This week, Kensington Palace released a very odd video with the Princess of Wales. The video was filmed in March, and the palace clearly sat on it so they could release it during a period of time where people wondered where the hell Kate was and what she was doing. Kate hasn’t had a work event since St. Patrick’s Day, mind you, and she was just caught out by Paris Match for having her third holiday of the year. So the palace broke the “in case of emergency” glass and released the video of Kate wandering around the woods and hanging out with Scouts. Obviously, the British media has been duly placated and they’re now running multiple stories about Kate’s jeggings and baker’s boy cap.
The Princess, who has served as joint president of the Scouting Foundation since 2020, was filmed on a visit to the scenic Lake District with a group of scouts. The combination of cable-knit sweater, cargo-style skinny jeans and walking boots is straight out of her country style playbook, but the addition of a wool bomber jacket and Baker Boy cap added a modern touch to a classic ensemble.
The look cast a spotlight on Bella Hoskyns, the made-in-Britain brand behind Catherine’s wool bomber jacket. With its Nehru collar and olive green hue, it strikes the perfect on-trend note, while remaining practical with its Melton wool exterior and quilted lining. With all fabrics sourced in the UK and pieces manufactured in the north of England and Scotland, the brand has already won over the in-the-know country set, but this royal seal of approval will doubtless amplify it further – just look at the “Kate effect” on small British brands like Beulah London, Zoraida and Finlay & Co.
“I love heritage style with practical appeal and always design my clothes with the aim that they will stand the test of time,” says founder Arabella Hoskyns-Abrahall. “Bella Hoskyns clothes are meant to feel like they’re instant old friends and the classic you reach for time and again in your wardrobe. They’re also a ‘go-to’ for the change in any season, whether layering the gilets or throwing on the jackets.” Catherine’s £385 jacket, which is currently in stock in all but size 14, will likely fly off Hoskyns’ online shelves.
Her Baker Boy cap, meanwhile, has divided fashion commentators. It’s not the first time the Princess has resuscitated the trend, which she was last spotted sporting in a picture taken by Prince Louis and released to mark World Cancer Day 2025. She has also donned a similar style in tweed on a number of occasions, including on a previous Scouts-related trip to Cumbria on a snowy day in March 2013. This was identified as the “Lindsay” cap from Really Wild Clothing, so royal fashion fans have deduced that the more recent incarnation is also from the British brand.
Other elements of the look featured in the new video came from some of Catherine’s long-time favourites. One of these is her cosy-looking cable-knit wool sweater in “sand”, £610, by British designer Emilia Wickstead. The Princess often favours Wickstead for formal attire, from a memorable regal purple suit to pretty coat dresses and even a dress renamed “Kate” in her honour. Showcasing the brand’s simultaneous low-key appeal, the jumper is already sold out – and little wonder; while it’s clearly an investment, this is a timeless piece, and the super-soft yarn allegedly has a cashmere-like feel. Fans will be pleased to know that similar jumpers in the same material are still available online.
As a base for outdoorsy looks, Catherine often turns to Amsterdam-born denim brand G-Star Raw, and her latest ensemble was no exception. She wore the brand’s “Kafey Cargo” skinny jeans, £110, which are now sold out in multiple colours on the brand’s website – although, at the time of writing, there are still select sizes available on Amazon. She’s worn the jeans on a number of previous occasions, including the Big Help Out celebration in London on the week of King Charles’s coronation (when she also donned a Scouts scarf) and again on a visit to a seaweed farm in Wales in September 2023.
And the final item she repeatedly dons for royal engagements in sometimes testing natural settings? A trusty pair of brown leather hiking boots, £165, from Berghaus. Her Supalite ll Gortex boots are, unsurprisingly, currently sold out, although UK size 7 is still available in the men’s section. From battling snowy conditions in camo for Irish Guards training to abseiling with the Welsh mountain rescue team, these ever-reliable boots have seen her through an impressive array of outdoor activities.
I was honestly surprised that the Telegraph went so far as to detail every single item worn by Kate. Did they forget that Kate threw a tantrum earlier this year about how she’s not going to give out fashion IDs anymore and people need to stop talking about her style? So why the change? I think this is Kate’s answer and the British press’s answer to the Duchess of Sussex’s ShopMy page, honestly. This is new – the obsessive reporting of Kate’s casual ensembles alongside the tracking of whether the items are still available. They’re trying to force “The Kate Effect” to happen in direct competition with Meghan. Also, and this is just my opinion: Kate needs to phase out the skinny jeans. There were a few shots in that video which were super-unflattering, that’s all I say.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red/Kensington Palace and screengrabs from the KP video.
