Kate Middleton's emerald green St Patrick's Day outfit includes two flattering details that will transform your spring style

The Princess of Wales stayed true to form for this year’s Irish Guards St Patrick’s Day parade, wearing a gorgeous green Alexander McQueen coat and matching beret. Her emerald and diamond drop earrings tied in with the green theme and she added some contrast with her black knee-high boots and dress.

As the Colonel of the Regiment, Kate attended the parade, received the salute and distributed shamrocks, including to the adorable Irish Wolf Hound mascot, Turlough Mór. She looked elegant throughout and two details really helped to take her look to another level of polished perfection. It’s easy to gloss over them, but her chunky waist belt and scarf were both practical and clever.

Shop Scarves And Belts For Spring

The belt helped to keep her green coat in place and the scarf was much-needed on a chilly day. Both accessories also worked together to create a seamless silhouette that was streamlined and leg-elongating. You can add a belt to everything from trench coats to tailored designs, and they add structure and accentuate the waist.

This is particularly lovely when you’ve got a bulkier or over-sized coat. The Princess of Wales went for a chunky black belt with her tailored green coat and the colour contrast added to the effect too.

Her scarf was also black and she tucked it neatly into the top of her coat. This is a trick we often see her and other royals like Princess Anne use. For a start, it’s a neat way to wear a scarf without having the ends dangling and potentially getting in the way or caught in the buttons of a coat.

It’s also minimal and sleek, meaning that everything flows nicely. Kate’s ensembles always look so sophisticated and put-together because of the level of cohesion and how every item feels intentionally chosen and styled.

Even though winter is over now, many of us will still keep a selection of warm pieces like scarves and a coat in our spring capsule wardrobe as the weather can be very unpredictable. When you’re putting an outfit together that features these items, following in the Princess of Wales’s footsteps is a simple way to elevate things.

To make things feel slightly more springlike, consider going for pretty pastel scarves or trying other seasonal fashion colour trends that can work alongside your neutral staples. To get the most wear out of a waist belt, though, I would recommend sticking to tan, brown or black, as these will go with every coat without clashing.

Given that the Princess was out to celebrate St Patrick’s Day it makes sense that she went for a primarily green outfit and the black boots, scarf and gloves worked well with this. This year’s parade at Mons Barracks was the third Kate’s attended since she became Colonel of the Irish Guards in December 2022.

The future Queen took over the prestigious role from Prince William, who is now Colonel of the Welsh Guards. In the past she’s often attended the parade wearing a golden shamrock brooch which is understood to belong to the Irish Guards and is loaned by the regiment.

After the parade, the Princess awarded medals and met a group of Regimental Association Members of the Irish Guards and the Mini Micks, who are junior cadets from Northern Ireland.