Merry Christmas to all those celebrating today! We have two outfits to cover in this post: the ensemble worn for church today and the look seen in a video the Princess taped as part of the Christmas carol concert that aired last night. We’ll begin with the outfit worn for the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham.
The King and Queen led a full complement of royal family members to St. Mary Magdalene Church.
From The Telegraph’s coverage.
The King and Queen led the way smiling at more than 2,000 wellwishers who had gathered to watch the traditional procession of royals to church, with many waiting hours to get a prime spot.
For much of the walk, Prince Louis held hands with Mia Tindall.
A closer look at the pair.
Embed from Getty Images
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh.
And their children, James, the Earl of Wessex, and Lady Louise Windsor.
Embed from Getty Images
More from the BBC’s coverage.
Royal enthusiasts lined the route to the church to catch a glimpse of the family during their traditional Christmas morning – some from as far afield as Washington DC, USA.
For ardent fans of the royal family, Sandringham is the place to be on Christmas Day. Hundreds wake up early and queue outside the church gates for a chance to see senior royals up close and personal.
Princess Anne and her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.
Embed from Getty Images
The Duke and Duchess of York. This is the first time in decades that Sarah, Duchess of York, was invited to participate in the event.
Embed from Getty Images
We return to The Telgraph’s report.
It has been decades since the Duchess of York made the walk from Sandringham House to St Mary Magdalene Church with royals – normally reserved for close family – but in recent years it is thought she has been a guest for Christmas lunch.
She has won plaudits in recent months for her battle with breast cancer, praised for speaking openly about her treatment and setting an example for other women to get screened.
Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi. Embed from Getty Images
Princess Eugenie and her husband, Jack Brooksbank.
Embed from Getty Images
Mike, Zara, and Lena Tindall.
Embed from Getty Images
From left to right, Charles Armstrong-Jones, Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, and their father, David Armstrong-Jones (2nd from right), the Earl of Snowdon and Princess Margaret’s son. I believe the gentleman on the far right is Major Lt. Colonel Johnny Thompson, the King’s equerry. (Thank you to Sue for letting me know he was no longer a major!)
The Chatto boys, Arthur and Samuel, and their mother, Lady Sarah Chatto, Princess Margaret’s daughter. Also present, but not shown in this photo, is Lady Sarah’s husband, Daniel Chatto.
The King and Queen with the vicar, Reverend Canon Dr. Paul Williams.
Embed from Getty Images
The Princess and her sons following today’s service.
After the service, royal family members greeted well-wishers. Embed from Getty Images
The King with members of the public.
Embed from Getty Images
The Queen meets a four-legged friend.
Embed from Getty Images
Crowds eager to see the royals in person started gathering early this morning.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
Embed from Getty Images
More about today’s crowds from The Telegraph’s story.
The Prince and Princess of Wales were handed flowers and their three children were given personalised wooden moneyboxes by royal fan Gemma Clark, 43. Ms Clark gives the royal children presents each Christmas – and last year handed the young Waleses novelty toys known as “gonks”.
She said: “The children were very sweet and said thank you and Happy Christmas. They always seem to like my presents.”
The Princess of Wales was heard asking her youngest son what the wooden gift was. “It’s a money box,” said Prince Louis. “Oh that’s so cool, isn’t it,” his mother replied.
The Duchess of Edinburgh and her daughter.
Embed from Getty Images
The Princess chatting with a little girl who brought her flowers.
Mia Tindall helped the Princess with flowers.
Embed from Getty Images
Princess Charlotte and Mia Tindall.
Embed from Getty Images
Now, let’s take a look at some of the styles seen today. The Queen wore a camel cashmere coat and a paisley silk dress by Anna Valentine, and a beret by Philip Treacy. Thank you to Rebecca English for the fashion details.
With thanks to UFO No More, the Duchess of Edinburgh wore a coat by Claire Mischevani today.
Embed from Getty Images
At least four family members wore the same scarf today. Below, Princess Anne.
Embed from Getty Images
And Lady Louise.
Embed from Getty Images
My friend Micki messaged to say it was the Prince of Wales Highgrove Heritage Scarf (£115) in ultrafine Merino wool.
Micki’s theory is that the King may have given the scarf as a Christmas gift to family members, which makes sense. Milliner Jane Taylor posted on Instagram that Lady Louise wore her trilby in “midnight luxury felt with gunmetal crystal trim.”
Princess Charlotte was in a coat by Friki, a Spanish brand, the English Coat ($229) in dark olive green. Thank you to Found by Bojana for this ID.
Embed from Getty Images
The double-breasted style is handmade in Spain of 100% wool.
She also had on her Manuela de Juan Mimi Mary Janes (€128, about $140) in black patent leather.
It looked like Prince Louis wore the same tartan trousers his big brother wore in a Dec 2019 video and photo shoot, along with his Trotters Heritage Pea Coat.
Now for our look at what Kate wore, featuring a few designs you have seen before but in different colors.
If the coat looked familiar, it is with good reason: the Princess wore it in green for welcome ceremonies in Boston last November. It is a bespoke Alexander McQueen piece in a structured style with notched lapels, flap pockets, an inset waistband with buttons, sleeve bands, and a back vent.
The Princess accessorized with Juliette Botterill’s Bow and Arrow Percher hat (£600, roughly $760 at today’s exchange rates) crafted in peachbloom felt and trimmed with a bow and two arrow feathers. It is available in a variety of colors and “is worn on a slim headband and hat elastic in your choice of hair colour.” The Princess wore this style in black when celebrating St. David’s Day with the Welsh Guards (below right).
The Princess brought back the custom Gianvito Rossi boots first noted last December at a Westminster Abbey tree planting. The style closest in design to the Princess’s boots is the Glen ($1017, 40% off), but it has a rounded toe, not a point-toe style like the pairs made for the Princess.
It looks like the Princess carried her Natasha Clutch in Lake ($440) by go-to brand Emmy London.
The Princess wore the diamond and sapphire cabochon cluster earrings that belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales.
Thank you to the House of Windsor and Sarah’s Secret for their ID work today.
Here is a look at the Princess’s previous Christmas ensembles. In 2013, we saw two ensembles because the Duchess of Cambridge attended both morning services at St. Mary Magdalene. In 2020, there were no services because of the pandemic, and in 2021, the Cambridge family attended services at Sandringham, but there were limited photos of the family as they drove to church.
Also today, a new photo of the Wales children was released on the Kensington Palace social media accounts with this message.
The photo was shot by Josh Shinner, who also took the image used for the family’s Christmas cards.
Next, the cheery red ensemble worn by the Princess for a Christmas tea taped earlier in the month for inclusion in last night’s “Royal Carols: Together At Christmas” on ITV.
More from The Standard’s article.
The video shows Kate feature as part of a surprise Christmas tea party to celebrate the contribution people are making in shaping future generations.
In the footage, the princess asks Rico: “Seeing and building this relationship with Mr Gray, has it helped you with your own relationships with your friends?”
A video has been released showing Kate meeting 13-year-old Rico and Russell Gray, 70, and discussing how Mr. Gray has helped by building Rico’s confidence and allowing him to pursue his passion in football in Manchester. Rico replied: “It’s like, brought trust because if you can trust one person then you trust more people.”
Below, Rico, the Princess, and Mr. Gray.
And from The Daily Mail’s coverage.
The special was filmed last month in London, and Kate Middleton spent time hearing how those around the table had helped to inspire young people; they were accompanied by five children whose lives had been helped by positive mentors….guests at the gathering are seen looking wide-eyed with shock as Kate, 41, quietly enters the room through a side door.
Below, the Princess with Brenda Ford, and 11-year-old Poppy. Ms. Ford is a retired mental health nurse from Sussex who volunteers in local schools, helping children develop new skills through their intergenerational program.
Here is a clip of the video.
We return to The Daily Mail’s piece.
The Princess also met brothers George and Henry Barnard, aged 12 and 10, who have benefited from musical therapy at East Anglia Children’s Hospice, where Kate is Patron.
The royal spoke to the brothers for fifteen minutes about their love of music, sharing that Prince George enjoys the guitar, Princess Charlotte loves singing, and Prince Louis is a fan of the drums.
The Princess then gave the boys ‘beautifully wrapped presents’, which they are saving for Christmas Day.
Here, you see George and Henry Barnard on the right, with Ray Travasso (far left), a music therapist at East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices. Mr. Travasso provided music therapy to Henry and his family after Henry was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy when he was 18 months old.
The Princess brought back the Miu Miu Cashmere Jacquard Cotton-Trim Cardigan (£1350, no longer available) worn for a shoot promoting the 2021 carol concert (shown below).
The jacquard-woven cardigan features white and black roses in a diamond pattern. It has domed buttons covered in faux pearls, a detachable cotton collar, and cotton cuffs.
A closer look at the details.
The Princess paired the sweater with coordinating red trousers that could be the Alexander McQueen Leaf Crepe Slim Bootcut Pants ($890) worn for the Shaping Us campaign launch in January. She also repeated her Cassandra Goad Cavolfiore Pearl Stud Earrings (£5430, about $6900 at today’s exchange rates. They are shown here when worn on another occasion.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
One other item of note today comes via a story by Rebecca English in The Daily Mail.
The Prince and Princess of Wales will make a high-profile visit to Rome in the spring as part of a European charm offensive.
It will be Kate’s first working trip abroad in over a year, and the couple’s first to Italy.
While Kensington Palace has not officially announced the trip, the Mail can reveal talks are under way at the highest level and a date has been ‘pencilled in’.
I’ll keep an eye out for more details on the trip.
VIDEOS:
The Wales family greeting well-wishers after the service.
Mia helping the Princess of Wales with the flowers ☺️ pic.twitter.com/qNjT4VReyl
— ChristinZ (@ChristinsQueens) December 25, 2023
Here is more than two minutes of coverage from ITN’s Royal Family Channel.
The King’s full Christmas Day speech can be seen here.
The Evening Standard has about 1:30 of coverage in this video.