Music festival fashion has been hot this summer—and now, even royalty is getting into the trend!
Kate Middleton raised eyebrows over the weekend by appearing at the Houghton Festival in Norfolk, England wearing an uncharacteristically skin-bearing black top, paired with dark skinny jeans and her ever-present Veja Esplar sneakers. Considering the royal family generally does not wear off-shoulder or other similarly “revealing” styles, the fashion statement certainly caught many eyes, with many accusing the photo-taker of “Photoshopping” the image, saying, “I don’t think this is a legit photo of the Princess of Wales.”
one of the boys snapped kate middleton @ houghton pic.twitter.com/JRQjNywXdf
— Jazz (@JazzWild_) August 15, 2023
Kate Middleton Appears To Sport Casual Off-Shoulder Outfit At Music Festival
Well, if the photo is of Kate Middleton, she looked cool, comfy and confident in her off-shoulder top and skinny trousers! The Princess of Wales was attending Houghton Festival, an electronic music concert compilation in Norfolk, England. The appearance at the festival apparently followed dinner with the Marquess and Marchioness of Cholmondeley, a.k.a. David Cholmondeley and Rose Hanbury, the latter of which has scandalously been rumored to have had an affair with Kate’s husband Prince William in the past. The longtime friends of Will and Kate own Houghton Hall, where the festival was staged on the 1,000 acre grounds, and suggested attending the fest spontaneously after their shared meal.
According to reports, Kate was reluctant at first, but eventually agreed to attend with a large security detail, despite Prince William not being there to accompany her. Houghton Festival is the U.K.'s only 24-hour music festival, with some form of electronic rave-ready music being played at some point every minute during the festivities. It was first established in 2017 by famous DJ Craig Richards. Somewhere around 10,000 attendees partied at the festival, including the Princess of Wales herself. Kate also apparently dined at on-site restaurant Turntable & Napkin (instead of one of the numerous food trucks), which served a four-course meal including burrata and short rib ragu.
A source told the Evening Standard that the Duchess of Cambridge seemed happy during her visit to the festival, ordering spicy margaritas and taking part in a giant bottle of AIX rosé, joining her companions in leaving restaurant staff a £700 tip.
Kate's Concert Fashion Statement Surprising Considering Royal Precedent
Kate's casual style was surprising, especially considering the off-the-shoulder top she sported during her festival fun. After all, Meghan Markle got dragged by the internet for wearing an off-shoulder Carolina Herrera dress to the Queen's birthday celebration in 2018, with many calling the choice "inappropriate." However, it wasn't an unprecedented outfit pick: The Sun reports that though "fashion tradition usually dictates that Royal women do not wear off-shoulder or other more revealing styles," they have before, including Kate herself previously with a few different off-shoulder dresses and gowns for past events. It seems that, at least at the time, the Queen preferred off-shoulder looks to be worn at dressier, evening events.
The Princess of Wales' cute clavicle-bearing look was a different direction for the usually-dressy Kate — trendy but not overstyled; casual but cool. It's another example of the royals seemingly "letting their hair down" recently, like when Kate herself was recently caught giving William a "pat on the bum" at King Charles' coronation.
