Kate Middleton turns 40: See how the Duchess of Cambridge’s style evolved

Since joining the royal family in 2011, Catherine, duchess of cambridge – known to many as Kate – has rarely wavered in her unwritten obligation to appear well-groomed and immaculately dressed in the public eye.

And while the Duchess is known for her tweeds preppy and bespoke blazers, she earned her true fashion credentials through a keen eye for casual clothing.

Take, for example, the gold Jenny Packham dress she wore to the premiere of 007: No Time to Die (“No Time to Die”) in 2021, which lit up the internet.

Or her custom Alexander McQueen wedding dress with such precise details that seamstresses had to replace their sewing needles every three hours, according to British Vogue.

But even before becoming a duchess, a young Kate Middleton kept her wardrobe well stocked with striking looks.

For the consort-in-waiting queen’s 40th birthday, we look back at some of her finest attire, from her heady college days to the more formal occasions of royalty.

the college years

Before officially joining the royal family, Kate while studying at St Andrew’s University in Scotland, where social life seemed similar to that of many people her age.

Crumpled in the backs of taxis, she may have worn shorter scabbards than she is now, but Kate’s love of dressing was evident from the start.

Paparazzi shots taken of Kate as a bright-eyed 20-something girl suggest a trend toward glitter: shimmering black minidresses and emerald green sequined neckline tops were favorite looks.

Even before she became one of the most photographed women in the world, her dress sensitivity was daring — for example, if her friends wore all-black outfits for a night on the town, Kate wore a baroque-print silk dress.

royal engagement

Today, a decade after marrying and belonging to the royal family, the Duchess is still looking for sequins.

At the UK-Africa Investment Summit at Buckingham Palace in January 2020, she wore a shimmering red sequin and lace dress by Needle & Thread, and just last year she arrived at London’s Royal Albert Hall wearing a stunning dress, malachite color.

But not every royal engagement requires the same level of enthusiasm – on many official occasions, the Duchess has opted for understated elegance.

On the first day of last year’s COP26 summit in Glasgow, Scotland, she walked out in a real blue Eponine coat dress that ended just above her ankles.

With structured shoulders and single chest button detailing at the waist, it was a masterclass in chic minimalism that impressed without diverting attention from the important issues at hand.

Moments on the red carpet

When the occasion demands opulence, the Duchess relies on trusted designers like Jenny Packham and Alexander McQueen. In 2011, just months after her wedding at Westminster Abbey, Kate established herself as a nightwear aficionado when she wore a classic black velvet strapless McQueen dress to a military ball.

Every event since then has been an opportunity to debut a new silhouette, from empire waists and off-the-shoulder accents to the ethereal pale blue Jenny Packham robe she wore at the 2015 premiere of “Spectre”.

Its luxurious appearance is often used to communicate broader values, especially when it comes to the climate crisis.

In 2020, the Duchess was one of the few BAFTA attendees to pay attention to the awards ceremony’s recycled dress code, selecting an Alexander McQueen dress bedecked in gold and white that she wore during a state dinner in 2012.