The Princess of Wales and Queen Consort battled the wind as they arrived at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey today.
Kate Middleton, 41, looked dapper in a floral £2,000 Erdem jacket and matching £1,000 skirt as she arrived at the high-profile event with Prince William on Monday afternoon.
The mother-of-three chose a glittering pair of two-tiered flower-shaped earrings that previously belonged to Princess Diana.
The royal avoided a wardrobe disruption as she arrived at the London venue, holding onto her navy blue fascinator as a gust of wind tried to blow it off her head.
Meanwhile, Camilla faced a similar struggle, holding on to her bright blue fascinator as she exited her car at the Abbey.
Today’s service is particularly poignant for the royals as it marks the first time the event has been held since the Queen’s death in September.
The Princess of Wales and Queen Consort battled the wind today as they arrived at the Commonwealth Service at Westminster Abbey today
The Princess of Wales avoided a wardrobe disruption as she arrived at the London venue, clutching her navy blue fascinator as a gust of wind tried to blow it off her head
Both Camilla and Kate Middleton clutched their fascinators as they arrived for the Commonwealth Day service this afternoon
The Princess reached out for her fascinator as she joined Prince William for the service this afternoon
King Charles arrived at the event in good spirits and warmly greeted one of the attendees
Royal mother-of-three Kate opted for an elegant ensemble for today’s performance.
She wore her long brunette tresses in an elegant updo that revealed her late mother-in-law’s earrings, and opted for a touch of makeup for the outing.
Diana was seen wearing the earrings several times before her death in 1997, including attending the Met Gala in New York City in 1996 and during a visit to Canada in 1991.
Now they’ve been passed on to Kate, who previously wore them in June while attending Trooping the Color as part of the Queen’s birthday party.
The Princess appeared in high spirits when she arrived at the Abbey with her husband Prince William.
The Prince and Princess of Wales today joined King Charles and the Queen’s consort Princess Anne and hundreds of dignitaries and schoolchildren for the annual event, which is a key date in the royal calendar.
Meanwhile, the new Duchess of Edinburgh was resplendent in white as she arrived alongside her husband Prince Edward.
Sophie looked stunning in a cream coat with matching accessories as she walked up the steps of the Abbey today.
Today is also the first time the family has come together to celebrate the Commonwealth since Harry and Meghan’s hit Netflix series branded the Commonwealth as ‘Empire 2.0’.
The Commonwealth was established in December 1931 and currently includes 54 countries. According to the Royal Family’s website, the organization’s purpose is to “promote international cooperation and trade relations between people around the world.”
The Princess of Wales sat in the church alongside King Charles, the Queen Consort and Prince William
Prince William and Kate arrived at the service in high spirits, shaking hands and speaking to fellow attendees and guests
The couple, who arrived side-by-side at Westminster, looked relaxed as they stepped out of the wind into the church
In the third episode of the series, author and presenter Afua Hirsh – author of the 2018 memoir Brit(ish) – described the Queen’s beloved Commonwealth as “Empire 2.0” before calling Prince Harry “anti-racist”.
Speaking about institutional racism in the UK, Afua said in the documentary: “Britain has calculated that it must grant independence to these countries in a way that protects its commercial and capitalist interests. So it created this privileged club called the Commonwealth.
“The Commonwealth is still described as a club of friends who share common values. I find this language very problematic.
“I sometimes call the Commonwealth ‘Empire 2.0’ because that’s what it is.”
The Chron’s Diary Editor, who appeared on an episode of Palace Confidential in December, said the couple were “lucky” the late monarch couldn’t catch his TV special, which landed on the streaming platform yesterday morning.
Speaking of the first episodes of the series, Richard said: “It’s almost fortunate that Queen Elizabeth is no longer alive to see this because the Commonwealth was so central to her and brought people together.
“It’s a voluntary organization, while [in the documentary], it is dismissed as that colonial body used by Britain to extract money and resources from the rest of the world. She would have been horrified.”
Meanwhile, the Mail on Sunday editor of Large Charlotte Griffiths pointed out that all filming for the series wrapped in August 2022 – just weeks before the Queen died at the age of 96.
She said: “They planned to do all this because they thought the Queen would be alive to see it […] Thank God she didn’t.”
Meanwhile, Queen Consort Camilla also struggled with the wind whipping up her coat dress as she exited her vehicle
The princess was dressed in Erdem, which has become one of her favorite designers for royal engagements
The royal mother-of-three held tight to her elegant fascinator as she arrived at the service alongside Prince William today
The royal mother-of-three coordinated with her husband in navy blue as they arrived for church service this afternoon
The Princess of Wales was royal in the Navy as she attended the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey today
Meanwhile, the royal mother-of-three’s skirt was blowing in the wind, revealing the white floral detailing on the other side
The Princess of Wales clutched her hat as she arrived at the event for the Commonwealth Service this afternoon
The princess opted for a navy blue ensemble for the occasion and paired her floral outfit perfectly with her fascinator, gloves and heels
Additionally, Charlotte said Meghan’s “attitude towards the Commonwealth seems to have changed dramatically since her marriage in May 2018” when she wore a veil with different symbols to represent each nation.
In response to host Jo Elvin, who recalled Meghan saying in her engagement interview that she was “excited” to visit the Commonwealth countries, Charlotte said: “So she hadn’t done any research before getting married?
“Did she say that? And now she’s done her research? That doesn’t suit Meghan as a person, she’s obviously a very well researched person.
“I just think her whole attitude towards the Commonwealth has changed dramatically, maybe she fully believes what Afua says. I don’t know, but it’s a pretty hard line [to take].’
It comes amid a busy time for Kate and William, who last week praised the communities’ “amazing” fundraiser for families left homeless following the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
Kate, 41, chose to recycle a pleated black Alexander McQueen dress, which she first wore after the Queen’s death to meet well-wishers at Sandringham, for the outing at the Hayes Muslim Center in London.
The couple appeared in good spirits when they arrived at Westminster Abbey before the service this afternoon
Sophie’s white outfit featured black detailing, with a pretty black bow at the back of her fascinator
Sophie looked stunning in a cream coat with matching accessories as she walked up the steps of the Abbey today
Meanwhile, the new Duchess of Edinburgh was resplendent in white as she arrived alongside her husband Prince Edward
Sophie looked stunning in a cream coat with matching accessories as she walked up the steps of the Abbey today
As a sign of respect, the couple removed their shoes and Kate covered her head with a scarf, a black and white veil by Pakistani brand Élan, which is part of a set worn by the mother-of-three when she visited the country in 2019.
During today’s engagement, the couple met with officials at the centre, who have raised over £25,000 for the Turkey-Syria earthquake appeal through bucket raising and other donations after prayers.
The Prince and Princess also joined two pupils at Waldegrave School; Dila Kaya, 14, Lina Alkutubi, 15, and their teacher Natasha Rustam to help create an origami crane, a symbol of hope and healing in difficult times.
And Kate also visited the snowy Salisbury Plain Training Area to take part in a training exercise with the Irish Guards.
Dressed in military garb, boots, gloves and a wool hat, the princess was almost unrecognizable as she dressed in camouflage for the engagement.
With her hair pulled back in a sensible ponytail, Kate managed to look stylish in camouflage as she got stuck in a battlefield casualty drill during her first official service as the new Colonel in the Irish Guards.
She crouched in the snow and held the soldier’s leg while she was shown how to bandage the wound and check the victim’s vital signs during basic first aid training on the battlefield.
As she applied a tourniquet – used to stop heavy bleeding – to his calf, the princess apologized and said, “This is the first time I’ve done this.”