Kate Middleton dazzles in £1.1k Manolo Blahnik heels she never wears

Kate’s statement heels

Though her gown was the focal point of her look (alongside her Lover’s Knot tiara), her shoes, which peeked out from beneath her dress, were the gorgeous emerald satin ‘Hangisi’ heels by Manolo Blahnik.

Raised to icon status by Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City, Kate’s four-inch heels feature the brand’s signature statement buckle on the pointed toe.

© Manolo Blahnik

The statement shoes are a rare look for the princess as she often goes for plain suede Gianvito Rossi numbers, or at most, a snakeskin option in a neutral tone. This is best exemplified by the fact that she has never worn her Hangisis in public. 

Has Kate worn her Manolos before?

© Getty

The only time these shoes have been seen on Kate was in 2022, when she appeared in a portrait wearing them alongside a green Vampire’s Wife dress in a painting by Jamie Coreth, commissioned in 2021 by the Cambridgeshire Royal Portrait Fund as a gift to Cambridgeshire. The royal was the Duchess of Cambridge at the time of the commission.

Kate’s ceremonial welcome outfit

© Alamy Stock Photo

The state banquet followed Kate and William’s meeting with the Nigerian president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and first lady, Remi Tinubu, at the Fairmont Windsor Park hotel before the foursome headed to Windsor Castle to meet King Charles and Queen Camilla.

© Samir Hussein/WireImage

For the occasion, the princess stunned in a new coat dress by British-Nigerian designer Tolu Coker, which featured a corseted back and statement 1980s-style lapels. The ultra-structured coat dress was paired with a Jane Taylor felt percher hat, as well as grey Boss heels and a small Mulberry bag.

The elegant look was topped off with Princess Diana‘s Collingwood pearl and diamond earrings. Her brunette locks were styled in gorgeous loose waves, which were brushed out and styled into tighter curls for the evening banquet.

A week in green

© Samir Hussein/WireImage

It has been a week of green looks for Kate, who wore a deep emerald coat by Alexander McQueen for the 2026 Irish Guards’ St. Patrick’s Day Parade at Mons Barracks on 17 March.

She topped off the look with a braided updo, which stylist Leanne Jones told us could be “interpreted as a nod to Irish heritage and Celtic folklore, where traditional hairstyles often featured intricate plaits symbolising status and identity.”