The Duchess in Dolce & Gabbana for Remembrance Sunday

The Duchess wore Dolce and Gabbana for today’s Remembrance Sunday ceremonies.

The annual event honors servicemen and women killed in all conflicts since the First World War.

Kate with Princess Alexandra, the Queen’s cousin.

There was a significant change to the service this year.

More from Richard Palmer’s story in The Express:

In a historic transfer of royal duties, the 91-year-old monarch stood beside Prince Philip, 96, on a Foreign Office balcony and let Prince Charles lay the first wreath on behalf of his mother as the nation came to a standstill.

More from Mr. Palmer’s story:

Her role on Remembrance Sunday has since 1952 embodied her place at the heart of the nation as head of state, head of the Armed Forces, and supreme governor of the Church of England.

The Duke of Edinburgh and HM.

Guests watch from other balconies at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Kate and Sophie; the Countess was elegant in black and navy.

Kate singing a hymn and observing the ceremony.

The scene at the Cenotaph, the war memorial in Whitehall, London, just before 11 am.

Prince Charles, Princess Anne, the Duke of Kent, Prince William, Prince Edward, and you can just see Prince Harry, as the royals arrive for today’s ceremony.

The Prince of Wales placing Her Majesty’s wreath on the memorial.

From the left: the Earl of Wessex, Princess Anne, and the Duke of Kent.

Other royals, dignitaries, and designated service personnel also lay wreaths. Below, Harry and William.

After a 2-minute silence and the ceremony’s conclusion, thousands of veterans from World War II and more recent conflicts march past the Cenotaph to Horse Guards Parade.

It was sunny but chilly in London.

The Chelsea Pensioners in their distinctive coats and hats; all are retired British Army soldiers.

Prince Edward takes the salute as veterans march by.

I am forever grateful that I get to look through these magnificent photos of veterans every Remembrance Sunday.

They represent all branches of the military.

They served in such different times and places. 

The expressions on their faces are amazing.

There are even 4-legged participants.

Now we make a tough turn to the topic of what Kate wore for the ceremony.

The Duchess was in a new coat by Dolce and Gabbana.

The Collarless Long Coat is made from a silk/wool blend. It features a round neckline, fitted bodice, and front pocket flaps. It has long been sold out. Our thanks to Heaven QRF on Twitter and Michelle of Perth’s Fashion for their ID of the coat. This is a piece I don’t think I would have discovered on my own.

Kate was carrying a new clutch, black with white gold piping at the edges. Thank you to Trisha on the Facebook page for mentioning the bag, I almost forgot about it! The consensus is that it’s another Emmy bag for the Duchess, the Natasha in black with gold piping ($475). Thank you to all on Twitter and the Facebook page who pointed out the similarities! We do not have confirmation it is by Emmy, and hope to hear sometime Monday if it is their bag. (See note below.)

UPDATE Dec 4: We have not heard back and are now leaning away from the Emmy style. The flap on the Natasha is longer, and comes down further on the front of the bag than that on Kate’s bag. 

Many recognized Kate’s Philip Treacy hat immediately. It was worn when Prince William passed out of Sandhurst in 2006, and again at Remembrance Sunday 2012.

Cornelia James confirms the Duchess was wearing the firm’s Beatrice gloves ($92).

It’s been several months since we’ve seen Kate wearing gloves; she owns two styles by Cornelia James, the Beatrice, and the Imogen. The company is a royal warrant holder; it has been glove manufacturer to the Queen since 1979.

Kate wore her Oscar de la Renta Sun Star earrings ($175). 

Kate wore the brooch with three poppies we have seen previously.

My guess is each represents a family member who served: Prince William, her grandfather, and her grandmother, who was a codebreaker at Bletchley Park. Below, the Duchess wearing the pin last year and again today.

For those interested in Kate’s ‘faux bob’ hairstyle, here is a fab link to a Daily Telegraph story shared by Bonnie, using Amal Clooney’s recent style as an example.

We’ll leave you with this Sky News video of HM laying wreaths at the Cenotaph.

The Queen has laid wreaths on #RemembranceSunday for more than 60 years, but this year the tradition changed pic.twitter.com/IzDghREg98

— Sky News (@SkyNews) November 12, 2017

LINKAGE:

• Richard Palmer’s full story in The Express may be seen here; The Telegraph’s story is here; The Sun’s photo gallery is here; The Daily Mail’s coverage is here; The Evening Standard’s story is here