The Princess of Wales included a sweet hidden outfit detail on her first joint outing with First Lady Melania Trump on Thursday.
Kate Middleton, 43, looked as stylish as ever when she and Melania, 55, took to Frogmore Gardens to meet with young members of the Scouts Squirrels.
Mother-of-three Kate’s khaki-forward outfit featured a mix of British and American pieces, including a ME+EM suede jacket and a Ralph Lauren midi skirt, but it was the dark green scarf tied jauntily around her neck that held special significance.
The luxurious silk scarf was from Sudbury Mill in Suffolk – one of two silk mills Kate visited last week in a show of support for the British textile industry.
The garment was created by luxury silk fabric manufacturer Stephen Walters and woven especially for the Princess.
According to an Instagram post by Stephen Walters, the scarf, which features a delicate floral pattern, is made from 100 per cent silk and was gifted to Kate upon her visit to the mill last week.
During her engagement with Melania, Kate styled her silk scarf by tying it into a pussy bow.
The scarf perfectly complemented her green jacket and brown skirt, and the look was completed with brown suede boots.
The Princess of Wales wore a dark green silk scarf she received as a gift from luxury fabric manufacturers Stephen Walters when she visited Sudbury Mill in Suffolk last week
Textiles are a personal passion of the princess, whose paternal ancestors once owned William Lupton & Co, a wool manufacturer in Leeds.
Palace aides noted her long-standing commitment to the sector and its cultural importance, pointing out that she has previously visited mills in Leeds, Lancaster, and South Wales to champion British craftsmanship.
They added that the day was about ‘celebrating British creativity and craftsmanship’ and highlighting the skills that keep the UK’s textile industry thriving – from centuries-old weaving techniques to modern design innovation.
Last week, when Kate visited Marina Mill in Cuxton, Kent – a British family business that specialises in hand-designing and screen-printing furnishing fabrics – she was invited to try her hand at screen-printing.
William’s wife and did not shy away from the task, impressing fans when she tied her hair up into a neat bun without any hairband, pins, or even a mirror.
While wearing her new scarf during Thursday’s engagement, Kate, accompanied by Melania, sat down with the Scouts Squirrels – the youngest part of the UK Scouting organisation and designed for four to five-year-olds – who were working to earn their ‘Go Wild’ badge in Frogmore Gardens, in front of Frogmore House.
The First Lady and Kate – who has been joint president of the Scouts with the Duke of Kent since 2020 – were met by Chief Scout Dwayne Fields when they first arrived at the picturesque gardens together and were in invited to take part in the children’s activities, including making pictures of animals out of leaves they had collected.
The Princess of Wales and First Lady Melania Trump at Frogmore Gardens in Windsor on Thursday
The Princess’ khaki-forward outfit comprised of a ME+EM suede jacket and a Ralph Lauren midi skirt while Melania opted for trousers, a suede jacket and flat pumps
Kate sat on the ground to help with the artwork while Melania, who wore trousers, a suede jacket and flat pumps, perched on a small plastic seat and chatted with the children about their activities.
The children also busied themselves making ‘bug hotels’ out of boxes, sticks and straw, and invited the Princess and Melania to play a parachute game, taking side of a large piece of silk and flapping it, trying to get balls down a hole in the middle.
The two women also hosted a picnic for the children, with each receiving a special packed lunch organised by the Princess.
As part of their lunch, each of the children received sandwiches containing honey made by The Princess of Wales herself from the Wales family’s hives at Anmer Hall
The same honey was also used to make homemade granola bars for the children.
In addition, the First Lady gifted a jar of White House honey to each of the children as a memento of their very special day. The gifts of honey were wrapped in white boxes, with red ribbon.
Kate and Melania’s first joint engagement comes after the First Lady and US President Donald Trump were given a very warm welcome on their historic second state visit to the UK, which began earlier this week.
The US couple’s state visit started on Tuesday, September 16. The following day they arrived at Windsor Castle, and their official trip concluded on September 18.
