Princess Kate has worn many hats in her royal career, and with talents ranging from piano player to photographer to scuba diver, she’s proven that she can take on nearly any challenge. On Wednesday, July 30, the Princess of Wales tapped into her passion for the arts when Kensington Palace announced that she’s curated her own mini display at the V&A museum’s new East Storehouse space in London.
Her “Makers and Creators” display is now on view at the innovative new museum space, which allows visitors to get up close and personal with decorative objects without the traditional barriers of a typical museum. According to Kensington Palace, the princess chose objects “to celebrate past makers and creators, and show how historic objects can influence fashion, design, film, art and creativity today.”
Princess Kate serves as the V&A’s royal patron and visited the new museum space in June. While the palace didn’t share details of why she chose the specific objects in her display, one of the standout pieces is a costume worn in the Royal Ballet’s 1960 production of The Sleeping Beauty. Perhaps the choice was inspired by ballet enthusiast Princess Charlotte, who takes after her grandma Princess Diana with her love of dance.
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A curator is seen arranging objects for the Princess of Wales’s new display at the V&A East Storehouse.
(Image credit: V&A Museum)
Visitors can view Kate’s display through early 2026.
(Image credit: V&A Museum)
The gorgeous white tutu is covered with intricate leaves and flowers, and it’s displayed on a mannequin next to various other objects chosen by the princess, as shown in an Instagram Reel and photos of the exhibition.
The Princess of Wales has attended several ballet performances with Charlotte over the years and even pulled off a special surprise for her daughter at last year’s Together at Christmas concert (with a little help from Prince Louis). During the performance, Princess Charlotte looked delighted as ballet dancers appeared in Westminster Abbey, and Kate shared that she had kept the special dance a secret until that moment—and that Prince Louis had promised not to tell his big sister.
Along with the ballet costume, Princess Kate’s mini display includes some other objects with ties to her life and interests. She included a nod to Wales with quilted bedcover made in Wales in the 1800s, and the nature-loving royal also chose a watercolor of a forest glade created by famed author Beatrix Potter, along with a photo album belonging to Potter’s father. However, Beatrix Potter also has a special meaning for the Wales family, as it was reported to be the theme of Prince George’s nursery.
Other items in the new display include a 15th-century earthenware tile from a church in Somerset, England, a Morris & Co furnishing screen, an oil painting titled “A Woman Holding a Mirror and a Rose” and a Qing dynasty porcelain vase. Visitors to the museum can view Princess Kate’s display as part of the V&A’s free self-guided experience through early 2026.
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