After Barbie pink took over the world in 2023, some of us needed more than a little bit of a detox. But this year, its softer cousin, powder pink, is having a moment, as seen on many of the spring/summer 2025 runways. As one of the most stylish members of the Royal Family, it's no surprise Duchess Sophie is embracing this summer's most wearable alternative to butter yellow, as she showed at a June 4 museum exhibition drawing attention to one of her most important causes.
The Duchess of Edinburgh wore a pale pink maxi dress by Gabriela Hearst to visit the Imperial War Museum's Unsilenced: Sexual Violence in Conflict exhibit—the first of its kind in the U.K. The soft, feminine color was especially poignant for the duchess's outing as she learned more about the history of sexual violence against women from World War I through the present.
She paired the three-quarter sleeve shirt dress with an extra punch of powder pink in the form of two Monica Vinader rose quartz stacking rings, adding a $5,250 Asprey oak leaf bracelet. And while she's worn her powder pink dress once before, in 2023, her shoes have seen much more royal action. The Duchess of Edinburgh traded the espadrille wedges she wore earlier this week for a pair of nude Jimmy Choo pumps she's worn more than 25 times in the past two years.
Sophie—who supports the UN's Women, Peace and Security agenda and the U.K.’s Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative—said, "We must do better" after seeing the exhibit, per the Daily Mail. Some of the displays featured shocking imagery, and speaking to curators, the duchess said that it was important survivors' voices were heard. "This is about them, their voice matters," she said.
Duchess Sophie has proven to be the Royal Family's secret weapon, stepping up to take on a greater workload of duties after her beloved mother-in-law Queen Elizabeth's death. Her work spreading awareness about the use of sexual violence in conflict has become a cause close to her heart—but one that she'd rather not have to highlight.
"It's a privilege," she said at the museum, adding, "If we could all do ourselves out of a job…it would be great."
