The poignant detail you missed from Kate's polka dot dress

kate middleton
(Image credit: Shutterstock/Rex)

This week the Duchess of Cambridge visited Bletchley Park in her favourite polka dot Alessandra Rich dress, which she wore in the official photographs of Prince Charles' 70th birthday.

But it wasn't the fact she recycled her outfit which was poignant, it was the little detail that most people missed at the time.

You see Kate accessorised with a gold brooch that was special to her, as it belonged to her grandmother, and it wasn't a coincidence that during her visit, she met with veteran codebreakers who worked at Bletchley Park during WWII with her grandmother Valerie Glassborow, and her twin sister Mary.

kate middleton

(Image credit: Shutterstock/Rex)

The veterans were also wearing similar pins, though we're not sure what the significance of them are, or if they were specific to codebreakers during the war.

Either way, it's not the first time the Duchess has chosen to add meaning to her outfits, and she often wears heirlooms that belonged to Princess Diana, or that represent a country that she's visiting.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.