The Princess of Wales was radiant and stylish as ever in her 43rd birthday photo and her jeans, white shirt and blazer are a winning combination.
If ever you’re in need of some smart-casual outfit inspiration look no further than the Princess of Wales’s looks. The future Queen never fails to look put-together, whether she’s attending an official reception in a flowing floor-length gown, or stepping out for an engagement in tailored co-ords - and her off-duty looks are every bit as chic. Even when she’s not undertaking royal duties, Kate loves a crisp shirt and classic blazer and her recent birthday photo showcased a signature look for her including pieces many of us will have in our winter capsule wardrobe.
Posting on Instagram, Prince William shared Kate’s 43rd birthday photo alongside a heartfelt personal message to his "incredible" wife, praising her "remarkable" strength over the last year. The sweet black and white snap was taken by Matt Porteous in Windsor and Kate looked radiant in a crisp white tuxedo shirt, laid-back jeans and a blazer.
Recreate Kate Middleton's Birthday Photo Outfit - 1
If you prefer a double breasted blazer then this one is beautiful and so timeless, with its notched lapel collar and four buttons. We would wear this over a knitted dress as an evening outfit or with blue jeans and a jumper or shirt for a polished daytime look.
Crafted from 100% cotton, this dress shirt is a smart staple that can be paired with everything from tailored trousers for a more formal look to jeans like Kate's to make it more casual. It has a chic bib detail, collar and long cuffs.
Perfect for pairing with a white shirt and a blazer, this mid-blue denim jeans are brilliant for smart-casual outfits. They have a straight leg silhouette and are made from a super stretchy fabric which makes them as comfortable as they are stylish.
Recreate Kate Middleton's Birthday Photo Outfit - 2
With a full lining for extra comfort and an on-trend oversized silhouette, this single breasted blazer is a classic wardrobe staple. The button is horn-effect for a subtle colour contrast and the neat flap pockets are great for your essentials.
This affordable tuxedo shirt has an oversized fit and is slightly shorter. It's made from crisp cotton poplin with pintucks running down the front and a double layered yoke with pleats at the back. The gently dropped shoulders are a chic extra detail.
Available in a range of other tones, these straight leg jeans have a medium rise cut and a zip and button fastening. We love the smokey blue shade of this pair and would wear these jeans with a chunky roll neck on freezing days or a white shirt and knitted vest.
If we had to predict what Kate might be wearing in an official birthday photo, it would likely have been along these lines as the Princess of Wales is a huge fan of styling tailored staples with denim. The combination of a blazer and shirt with jeans strikes the perfect balance between formality and casualness and this is everything we love about the Princess’s off-duty style.
Her Royal Highness has often worn blazers and jeans with smart white tops at daytime engagements too and wore a white shirt in Josh Shinner's photo of the Wales family for Christmas 2023. But woman&home’s Digital Fashion Editor Caroline Parr is excited to see her tuxedo shirt in her birthday photo and believes this is a "new direction" for Kate.
"A tuxedo shirt and jeans is such a chic way to do high low dressing. You're taking something that's traditionally worn in a black tie setting and making it look effortless," Caroline says. "It's a new direction for Kate too, and the way this is styled with a blazer, jeans and scarf speaks volumes about her off-duty style. There are loads of these on the high street at the moment - head to With Nothing Underneath and ME+EM for my top recommendations."
The Princess of Wales’s tuxedo shirt is one from Frame and has the classic bib detail at the front with vertical pleats. She wore it with the collar unbuttoned and the sleeves slightly rolled up over the cuffs of her black blazer. This helped to give her outfit a more relaxed edge and is an easy tip to transform a workwear look into an evening outfit.
Given the photo was black and white we sadly don’t know what shade of denim Kate’s jeans were but she rarely wears anything other than mid-wash blue or black jeans. These deeper tones feel more formal than light blue washes and this works so well with a shirt and blazer. Her jeans were high-waisted and from the shape of the top of them, it seems like they could be straight-leg.
Once you’ve found the best jeans for your body type, we often don’t look elsewhere, but the senior royal has been straying away from her beloved skinny jeans more in recent years. The laid-back but not overly casual jeans looked great with her tuxedo shirt and blazer and the finishing touch of the checked scarf draped around her neck was a cosy addition that also brought contrast with its pattern.
If you’re ever stuck on what to wear when you want to feel confident and polished but still comfortable then we think you can’t go far wrong with Kate’s formula of denim and tailoring.
