The Duchess of Cambridge has recycled a blue Alexander McQueen coat for the fourth time today as as appeared in Birkenhead.
Kate Middleton, 37, wore the coat as she joined Sir David Attenborough today for a naming ceremony of a polar research ship – which the public voted to call Boaty McBoatface.
The Duchess first wore the coat dress in 2014 while she toured New Zealand, while she was also seen wearing it previously at the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings and to mark the 75th anniversary of the Air Cadets.
Today she paired the £2,345 coat with navy heels and a Asprey’s 1781 Pochette in blueberry bullskin clutch as she joined her husband Prince William at the Cammell Laird shipyard in Birkenhead.
Kate wore a cornflower blue utility coat by Alexander McQueen that she has previously sported on three separate occasions
Kate today (right) recycled an outfit she first wore in 2014 (left) while in New Zealand and (right) pictured today wearing it
Kate was seen laughing with local dignitaries in Birkenhead, the Merseyside docks which have built the new ship today as she wore the coat for a fourth time
Kate was pictured in the dress a second time later that year, as she joined her husband in France to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings (left). Right: Pictured today
Today Kate, who is the ship’s official sponsor, wore the Alexander McQueen coat as she released a bottle of Champagne which smashed on the ship’s hull.
The ship will actually go by the name of RRS Sir David Attenborough after the government vetoed the name Boaty – which will instead be used as the name of a small submarine kept on board.
The Duchess first wore the coat dress, with navy suede shoes in Blenheim at the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre in New Zealand, during her 2014 tour where she met with legendary director Sir Peter Jackson.
Then, Kate paired the piece, which features exquisite tailoring and a belt around the middle, with navy-blue pump heels and a matching clutch.
The Duchess of Cambridge first wore the coat in 2014 (left). In 2016, the mother-of-three wore the coat again to as she joined the Air Cadets to mark their 75th anniversary in London (right)
Kate was pictured in the coat a second time later that year, as she joined her husband in France to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings.
In 2016, the mother-of-three wore the coat again to as she joined the Air Cadets to mark their 75th anniversary, as Honorary Air Commandant of the organisation in London.
Kate is a known fan of British high-end label and has worn Alexander McQueen on countless occasions, including to her wedding.
The Duchess wore a very similar coat earlier this year during a visit to the Braid Arts Centre in Ballymena, County Antrim in February.
The £1,735 Mulberry coat is the same colour as her favourite Alexander McQueen number but with an added cape detail.
The Duchess wore a very similar coat earlier this year during a visit to the Braid Arts Centre in Ballymena, County Antrim in February
The Duchess of Cambridge (right), 37, wore the coat to join her husband Prince William (middle) and Sir David Attenborough (left) for the naming ceremony of the polar research ship that the public voted to call Boaty McBoatface
The RRS Sir David Attenborough, which cost around £200 million to build, is set to act as a “floating research fleet”, allowing scientists to study the world’s oceans and understand more about climate change.
It was commissioned by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), built by shipbuilding company Cammell Laird to a Rolls-Royce design, and will be operated by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
Housing state-of-the-art equipment, the ship will be available to the UK research community and allow scientists to remotely deploy robotic instruments to areas humans cannot access.
The vessel is set to replace two other polar research ships: The RRS James Clark Ross, which is nearing the end of its 25-year lifespan, and the RRS Ernest Shackleton, which was returned to its owners GC Rieber this year after 20 years of service.
Weighing around 10,400 tonnes – that is 1,400 elephants combined – the research ship hosts a wide range of specialist scientific equipment that will allow researchers to study the ocean, seafloor and atmosphere.