Three designers tell PEOPLE what it was like to chat fashion with the Princess of Wales

Kate Middleton at a British Fashion Council event at 180 Studios in London on May 13, 2025.Credit : Aaron Chown – WPA Pool/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

Kate Middleton surprised fashion designers at her latest royal engagement by sharing how much she knew about their brands
The Princess of Wales stepped out to present the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design in London on May 13
Princess Kate’s sense of style has long been celebrated and is often imitated, with designer Conner Ives telling PEOPLE he’d “love” to dress her one day

Kate Middleton impressed designers with her strong knowledge of their work at her latest royal engagement.

On May 13, the Princess of Wales, 43, stepped out to present The Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design at an event organized by the British Fashion Council in London, which doubled as her first solo official outing this spring. There, Princess Kate mingled with recipients and shortlisted designers from the British Fashion Council Foundation’s initiatives supporting the talent of tomorrow, where designer Clio Peppiatt was wowed by how prepared Kate was.

“She knew a bit about the brand and said she was really excited to see it in person,” Peppiatt, 34, exclusively tells PEOPLE, revealing that Princess Kate said she’d read up on her brand.

Peppiatt’s Capri dress, decorated with illustrations of summer fruit in hand-sewn beading and embroidery, caught Kate’s attention during a presentation, and they dove into the details when they spoke.

Kate Middleton speaks to Clio Peppiatt (right) at a British Fashion Council event at 180 Studios in London on May 13, 2025.Aaron Chown – WPA Pool/Getty

“I mentioned to her that a lot of pieces are inspired by postcards of places we love. She mentioned she loved the handicraft,” says Peppiatt.

The Princess of Wales’ sense of style has long been celebrated and is often imitated in a phenomenon known as the “Kate effect,” when the looks she wears sell out. The Princess of Wales wore an olive suit by Victoria Beckham to present the award named after her late grandmother-in-law, Queen Elizabeth, supporting a female-founded British brand on the special day, where winning designer Patrick McDowell said her enthusiasm shone through.

Princess Kate visited McDowell’s pop-up studio at 180 Studios to see how the sustainable designs come to life and asked many questions.

Kate Middleton (center) at a British Fashion Council event at 180 Studios in London on May 13, 2025.Aaron Chown – WPA Pool/Getty

“We showed the Princess our latest collection, which is called Portraits of a Painter, and we also showed her some work we were currently developing for the September show,” McDowell, 29, tells PEOPLE. “She was so interested to see the different crafts people were working on… She was genuinely interested to meet all of them and hear about what they do and how each of them contributes to the process of a fashion collection coming together.”

The namesake label is a circular luxury fashion brand, and McDowell says it was a dream achieved for fashion icon Kate to present the prize.

Patrick McDowell (center) and Kate Middleton (right) pose for a photo with his mother at a British Fashion Council event at 180 Studios in London on May 13, 2025.AARON CHOWN/POOL/AFP via Getty

“It was such a dream come true that she was presenting the award. To see her in person and see her genuine interest and real love of fashion and crucially the people making the clothes which is a love I share, was so special,” they say. “She was so interested, she spent so much time meeting each of the team. She was really so kind, and that genuine interest is so crucial to how British fashion is put forward on a global stage.”

The passion is personal for the Princess of Wales, who studied art history at the University of St. Andrews, where she met her future husband, Prince William.

Designer Conner Ives tells PEOPLE that it was surreal to meet Princess Kate on Tuesday after watching some of her royal wedding on TV in 2011 while growing up in the U.S. Recalling her inimitable Alexander McQueen gown that had the power to “stop the world news,” he says, “It’s incredible to put that moment in context with the moment we just shared.”

Ives, 29, who grew up in New York and moved to London a decade ago to study at the prestigious Central Saint Martins art school, said that Princess Kate wanted to hear about him.

“She was very curious and was interested in my story,” he says of their exchange.

Kate Middleton meets Connor Ives at a British Fashion Council event at 180 Studios in London on May 13, 2025.Aaron Chown – WPA Pool/Getty

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Ives’ studio creates clothes from vintage textiles and embroidery, and he says that the royal took particular interest in a gown crafted from 150-year-old fabric.

“We have to make some arrangements with her team. I’d love to get the Princess in something,” he says with a smile.