Kate Middleton made her first solo appearance of the year at Wimbledon, wearing a fresh ensemble packed with positive symbolism.

The Princess of Wales, 42, attended the tennis event on July 14, her second appearance since revealing her cancer diagnosis to the world in March. She donned a handmade purple dress from Safiyaa, a London-based premium boutique, for the occasion. The brilliant hue was an homage to the official colors of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, of which she is a patron, as well as one commonly associated with the crown (and a favorite of the late Queen Elizabeth, who was noted for wearing strong colors).

“Kate has a history of choosing clever, whimsical themes for her Wimbledon looks, and this was a new one,” Bethan Holt, Fashion Director at the Daily Telegraph, tells People. “Wearing purple underlines how important that role is to her and why she chose this event to make her second public appearance of the year.”

She goes on: “It’s also the color of courage, which could be a nod to what she is going through.”

“I think she looked glowing and radiant, and it was lovely to see her looking so relaxed,” writes the author of The Duchess of Cambridge: A Decade of Modern Royal Style. “I’m sure a lot of people saw how pleased she was and took comfort from it. She truly is a light of hope for many, but this comes with a lot of pressure.”

“On the flip side, she has a whole team of people helping her, and most people don’t have the resources she has, but I do think just her presence can really lift people’s mood,” she tells us.

Princess Kate paired the classic A-line midi dress with a beige LK Bennett purse, new gold hoop Sabine hoop earrings by By Pariah, and Camilla Elphick’s kitten-heeled slingbacks with pearl-encrusted buckles.

Elphick tells people, “It was very much Kate’s princess outfit in a design that works well for her, and everything seemed very familiar. Although the earrings were a little rougher than normal, it was a stunning ensemble.”

Kate arrived for the Wimbledon finals to a chorus of plaudits from the crowd, and the designers who outfitted her were equally enthusiastic, including Elphick, who was surprised to find Kate wearing her Lucia heels.

“It was very nice to see her wearing the shoes and looking so elegant,” she told the newspaper. “It was a total surprise, and it was very nice for her to choose us as a much smaller brand.”

Elphick, who was watching the tennis event while contacting the brand’s facility in Portugal, said the entire crew was overjoyed, and the enthusiasm transferred to her customers as well.

“Lots of people got in touch yesterday to order the shoes, as well as to share some particularly lovely messages about how great it is that she supports small British brands and how special it was that she was wearing them for that occasion,” she says.

The engagement, which was most likely the last before the Prince and Princess of Wales’ family had some quiet time together during the summer holidays, was a family event, with Kate attending with her sister and daughter, both avid tennis players.

“It was lovely to see her with Princess Charlotte and her sister, Pippa Middleton,” Elphick tells me. “The people supporting her behind the scenes, by her side in public—that was really nice.”