husband, Prince William, to conduct the traditional naming ritual at the BAE Systems’ shipyard in Scotstoun, on the bank of the River Clyde in Glasgow.
Keeping her look suitably nautical for the outing, the royal sported a navy and white £1,850 coat dress from British brand Suzannah London and a matching statement hat from Philip Treacy, first worn at Trooping the Colour in 2024.
Stepping up onto a podium before a crowd of several hundred BAE employees, their families and the 45-strong ship’s company, Kate uttered the time-honoured words: ‘I have the pleasure to name this ship HMS Glasgow, may God bless her and all who sail on her’.
The Princess then flicked up a small red ‘launch’ button to release a bottle of exclusive single malt whisky made by the nearby Clydeside Distillery. The ceremonial act is said to bring good luck and fortune to the vessel and its crew. The distillery opened its doors in 2017, the same year that the HMS Glasgow build began, marking what is considered the start of two modern icons of Glasgow’s maritime heritage. Each bottle of the whisky sold will include a donation to HMS Glasgow’s chosen charity, Place2Be, of which the Princess is patron, and which supports children’s mental health in the city.
I feel like we are being gaslighted about the whiskey. The actual tradition for ships and sailing vessels is to break a bottle of champagne, not whiskey! I guess whiskey is a specifically Scottish tradition? It also appears that Queen Elizabeth II smashed a bottle of whiskey against one of her boats too. Anyway. It looks like very few photo agencies are buying these photos? The only photos being run by most outlets were released exclusively by Kensington Palace’s in-house photographer. Very strange. I will update if we ever get any photos.
A bottle of whisky is smashed against the hull of @RoyalNavy’s new ship HMS Glasgow by the ship’s sponsor – the Princess of Wales.
Kate and William are in Scotstoun, Glasgow for the naming ceremony and to meet those who built the Type 26 frigate and those who’ll sail on it. pic.twitter.com/yQueo8O6nb— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) May 22, 2025
The Prince and Princess of Wales, Sponsor HMS Glasgow, are attending the ship’s naming ceremony at the BAE Systems’ shipyard in Scotstoun, Glasgow.
Andrew Parsons // Kensington Palace pic.twitter.com/rByUsygspj
— ChristinZ (@ChristinsQueens) May 22, 2025
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
