Kate in Catherine Walker for Somber ANZAC Day Service

The Duchess was in a new Catherine Walker coatdress for the ANZAC Day Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey.

Kate and Prince Harry as they arrived for the noon service.

Harry was a “surprise attendee” as his name wasn’t listed in the program. That is because it wasn’t known if he would be a new father at this point, and possibly unable to attend the service. 

Below left, Vice-Admiral Timothy Laurence, head of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and husband of Princess Anne, arrives at the Abbey; on the right, the Duke of Gloucester.

Earlier this morning the Duke attended a service at the Cenotaph. 

The Duke is the Queen’s cousin and Colonel-in-Chief of the New Zealand Army Medical Corps and Colonel-in-Chief of the Australian Army Education Corps. The day also honors sacrifices made by men and women in all wars.

ANZAC Day commemorates the first joint operation for Australian and New Zealand troops in WWI as they landed at Gallipoli in 1915 and encountered brutal fighting. People reports the anniversary has been “…honored in London since the first anniversary of the Anzac landings at Gallipoli in 1916 when King George V attended a service at Westminster Abbey.”

Prince Harry, the Dean, the Duke of Gloucester and the Duchess inside Westminster Abbey before the service got underway.

For those wondering why the Duchess walked behind Prince Harry with the Duke of Gloucester, it is because of William’s absence.

The order in which they walked isn’t the only thing changed by (in this case) Prince William’s absence.

It also impacts who sits where. More via Ainhoa Barcelona’s Hello story:

Because Kate attended without her husband Prince William…  she was relegated to the seat furthest from the altar. Harry, who is sixth-in-line to the throne, sat closest to the altar and directly next to the Duke of Gloucester, who is the Queen’s paternal cousin. Blood royals take precedence over non-blood royals.

More than 120,000 Anzac, British, Indian, French, and Turkish soldiers died in the siege. In its coverage, The Express reports “Its legacy is the celebration of the “Anzac spirit” – courage, endurance, initiative, discipline and mateship – shown by the Antipodean troops.”

This is from the Dean’s Bidding at the start of the service.

New Zealand and Australian forces joined together as ANZAC for the first time. We honour today the bravery and determination of the men at Gallipoli.

The spirit of national pride encourages us, as we bring to mind in particular the recent terrorist attack in Christchurch, New Zealand. We pray for an end to terror and for the triumph of peace.

Prince William is observing ANZAC Day in New Zealand, where he attended a service at the Auckland Museum with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. As noted by The Daily Mail, “The March 15 terror attack has loomed over this year’s commemorations in New Zealand.”

He is in New Zealand to honor those who were killed in March. He is also meeting survivors and their families, along with emergency services personnel. Below, William meeting a five-year-old who survived the attacks. Little Alen Alsati is recovering in Starship Children’s Hospital. She wanted to know if Prince William has a daughter; more in the video.

Alen woke from a coma earlier this week after suffering critical injuries in the attack. pic.twitter.com/XcNAsIw7xt

— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) April 25, 2019

Kensington Palace reported the Duke spent time with Muslim community leaders in Christchurch to thank them for their work bringing the community together following the attacks.

The Duchess of Cambridge, Duke of Gloucester, and Duke of Sussex.

Kate during the service.

The London Māori choir Ngāti Rānana sang How Great Thou Art. ‏ 

Wreaths were laid on the Grave of the Unknown Warrior by the High Commissioner for Australia, George Brandis and New Zealand’s Deputy High Commissioner, David Evans. 

Kate greeting attendees after the service.

The Duchess, Prince Harry and Dr. Hall exiting the Abbey.

This was Dr. Hall’s final ANZAC Day service in his role as Dean of the Abbey; he is retiring this fall.

Now for our look at what Kate wore this afternoon.

We begin with her Catherine Walker coatdress. The product description references “a clever diagonal fastening of dimpled gold buttons adds further interest to this sharp peacock blue coatdress.” It is the ‘Amber’ style with some modifications.

The piece has the fit and flare silhouette Kate is so fond, as well as full-length sleeves and a hemline that hits mid-knee. The Duchess’s version does not have the lapels and open neckline, but a funnel-style collar.

She has opted for self-covered buttons instead of the metallic gold seen in the photos and cut the number of buttons from four to three.

Thoughts on the look from a column by The Telegraph’s acting fashion editor Chloe Mac Donnell.

When it comes to formal dressing, it’s safe to say the Duchess of Cambridge has a tried and tested formula. Before she even emerges from her car or descends the steps of a jet, you can almost guarantee that she will be wearing some form of a knee-length dress or coat. It will be perfectly fitted on the shoulders, featuring a high neckline and nipped in waist.

We all have our favourite silhouettes, pieces we feel most comfortable in and Kate is no different. What’s more, she’s building her public image as a future Queen.

Attending a service for Anzac Day in London… Kate didn’t veer too far from her textbook look. Featuring peaked shoulders and a gently pleated skirt, it ticked all the classic Kate boxes.

The Duchess wore a new chapeau by Rosie Olivia Millinery.

It is the Varick style, a piece that is “…almond-shaped and showcases beautiful pheasant feathers” per the product description. 

It is available for ordering online (£445, about $575 at today’s exchange rates), but expect delivery to take at least 2 to 4 weeks. (My hunch is that time will increase as more people learn about the hat and the designer.)

After attending Central St. Martins, Rosie Olivia interned at both Philip Treacy and Stephen Jones. The company was officially launched in 2011, receiving some funding from the Prince’s Trust. We learn a bit about the milliner’s philosophy from the company’s site:

I love what I do, my favourite thing is to make bespoke hats for ladies who are attending happy event such as weddings or the races. I love meeting with clients, seeing their outfits and actually I really love just making the hats themselves even though they are very time-consuming to make.

Zara Tindall is an enormous fan of the brand, wearing designs by Rosie Olivia to last May’s royal wedding as well as many, many other events.

Pippa Matthews and Princess Beatrice have also been seen sporting Rosie Olivia designs. Below, the designer at Royal Ascot in one of her own creations. 

There is a showroom in Manchester where the company is based, as well as a London showroom. The brand is also carried at Fenwick’s and Get Ahead Hats, both places we know the Duchess has patronized previously.  In this People story, Monique Jessen has reaction from Rosie Olivia to news Kate wore one of her designs.

“I feel so honored that Kate likes my work and that she wanted to wear one of my creations,” Olivia tells PEOPLE from her Hampstead showroom. “As always, she looked stunning and incredibly stylish. I’m so happy!”

Below, another look at the hat as well as Kate’s updo.

The Duchess brought back the Emmy London ‘Rebecca’ pumps first noted at the 2017 St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock Ceremony. The color is called ‘Greenery,’ and the heels are made of kid suede, with a pointed toe and 4.5″ heel ($545).

Kate carried a matching clutch by Emmy. It looks like the Natasha style ($445), also in kid suede. The clutch measures roughly 5″ x 8″ and has a magnetic snap closure.   

My guess is that Kate saw the green in the clutch and heels as a way to bring in the colors in the pheasant feathers from her hat. 

We saw the return of her Kiki McDonough Blue Topaz/Diamond Drop earrings (£2197) and Eden Blue Topaz/Diamond Flower Necklace (£1250). 

Kate also wore a poppy. 

Another look at the Duchess today.

This video is about 3:30.

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Also today, we have new engagements on Kate’s Calendar.

• Wednesday, May 1: Kate will visit the Anna Freud Centre to officially open the organization’s new Centre of Excellence. The Duchess will also visit the Pears Family School in its new building and meet with children and their families participating in a music class.

• Wednesday, May 8: The Duke and Duchess will visit North Wales “…to meet individuals and organisations in the region who are encouraging people to look after their communities and protect the natural environment.”
  • The first stop is the Caernarfon Coastguard Search and Rescue Helicopter Base.
  • From Caernarfon, the couple will travel to Anglesey to visit Halen Môn Anglesey Sea Salt, a thriving local business which has been operating for over two decades and won the Queen’s Awards for Sustainability in 2017. They will meet crew members who worked with the Duke when he was based at RAF Valley.

LINKAGE:

• Westminster Abbey’s site is here; its story about today’s service is here; you can see the Order of Service by clicking here;
• Rebecca Perring’s story for The Express is here; a piece from The Daily Mirror is here; Rebecca English’s Daily Mail story is here;
• People’s primary story is here; Monique Jessen’s People piece about Rosie Olivia is here; Ainhoa Barcelona’s Hello! story is here;  Chloe Mac Donnell’s Telegraph column is here;