While it’s inevitable that royal women will sometimes dress alike — after all, they have hundreds of engagements to attend each year and often need the same ‘royal aesthetic’ — sharply tailored elegant dresses with nipped in waists and modest midi hemlines –it’s still rather rare that royal women find themselves repeating the same designer tea dress. But, that’s exactly what’s happened with Beulah London’s Ahana.
Why has the dress become such a favored frock among the sovereign set? Well, for starters, it’s crafted from an eco friendly crepe made of responsible wool, has a feminine and flattering fit and flare silhouette plus a full sweeping skirt. The charming and classic day dress works for semi-formal occasions and even casual outings like tennis and art exhibits.
Designed by ethical luxury label Beulah London, the dress is distinguished by its tailored bodice, six button front and belted waist. Prince William’s childhood friend Lady Natasha Rufus Isaacs is the woman behind the label and the founder of the luxury womenswear label Beulah.
Princess Kate, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark all prefer the cap sleeve version while Princess Beatrice has preferred the longer sleeve style. The shorter puff sleeve iteration comes in six pastel shades including blush pink, deep navy, light lemon, soft beige, lilac and cornflower blue. The long sleeve version of the dress is available in 10 different fabric options including tartan, tan, check and burgundy.
The brand has received such a ringing royal endorsement as the garment manufacturer works hard on initiatives supporting and empowering women with job opportunities. Beulah’s designs incorporate craft skills such as hand weaving and embroidery — offering previously vulnerable and trafficked women the necessary training to learn design techniques to secure employment.
The Princess of Wales has worn the bubblegum pink midi on two occasions — once pairing the look with nude Mary Jane style Aldo ‘Nicholes’ block heel pumps for a day at Wimbledon in July 2021. Later, the princess opted for the petal pink garment paired with optic bright white Jimmy Choo pumps for a visit to the Young V&A museum in June 2023.
The vintage minded and timeless ‘Ahana’ dress was first spotted on the Danish princess — Crown Princess Mary stepped out in 2020 in the beige dress for a visit to Frederiksborg Palace. She wore the style with nude pumps and added a bit of whimsy with a rainbow clutch.
Kate wore the pink dress the following year for the Men’s tennis final at Wimbledon. Then, the Norwegian Princess Mette-Marit opted for the same version as Princess Mary’s for the French Open in Paris in June 2022. Finally, Princess Beatrice of York wore the cornflower blue dress for the National Service of Thanksgiving also in June 2022. A few months later the 35-year-old wore the long sleeve version in forest green. And in early 2023, Beatrice wore the ‘Ahana’ in blue for two different charity functions.
TV personality Holly Willoughby is also a fan of the retro style midi. The English broadcaster owns the Ahana in red and blush.
And King Charles’ second cousin Sophie Winkleman has also worn the style on more than one occasion in bright pink and yellow.
