Kate and other royals were somber in black for today’s Remembrance Sunday ceremonies in London.
Above we see Kate with Sophie of Wessex. Many readers will recognize the coat worn last year to the ceremony, it is by Diane von Furstenburg.
Today’s ceremony commemorates the Armistice ending World War I, it was signed at the ‘eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month’ in 1918. Remembrance Sunday is always observed on the second Sunday in November.
Earlier today services were held in Afghanistan, Prince Harry is one of thousands serving there.
In London it was a bright, sunny day. Royal photographer Mark Stewart tweeted this photo of crowds gathering at the Cenotaph.
More from the Daily Mail:
The first stroke of Big Ben at 11am and the firing of a gun from Horse Guards Parade by The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery marked the start of two minutes of silence, which was followed by The Last Post, sounded by the Buglers of the Royal Marines.
The Queen was the first to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph.
Princess Anne was in uniform and laid a wreath honoring the Navy, Prince William laid a wreath for the RAF.
A bit of background on the Cenotaph: located in Whitehall, it was initially created as a temporary structure for a parade ending WWI, but ultimately re-built as a permanent war memorial.
For those with mobility issues there are others ways to move around and take part in today’s ceremony.
Readers may also noticed that Kate’s hat was familiar, here is another look.
It is the Philip Treacy hat worn with her red Armani coat for William’s passing out ceremony at Sandhurst in 2006.
For those not as familiar with that 2006 event, here is a full-length shot.
Today’s coat is a 2008 piece by Diane von Furstenberg, it is 100% wool, with soutache trim on the detachable collar and cuffs, double breasted styling, storm flaps, decorative buttons and other design features the Duchess is fond of.
Here we see Kate with the Duchess of Cornwall watching last year’s ceremonies.
Here is a more detailed look at the trim on the collar and cuffs, once again Kate elected to leave off the detachable cuff trim.
UPDATED: Kate’s gloves are from Black in the UK, the Ladies Black Bow Cocktail gloves.
UPDATE #2 DEC 7, 2012: We have been advised the gloves are not by Black, but instead, by Cornelia James. Kate was actually wearing the company’s “Pure Wool Glove with Side Bow,” described as “Short pure wool glove with side bow. Very 50’s.” I have included another color in the photos below to ensure a better look at the bow detail.
These come in a broad range of colors, they run £52, roughly $80 at today’s exchange rate. It should be no surprise these are by Cornelia James, more on the company history from its website:
We are glove manufacturers by appointment to Her Majesty the Queen. Our association with the Queen goes back to 1947 when Norman Hartnell, who had been asked to make the young Princess going away outfit following her marriage to Prince Philip, asked Cornelia to make the gloves that she would wear.
In 1979 we were granted a Royal Warrant and have held it ever since.
Kate’s gloves are available on the company’s site.
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Kate wore her poppy from the Royal British Legion’s Poppy Shop.
It is the Buckley Brooch, also worn by the Duchess on her black Temperley ‘Amoret‘ gown to Thursday’s Saint Andrews gala.
The brooch is available, it runs £24.99, delivery in the UK is £2.95, good news for international customers, worldwide shipping is £6.95.
Thursday the Queen paid a visit to The Poppy Factory, the charity is celebrating its 90th Anniversary. This year more than 12 million poppies and 107,000 wreaths were made by hand (!) for Remembrance Sunday.
The Poppy Factory is an amazing story in itself:
Since 1922, The Poppy Factory (originally called the Disabled Society) has been employing wounded, sick and injured ex-Service personnel in its Factory.
Major George Howson MC, who served on the Western Front, set up The Disabled Society in 1922 in the Old Kent Road with the sole purpose of producing poppies, with the workforce being severely wounded veterans from WW1.
In recent years, The Poppy Factory has transformed itself into a thoroughly modern charity. As well as providing work for veterans at its HQ in Richmond, The Poppy Factory uses its unique expertise to help its clients find employment with many commercial organisations all over the UK.
The Queen is no stranger to the facility, this was her third visit to the Factory.
Today is also Veteran’s Day in the United States.
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Three appointments have been added to the calendar:
1) November 27: Kate will attend the grand opening of the Natural History Museum’s new Treasures Gallery, event info here
2) December 12: It’s another black tie event for the Duchess, she will be at the London premiere of the Hobbit, the event benefits the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund
3) December 9: William and Kate will be attending this year’s British Military Tournament.
More on the program and its purpose.
The Tournament exists to raise much-needed funds to support the brave men and women of our Armed Forces as well as their families. By attending you are helping the three national charities of the British Armed Forces – The Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity, ABF The Soldiers’ Charity and The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund. They work together to be there for each and every member of our military family.
It looks like an extraordinary and enjoyable event. A few of this year’s acts:
- The bands of the Royal Marines, the Household Cavalry, the Royal Artillery and the Royal Air Force, the gymnasts of the Royal Navy performing their celebrated Window Ladder display and the Queen’s Colour Squadron of the Royal Air Force presenting its drill display.
- Over 150 horses including the iconic Musical Drive of the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery and Musical Ride of the Household Cavalry, the Light Cavalry Honourable Artillery Company and the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars.
- The largest massed bagpipe band seen at Earls Court since the Second World War.
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Also, Kate was seen out and about yesterday, following a stop at Harvey Nichols, PopSugar has several pictures here. The Duchess was in black tip-to-toe,
UPDATED:It now appears the shoes are indeed the Kurt Geiger Estee, with thanks to Ashley for her determination in following through on this particular ID. There is now debate about the shoes actually being Kurt Geiger’s, we will update when we have more info about the shoes. Kate was sporting a pair of Kurt Geiger suede courts (pumps) in black, the shoe features a 3-1/2″ heel. At this point the shoe is only available in very limited sizes at Selfridge’s, House of Fraser and Kurt Geiger. Harrod’s has a broader size range (£140), and they do ship internationally, but delivery is pricier (£25) than other shops. (Although if you’re in the UK, delivery is free.)
Kate carried her rich grey Tod’s D-styled bag as well, the contemporary version is “D Styling,” this one is definitely an investment piece.
Kate also wore that black coat we’ve yet to identify, seen previously when Kate and William had a night out with Pippa and others at Loulous in Mayfair early in October.
LINKAGE:
- Learn more about the Natural History Museum’s Treasures gallery, as well as the grand opening event with the Duchess and Sir David Attenborough November 27 by clicking here
- Visit the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund website, the beneficiary of the December 12 Hobbit film premiere Kate is attending, another black tie event for the Duchess
- Learn more about Remembrance Sunday from the British Foreign Legion
- Support the Legion via the group’s online Poppy Shop
- Read the Telegraph‘s story on “The making of a Remembrance Sunday wreath“
- Learn more about the National Memorial Arboretum, the UK’s Centre of Remembrance
- Watch the BBC’s story on today’s ceremonies here, it is a wonderful piece
We’ll see you this week, we will be doing an amazing giveaway with one of Kate’s favorite brands that I think you will love.
Me
Wednesday 21st of November 2012
This is a beautiful coat and I do love the way Kate recycles, but I kind of wish she wouldn't have worn the same garment to the same event two years in a row. I much prefer recycling in terms of what she's done with the hat--let enough time pass to make it seem fresh again.
Anne
Monday 19th of November 2012
Love the mobility scooter squdron :)
Colleen
Wednesday 14th of November 2012
I love this coat and was happy to see it again. Kate's style is classic. It is nice to see a young person dress conservatively. I enjoy this blog and follow her style choices. Thank you to the bloggers for creating this site.
melissa
Monday 12th of November 2012
I love this hat with the DVF dress she looks lovely and so does the countess.
Juzz
Monday 12th of November 2012
A thought that may be way off, but I'm going to put it out there anyway... Do you think the black top with the lacey cut-out detail centre front which Kate wore under the red Armani coat to Wills' passing out parade could possibly be the SAME top she recently wore under the dark red Paul Ka skirt suit to London's Middle Temple?
Love your work as always Susan :-)
AshleyOlivia
Monday 12th of November 2012
I'm not a super sleuth when it comes to ID-ing (I leave that to the professionals, like Susan!), but the two shells don't match from the close-ups I've seen on this blog. If you refer to Susan's post about the Paul Ka ensemble, you can see that the shell is not simply black; there is some white or cream in the crochet. In the Armani coat outfit, the shell is entirely black.