Tonal dressing with a dash of Italian alta moda was the order of the day for the Princess of Wales as she attended church at Sandringham on Christmas morning: she greeted crowds and thanked well-wishers in head-to-toe shades of brown.
But this wasn’t a sludgy, bland brown: think a decadent chocolate tone more Charbonnel et Walker than Cadbury‘s.
A windowpane check coat by Italian brand Blazé Milano was the focal point.
Kate has worn the bespoke coat on four public occasions before this, including to the Christmas service at Sandringham in 2021, but her choice of accessories made the look fresh and different.
Her skirt, too, was a repeat wear – from Gucci’s 2019 resort collection – and, like her coat, it featured a smart check.
The Princess’s favourite bespoke Gianvito Rossi boots completed her trio of Italian fashion houses.
But Kate represented British brands too via her trusty £415 DeMellier London bag, £135 Cornelia James gloves and a £125 Really Wild scarf, which she first wore to Christmas at Sandringham more than a decade ago.
Princess of Wales in a windowpane check coat by Italian brand Blazé Milano
Eugenie, twinning with her sister in a £810 hat by the same milliner and a £370 checked cape coat by Spanish brand-of-the-moment Byan Concept
Princess Beatrice opted for New York brand Cara Cara’s £950 wool trench coat, which she paired with a £2,990 Loro Piana bag and a £1,600 Emily London pillbox
Indeed, the only new thing Kate wore was her hat, by Shrewsbury milliner Juliette Botterill. Featuring delicate felt lace cutouts, it retails for £650.
The finishing touch? Princess Charlotte, ten, perfectly complementing her mother’s chocolate look with a confectionery-inspired hue of her own.
Her caramel coat is thought to be a bespoke mini-me version of a Catherine Walker design Kate has worn many times.
Elsewhere – bar the Queen, who wore an eye-catching red coat by British designer Fiona Clare, a hat by Philip Treacy and a brooch that belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth – there were Christmas checks aplenty.
Princess Beatrice opted for New York brand Cara Cara’s £950 wool trench coat, which she paired with a £2,990 Loro Piana bag and a £1,600 Emily London pillbox.
Eugenie likewise, twinning with her sister in a £810 hat by the same milliner and a £370 checked cape coat by Spanish brand-of-the-moment Byan Concept.
The Duchess of Edinburgh’s £1,990 houndstooth tweed coat was by British brand Suzannah, her hat in the same fabric by esteemed milliner Jane Taylor.