The Cambridge Family is Festive for Queen’s Christmas Lunch & the 2020 What Kate Wore Calendar is Here!

The Duchess was in festive red tartan for the Queen’s Christmas luncheon today.

Another view as Kate left Kensington Palace.

As always for this occasion, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis joined both of their parents for the festivities at Buckingham Palace.  

The two future kings arrived together, with George in the front seat alongside his father.

While the Duchess drove Charlotte and Louis.

More about the event itself from The Telegraph’s coverage (the first paragraph references the Queen):

On Wednesday, she will hold the last Christmas event at Buckingham Palace before she heads to Sandringham until February – a traditional “all the trimmings” lunch for her extended family, typically between 40 to 50  people.

For this cherished occasion, held in the Marble Hall, three large fir trees are dressed in ornate garlands and “crown and carriage” ornaments. Attendees are seated at round tables and pull crackers before being served a Sandringham-bred turkey lunch.

In 2017, the Duchess of Cambridge pulled a cracker with Prince Charles, put on the paper party hat found inside and read out a joke.

A host of other royals attended, including the Prince of Wales.
And the Duchess of Cornwall.

Below, Princess Anne and husband Sir Timothy Laurence. 

Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall with her husband Mike Tindall and daughter Mia visible in the back seat. Not seen, Mia’s younger sister, Lena, and a woman believed to be the family’s new nanny.  

Mr. Tindall spoke about the day on a rugby podcast. A Daily Mail story offers more:

He told how he sat with his uncle-in-law Prince Charles, 71, at Buckingham Palace and described the annual event as ‘lovely’.

‘…the family lunch, there must be about 70 of us there – there are seven tables and then the kiddies have their own little one in a different room,’ he said while being quizzed by fellow ex-rugby star James Haskell and host Alex Payne.

Sophie, Countess of Wessex and Lady Louise. (Prince Edward arrived separately with James, Viscount Severn, the couple’s younger child.) 

Princess Eugenie and husband Jack Brooksbank. 

Lady Gabriella Kingston (née Windsor) and her husband Thomas Kingston. You may remember the couple’s wedding in Windsor last May.

Another view of the Duchess today as she arrived. You can see Prince Louis in the back seat.

In this photo taken as the family was headed home, you can see Charlotte in the middle of the back seat and just a bit of Prince George’s head.We’ll have coverage of what Kate wore shortly, but first, our other news today involves the family’s Christmas card. It was shared on Twitter by Air Commodore Dawn McCafferty, CBE, Commandant of the Air Cadets. The Duchess is Royal Patron of the Cadets. 

A closer look at the new family photo; it looks like it might have been taken during the family’s Mustique vacation this August.

If you look at the card you’ll notice almost everyone is on a vintage motorcycle. Charlotte is in the sidecar, George looks like he is standing on the fender and Louis is held on the seat by his father while the Duchess stands next to the classic bike. The Daily Mail has more:

The inclusion of the vintage motorcycle – which appears to be a Rickman Metisse – this year may well have been Prince William’s idea, as the duke is a huge motorbike fan.

According to the 2005 documentary Chasing the Royals, William’s dangerous hobby used to scare his loved ones – especially Kate – to death. He famously rode around London on the eve of his wedding in April 2011.

You may remember last year’s card featured the family of five outdoors at their country estate, Anmer Hall. 

Now for our look at what Kate wore to today’s luncheon and in the Christmas card photo.  First, today’s red tartan Emilia Wickstead look. 

We have seen the Duchess in this pattern before, worn to last year’s Christmas party for the RAF at The Orangery at Kensington Palace. 

Kate’s skirt in the ‘Anni Tartan’ pattern was from Emilia Wickstead’s AW ’18 collection.

As we pointed out in last year’s post, the striking red motif was used throughout the a/w ’18 collection and it’s possible the Duchess is wearing the Anni Tartan Georgette Midi Dress ($1325) from that line, seen below left. 

Here is a closer look at the shoulders and collar from what the Duchess is wearing alongside the actual off-the-rack piece. You’ll note Kate’s sleeves are not sheer like those seen on the dress.   

The always-savvy Elizabeth of Kate’s Closet suggests this may be a blouse made to go with the skirt, a good possibility.  Or, it may be the dress modified per Kate’s wishes; we won’t know until we see the item again, no photos of today’s party will be released. Many thanks to The Daily Mail’s Caroline Parr and Laura for their ID work today.

The Duchess accessorized with her Cassandra Goad Cavolfiore Pearl Cluster Earrings (£4490, about $5900 at today’s exchange rates).  Below, we show the earrings when worn to another event. They are 18-carat yellow gold, each featuring seven pearls set with diamonds. 

In photos showing the Duchess headed home after lunch, you can see she has removed the earrings.

Now to the family’s Christmas card look. Kate appeared to be wearing a dress by Boden, the British brand’s Aurora Midi Wrap Dress in heron blue ($180, on sale for $90). 

Made of 100% viscose that is described as crinkly, the piece has a bit of a boho and/or prairie dress feel. It is a wrap-style design and features three-quarter sleeves, gathers at the shoulders, a back yoke, self-belt that ties at the waist, a tiered skirt, and a length that hits mid-calf according to the product details. Below, a closer look at the print reveals the texture of the material and the tiny flowers in the print. It is fully lined in polyester and can be machine-washed on the gentle cycle. 

Thanks for this ID go to Valerie Nijssen!

We will have full details posted shortly on what the children were wearing on sister site What Kate’s Kids Wore.

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One other quick item today: the 2020 What Kate Wore Calendar is now available! We’re privileged to partner once again with Royal Photographer Mark Stewart (many of you know him as Regal Eyes on Twitter). Mark’s work is just gorgeous and we couldn’t be happier to showcase his stunning photos in the calendar. As always, we include our ‘Many Faces of Kate’ page along with all the info on what Kate wore in Mark’s photos.  

We include important dates for the Royal Family, and previous/next month thumbnails. The calendar measures roughly 11″ by 16″ when open and hanging on your wall. It is available in limited quantities here. We’re behind schedule this year because of my little medical hiccup and some other circumstances, but we’re shipping orders within 18-24 hours of the orders being placed.

We’ll see you in a few days!

LINKAGE:

• The Daily Mail’s primary coverage of the luncheon is here; The Mail’s article on the family’s Christmas card is here; The Daily Express story is here
• a Hello! piece on the luncheon is here; Stephanie Petit’s People story is here; Harry Mount’s entire Telegraph article with details on Christmas at Sandringham is here