Kate Middleton braves the rain in fiery red coat and sumptuous brown knit as she makes subtle accessory switch-up

The Princess of Wales braved the rain for her first engagement back after half-term wearing a fiery red coat and sumptuous brown knit.

She might not be opposed to slipping on her best wellies from Le Chameau when the rain is really coming down, but the future Queen’s signature style for engagements tends to be a lot more elegant. She often loves wearing colours or designers that tie into a visit and she went for a fiery red coat for her first engagement back after half-term. Kate and Prince William spent 26th February in Pontypridd ahead of St David’s Day and she often wears red, green or white in Wales, likely in a nod to the Welsh flag.

This particular coat was the same Alexander McQueen double breasted one she wore for her Together at Christmas carol concert and it brightened up a rainy day. The Prince and Princess of Wales visited Pontypridd Market and Kate’s coat kept her warm as they strolled round it.

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It has smart lapels and contrasting black buttons on the front, with a fitted bodice and sweeping V-neckline. Kate loves a pop of red and the classic crimson tone of this coat makes a real statement. Styling bright colours like this is all down to balance and she mellowed the cherry red with a chocolate brown roll neck and matching knee high boots.

A fitted jumper is a simple outfit base layer and although chocolate brown might not be one of the biggest spring/summer fashion trends for 2025, it’s a colour we’ll still be wearing as we finally say goodbye to winter. Brown is just so versatile and a little softer than black when you want to wear something to pair with warmer or paler colours in the spring.

The Princess of Wales’s knit would look just as stunning with blue jeans and a blazer as it did underneath her red coat. We got to see more of it as she shrugged off her coat inside The Welsh Cake Shop and threw herself into making some Welsh Cakes with Prince William. She expertly coordinated the colour of her jumper to her knee high suede boots too and this gave her whole ensemble a very put-together feel.

The combination of her chocolate brown outfit staples and the bright red coat was so striking but in an understated way. If you haven’t considered pairing these two hues together before, this was a masterclass in how to do it and they seem to be the Princess’ outfit colours of the moment as she’s worn a lot of brown and red outfits recently.

Eagle-eyed fans might also have noticed that Kate wasn’t wearing her iconic engagement ring for her day in Pontypridd. In pictures taken as she rolled out Welsh Cakes, the senior royal appears to have on the more low-key sapphire and diamond eternity-style ring that she was seen wearing several times last year. Whatever the reason for the switch up, it was likely somewhat more practical for the hands-on baking.

The Princess of Wales’s outfit was beautiful for her busy day in Wales and was appropriately pared-back for several more poignant engagements. She and Prince William spoke with local people about the devastating impact of the flooding caused by Storm Bert and Storm Darragh in late 2024. During their time in Pontypridd they will also hear how volunteers helped to restore the Meadow Street Community Garden and Woodland following the storms.