The 44-year-old Princess of Wales made a public appearance. Kate Middleton paired an elegant look with affordable jewelry.
A member of the British royal family visited Leicester yesterday. The city is known as a hub for the South Asian diaspora, with approximately 35 percent of the population being of Indian descent. For Kate Middleton, the visit was sentimental – she had visited Leicester with the late Queen Elizabeth II during the first year after her wedding to Prince William. In 2018, she and her husband traveled there to pay their respects to the victims of a helicopter crash that killed five people, including Thai billionaire and Leicester City football club owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.
Now, the Princess of Wales celebrated Holi with her local community—the Indian festival of colors, love, and spring, during which it is customary to wear white clothing. For the occasion, she chose a white Polo Ralph Lauren “Jamie” dress with a pleated midi skirt and a custom-made Chris Kerr coat, which she wore to the Christmas service in 2023. The look was completed with a brown “Natasha” clutch by Emmy London and classic dark caramel suede stiletto pumps.
Kate chose the indie-style Dina earrings by Sézane, crafted in gold with blue gemstones on the tassels. Originally retailing for $130, they are now available for $50 (around 4,000 rubles). Middleton wore these earrings at Christmas 2022 and during the royal visit to Birmingham in 2023.
The heir to the throne’s wife visited the dance troupe at the Belgrave Community Centre, directed by renowned choreographer Aakash Odedra. There, Kate was presented with a “mala”—a necklace of pearls and bright red roses—a symbol of respect and esteem. “There’s no better way to welcome a guest than to adorn their soul with flowers,” Aakash gallantly remarked.
Bollywood dancers performed a dance for the guest. “You must be in great shape because it was very energetic. My kids would love it; they love dancing. Louis would love your dance,” Middleton was quoted as saying by the Daily Mail .
The Princess of Wales visited the Shriji Dham Haveli Hindu temple, where she presented the traditional offering—a bowl of milk. When asked to try her hand at dancing during a religious ceremony, the Princess of Wales hesitated briefly. “Okay, go ahead,” she laughed, then kicked off her shoes and began mimicking the dance moves barefoot on the carpet. The guest was presented with a sari and a traditional scarf, and was then invited to the dining room for a vegetarian lunch, which included samosas, potato sabzi, rice with pilaf, and chapatis.
Afterwards, King Charles III’s daughter-in-law visited the Golden Mile, home to Indian jewelry stores and sari boutiques. She admired the jewelry and silk items. Kate visited the family-owned Indian clothing store, Ladlees. The British favorite also visited Bobby’s restaurant, named after the famous 1973 Bollywood film “Bobby” directed by Raj Kapoor. Owner Dharmesh Lakhani explained that his parents opened the establishment in 1976 after moving to the UK from Uganda. He and his wife, Enna, invited the royal family member for tea and traditional Indian sweets.
“The most beautiful thing about a family business is that the values remain the same. That’s the whole point. That’s what customers value—relationships. It’s important to ensure that families and communities have time to come together, stop, slow down, and connect.” Even gathering for a simple meal together is becoming increasingly difficult these days,” the Princess of Wales noted.
Kate admitted she loves Indian cuisine and spices. “I love coriander and chilli, but William isn’t such a fan,” Middleton added. She picked out a box of chocolates for her children. When Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire Mike Kapoor offered to hold the sweets, the royal guest playfully threatened him, “Don’t eat them.”
