Kate Middleton Just Took the Padded Headband Trend to the Extreme

May 2024 ยท 2 minute read

Rather than a fascinator, Kate Middleton has slowly been ushering in the modern-day equivalent to the royal hat with her collection of padded headbands. From her pearl-adorned hairpiece at Prince Louis's christening to a a simple velvet one worn on Christmas Day in 2018, the Duchess of Cambridge has claimed the headband as her unexpected hair hero. And to commemorate Anzac Day (a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand) this morning, she played a game of one-upmanship and took the trend to the very extreme.

Arriving Westminster Abbey alongside her husband Prince William, Kate recycled one of her many Alexander McQueen coat dresses with a red poppy pinned to the lapel, and paired the hybrid piece with Princess Diana's Collingwood pearl earrings, black suede pointed-toe pumps, and a coordinating clutch. She dressed up the outfit even further with a white boucle, puffed-up headband by milliner Jane Taylor that added major inches to her height.

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Kate complemented the headpiece, which featured a velvet black bow in the back, with her signature bouncy blowout that cascaded behind her shoulders.

The Duchess and Duke of Cambridge attended the Anzac ceremony on behalf of Queen Elizabeth, and before the church service, William laid a wreath at the Cenotaph and the couple looked on as the Royal Marines marched and played the national anthems of the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand.

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