How the Duchess of Cambridge's Reiss dress is a touching tribute to her mother
Late last night, Kensington Palace released a video of the Duchess of Cambridge in which she called for more support for young parents in an attempt to break the destructive cycle a troubled childhood can cause later in life.
In the clip, she references a report that argues that the 'early years' – the period from conception to age five – are critical in providing the foundation for future physical and mental health, and that as a society we need to do more to help the parents of small children.
Touchingly, to film this video, the Duchess wore a dress that referenced her relationship with her own mother, Carole Middleton. The Middleton family is a famously close-knit one, and Catherine and her sister Pippa regularly wear similar outfits both to each other and to their mother. But it is rare that they wear the exact same dress.
It cannot be a coincidence that the Duchess chose this fitted royal blue dress from Reiss with a nipped-in waist and a low neckline to speak about the importance of the family unit. Carole was first spotted wearing it in 2010 at Ascot, where she paired it with a white hat, a pair of black pumps and a thick black belt.
Called the Trina dress, it cost £149 when it was for sale in 2008 – a time when all three Middleton women regularly wore pieces by Reiss. Notably, the Duchess of Cambridge has been praised for – among her McQueen suits and Emilia Wickstead dresses – consistently choosing clothes from high-street stores, and regularly re-wearing pieces she has previously been photographed in.
As evidenced by the fact the Duchess of Cambridge herself wore the same dress in 2012 when she visited The Treehouse children's hospice in Ipswich, Suffolk. After her wedding to Prince William and before the birth of Prince George, 2012 was an important 'early year' for Catherine as well, marking her transition from William's girlfriend to senior royal taking solo engagements around the country.
All of which makes this the perfect dress choice for a video highlighting the importance of family ties and underlining the impact our past always has on our present mindset. A sentiment that was further highlighted the Duchess' accessory choice: a gold pendant necklace by Daniella Draper that is engraved with the first initial of her own three children, "G, C, L".
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