Kate in Familiar Pieces for Church at Balmoral

NOTE: Apologies to those who received this post when it was initially created on the 20th. This is the 2nd of 2 posts that were not transferred in the process of making changes to the site, so I have to re-post them.

++Original Post++

The Duchess wore styles we have seen before for church services today at Balmoral, the Queen’s Scottish estate.

Kate was seen with other members of the royal family as they drove to Crathie Kirk, the royal family’s place of worship when at Balmoral.

More from The Daily Mail:

Her Majesty the Queen…was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh this morning. The monarch, who was dressed in an elegant terracotta ensemble, appeared to be in high spirits chatting animatedly on her way to church.

Also joining them today were Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall who took their own car to the venue.

Prince Edward, who was joined by Zara and Mike Tindall were not far behind, seen sharing a joke as Edward drove them to Crathie Kirk.

Below, Balmoral Castle.

Balmoral Castle & Estate

Back to The Daily Mail story.

Balmoral, which was bought by Prince Albert for £32,000 in 1852, is said to be the Queen’s favourite home.

During her stay at the castle, she relaxes by going for walks on the Aberdeenshire estate, eating picnics and cooking barbecues.

The Queen famously enjoys a more low-key existence while staying at the Scottish retreat – with her former royal protection officer Richard Griffin recently revealing that she had a conversation with unsuspecting American tourists visiting the estate while dressed in tweeds and a scarf.

And from a Vogue story:

Queen Elizabeth II often horseback rides or drives her beloved Range Rover over its rugged terrain—sometimes with terrified dignitaries inside. The rest of her family enjoys fishing, hunting, picnicking, and barbecuing.

Here you see Kate with the Queen last year.

© Peter Jolly/REX/Shutterstock

Many will recognize Kate’s coat, the ‘Celeste’ style from Hobbs. In fact, she has worn the coat at Balmoral before; below you see the Duchess on her way to services in September of 2015.

The coat is from the Hobbs 2011 collection. We first saw the Duchess wearing it in February of 2012 for engagements in Liverpool, and she has worn it on many occasions since then.

For those wondering about a wool coat in August, evidently, it was quite cool in Scotland this morning. This is from The Express: ” The August sunshine was not apparent this morning as the royals piled into their waiting cars to be taken back to Balmoral.“

It looked like Kate was in her Addison dress by royal favorite LK Bennett. It was first worn when the Obamas visited Kensington Palace in April 2016. The frock features a fitted waist, full skirt and sheer sleeves.

We have also seen Kate’s hat before; it is a John Lock & Co. design initially seen at the unveiling of the Iraq Afghanistan Memorial in London in March of this year.

©NunnRota/NunnSyndication/Polaris

As noted in our March post, the ‘Breakfast at Tiffanys‘ style is described this way: “This ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ hat is a style saviour. The stunning, lipped drop-brim and wide Petersham band make this hat a real classic which is perfect for dressier social engagements.” Below, a closer look.

While on the topic of hats, we have news about a milliner Kate has long favored, Jane Corbett; she announced last week she is retiring from the hat business.

Jane Corbett Millinery Facebook

I have long been a fan of her work; she has created some terrific hats for the Duchess (and many others). Those designs include styles worn on Christmas Day 2011, at Remembrance Sunday 2014, and Order of the Garter 2012.

If interested in an in-depth look at Kate’s many Jane Corbett styles, you’ll enjoy this post by Jane at From Berkshire to Buckingham.

Ms. Corbett is turning her talents to creating art of a different kind, working in mixed media. The following is from her website.

Having originally studied Fine Art at Newcastle Upon Tyne University Jane worked with artists and curators in museums and galleries both in the UK and in Kenya before retraining and working as couture milliner for many years before returning to full time art practice. New skills being explored include glass and resin casting and silicon mould making.

Studio work includes sculptures and wall pieces in wax, plaster, concrete, wire, porcelain and textiles.

We wish Ms. Corbett the best; you can visit her art Facebook page here and website here.

Apologies for the lack of better photos of Kate at Balmoral today; The Daily Mail has more here, and The Express has a few as well.

UPDATE: Initially the post attributed Kate’s hat to Jane Corbett. Thanks to those pointing out I misidentified the piece; it is a Lock and Company design. (Beats head against wall.)