While the Princess will likely spend the day with close friends, family and her husband, Prince William, she would have no problem amping up the glamour should she see fit.
The Princess of Wales wore The Vampire's Wife to a special reception hosted by the Governor General of Belize for The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, 2022 (Getty Images)
Over the past two decades she has stepped out in countless glamorous ball gowns, well proving that when faced with a formal occasion, she will rise to it with sophistication and not a little sparkle.
Such events range from London premieres — from the black lace Temperley London gown she wore to the 2012 War Horse premiere, to the unforgettable gold glitter bomb dress by Jenny Packham which ricocheted across the internet after the No Time To Die James Bond world premiere in 2021 — to Royal Variety Performances, State Banquets and galas at the National Portrait Gallery, where she has been a patron since 2012.
The Princess of Wales wore Jenny Packham to the world premiere of No Time To Die, 2021 (Getty Images for EON Productions)
Over time, Catherine has developed a formula for such occasions which, predominantly relying on Packham as well as Alexander McQueen, designed by Sarah Burton. Last year saw Burton, who made the Princess’s 2011 wedding dress, leave the house — the question for 2024 will be whether or not the house will maintain its royal seal of approval.
It is not to say she shies away from a dramatic turn. Her most memorable looks have come thanks to shocks of colour, which in turn have dominated front pages — the shimmering, fuschia The Vampire’s Wife gown worn to a special reception hosted by the Governor General of Belize in celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 was a highlight; so too was the neon green Solace London she wore to the Earthshot prize in Boston that same year.
The Princess of Wales wore Alexander McQueen to the British Academy Film Awards, 2023 (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
2023 was a year of sartorial triumphs as well. From the black, bicep length opera gloves paired with a re-worn white, McQueen gown at the BAFTAs in February (genius), to the dazzling display she put on alongside Blackpink, in a cascading white Packham gown with Paula Rowan white gloves, for the State Banquet held for Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee.
Cheers to many more in her 42nd year…
Here are 42 of the Princess's most fabulous looks:
Attending the ARK 10th Anniversary Gala Dinner at Perk's Field, 2011 (Getty)Attending the 'BAFTA Brits to Watch' event at the Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles, California, 2011 (Getty Images)Attending a reception in aid of the National Memorial Arboretum Appeal at St James's Palace, 2011 (Getty Images)Attending the UK premiere of War Horse at Odeon Leicester Square, 2012 (Getty Images)Attending 'Our Greatest Team Rises -BOA Olympic Concert' at the Royal Albert Hall, 2012 (Getty Images)Attending the Tusk Conservation Awards at The Royal Society in London, 2013 (AFP/Getty Images)Attending The Portrait Gala 2014: Collecting To Inspire at National Portrait Gallery, 2014 (Getty Images)Attending a state banquet for Chinese President Xi Jinping at Buckingham Palace, 2015 (Getty Images)Attending the world premiere of the James Bond film 'Spectre' at the Royal Albert Hall, 2015 (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)Attending the 100 Women In Hedge Funds Gala Dinner In Aid Of The Art Room at the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2015 (Getty Images)Attending a Charity Gala at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel during the royal visit to India and Bhutan, 2016 (Getty Images)Attending The Art Fund Museum of the Year prize at the Natural History Museum, 2016 (Getty Images)Attending the premiere of A Steet Cat Named Bob in London, 2016. (Getty Images)Attending a reception at Government House on day three of a Royal Tour of Canada, 2016 (Getty Images)Attending the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) at the Royal Albert Hall, 2017 (Getty Images)Attending a dinner hosted by Her Majesty's Ambassador to France, Edward Llewellyn, at the British Embassy in Paris, 2017 (Getty Images)Attending the Portrait Gala at the National Portrait Gallery, 2017 (Getty Images)Attending the Gala Dinner for The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, 2017 (AFP/Getty Images)Attending the opening night of the musical 42nd Street, at the Theatre Royal in London, 2017 (AFP/Getty Images)Attending a reception dinner at the British Ambassador's residence during day one of a Royal visit to Sweden and Norway, 2018 (Getty Images)Attending an official dinner with Norway's King Harald at the Royal Palace in Oslo, 2018 (NTB Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)Attending the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) at the Royal Albert Hall, 2018 (Getty Images)Attending a State Banquet with Rear Admiral Ludger Brummelaar at Buckingham Palace, 2018 (Getty Images)Attending The Tusk Conservation Awards at Banqueting House, 2018 (Jeff Spicer/Getty Images)Attending an evening reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps at Buckingham Palace, 2018 (Getty Images)Attending the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) at Royal Albert Hall, 2019 (Getty Images)Attending a Gala Dinner in aid of Mentally Healthy Schools at the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2019 (Getty Images)Attending a special reception hosted by the British High Commissioner Thomas Drew, at the Pakistan National Monument, during day two of a royal tour of Pakistan, 2019 (Getty Images)Attending the Royal Variety Performance at the Palladium Theatre, 2019 (Getty Images)Attending an evening reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps at Buckingham Palace, 2019 (Getty Images)Attending the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) at Royal Albert Hall, 2020 (Getty Images)Hosting a Gala Dinner in celebration of the 25th anniversary of Place2Be at Buckingham Palace, 2020 (Getty Images)Attending the World Premiere of No Time To Die at the Royal Albert Hall, 2021 (Dave Benett/Getty Images)Attending a special reception hosted by the Governor General of Belize in celebration of Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, 2022 (Getty Images)Attending a state dinner at Kings House in Kingston, Jamaica, 2022 (AFP via Getty Images)Attending the State Banquet for the President Of The Republic Of South Africa at Buckingham Palace, 2022 (Getty Images)
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Attending The Earthshot Prize 2022 at MGM Music Hall at Fenway, Boston, 2022 (Getty Images)Attending a Diplomatic Corps reception at Buckingham Palace, 2022 (Getty Images)Attending the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, 2023 (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)Attending the State Banquet for Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee at Buckingham Palace, 2023 (Getty Images)Attending the Royal Variety Performance, 2023 (Getty Images)Attending an evening reception for members of the Diplomatic Corps at Buckingham Palace, 2023 (Getty Images)
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