On Monday, September 9—six months after disclosing her cancer diagnosis—Kate Middleton finally got to share some good news: She had completed her treatment for chemotherapy and would be (slowly) returning to her role as a working royal.

The news came in the form of a three-minute video posted to social media, showing Middleton and her family in Norfolk, England. In some scenes, they walk in the woods, stopping to climb trees and sit on logs. In others, Charlotte, George, and Louis run around the beach while William and Kate lie together on the sand. There are also snippets of the Waleses holding hands as they walk through a meadow, and playing a card game with Kate’s parents, Michael and Carole. “The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family. Life as you know it can change in an instant, and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown,” the princess says in voice-over. “The cancer journey is complex, scary, and unpredictable for everyone, especially those closest to you.” The announcement was unusual, not only in its emotion—Britain’s royal family has long epitomized the war-generation mentality of the stiff upper lip—but also its visuals. Traditionally, the Waleses either share press statements on traditional letterhead or with images taken by Middleton herself. This week’s video, however, was professionally produced, with lighting, filters, background music, and creative editing. (At one point in the video, Louis and George interrupt to ask if the camera is on.) Essentially? It was a highly stylized short film—and within 24 hours, it had over 27 million views.

The family wears blue throughout, a color that has become a kind of unofficial dress code for the Waleses, appearing in nearly every official photograph they take together. And it makes sense: Basic color theory suggests that blue connotes calmness and responsibility—positive associations for the future king and queen of the United Kingdom. In addition, blue is part of the Union Jack flag, making it a patriotic choice.

In September 2023, Elizabeth Holmes, author of New York Times bestseller HRH: So Many Thoughts on Royal Style, spoke to Vogue about the princess’s personal relationship to the shade: “I think it’s worth considering Catherine’s commitment to blue,” she said. “For the first official pictures of her as a royal bride-to-be, she wore a vivid blue wrap dress to match the famous sapphire and diamond engagement ring that had belonged to Princess Diana. She has since worn every shade of blue, from a soft and pale (one might even call it Cinderella blue) to a deep navy.” So, perhaps in this latest context, the choice of blue was both a display of familial unity and an ode to the princess herself.

For her part, Middleton wears not one, but two blue looks in the video. The first is a denim shirtdress. The second? Veronica Beard’s Castella dress, in a white-and-blue print that combines the universal color for hope with her signature one.

The brand’s co-founders, Veronica Swanson Beard and Veronica Miele Beard, found out with the rest of us that the princess had chosen to wear their design at such a meaningful moment. “Like everyone else around the world, we’ve been praying for a speedy and victorious recovery for Princess Kate,” Miele Beard tells Vogue. “We had no idea this video was being released or that she would be wearing one of our designs in it.”

But the choice seemed significant for more than just its colorway. Veronica Beard’s Castella dress is made of cotton, with blouson sleeves and a ruffled hem—somehow both earthy enough to feasibly wear outdoors with three kids all day, and elevated enough to project a sense of occasion. The co-founders, both of whom have young children of their own, say they designed the dress with mothers in mind: “We live our lives and run a brand where we are always pushing and going,” Swanson Beard says. The Castella dress is their take on bohemian dressing, meant for casual, easygoing weekends spent outdoors with their loved ones. “What is so striking to us is the powerful femininity and softness she expresses,” she adds of Middleton. “It was beautiful to see her wearing our dress and pausing, reflecting, living slowly, taking care, healing, loving her family, and feeling blessed for her life.”

It was also a change of sartorial pace for Middleton. Her personal style often leans Sloane Ranger formal—lots of tweeds, LK Bennett heels, and preppy dress coats are all wardrobe staples. Yet here, the look is unstructured and unfussy, one that would look silly with high heels, diamond jewelry, and face full of makeup. This, too, suits the messaging of the video. “Health issues can make you re-examine what’s important in your life, like your family and your community,” says Laia Garcia-Furtado, senior fashion news editor at Vogue Runway. “It can also make you kinder to yourself—and there’s a free-spirit energy that boho allows where you feel more grounded.”

After the video was released, the Prince and Princess of Wales updated their social media profile images to one where Kate Middleton wears the Castella dress. It appears that it is here to stay