Kate Middleton dressed with intention for the Nigeria state visit kickoff — and wore a designer she was possibly tipped to by King Charles.
On March 18, the Princess of Wales and Prince William welcomed President of Nigeria Bola Ahmed Tinubu and First Lady Oluremi Tinubu at the Fairmont Windsor Park hotel in Englefield Green, as the start of the two-day Nigerian state visit to the U.K. officially began.
Welcoming foreign dignitaries has been a go-to duty for the Prince and Princess of Wales during state visits and a sign of their elevated royal role since King Charles’ accession to the throne in 2022, and Princess Kate, 44, carefully dressed for the special occasion.
The Princess of Wales wore a gray coat dress with white accents by Tolu Coker, the British-Nigerian designer whose London Fashion Week Show King Charles attended on Feb. 19.
The King, 77, sat front row with Stella McCartney at Coker’s show, which opened London Fashion Week 2026, getting a first look at the latest from the rising designer.
It was a thoughtful gesture for Princess Kate to highlight a Nigerian designer as the state visit gets underway and a show of fashion diplomacy.
Kate has previously worn looks by local designers during official trips abroad and has practiced flag dressing, honoring nations by wearing a hue or two from that country’s national flag, a trend that Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana leaned into as well.
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The Princess of Wales accessorized her outfit for the Nigeria state visit kickoff with a matching hat by Jane Taylor and added shimmer with Princess Diana’s Collingwood Pearl Drop Earrings, jewels from her late mother-in-law’s collection.
Through the years, Kate has worn lots of jewelry that belonged to Diana, who died in 1997, and Prince William famously proposed to her with the iconic sapphire and diamond engagement ring that had been his mother’s.
State visits are an important way for Britain to bolster its relationships with other nations. The visit from Nigeria is being hosted at Windsor Castle as Buckingham Palace, the traditional residence for such diplomatic engagements, undergoes a years-long renovation.
The visit is significant as Nigeria’s first state visit to the U.K. in 37 years, and the first day of busy programming will be capped with a glamorous state banquet at Windsor Castle, which might mean tiaras for Princess Kate and Queen Camila.
English