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The Duchess is Festive for ‘Together At Christmas’ Carol Service

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The Duchess of Cambridge wore a vibrant red Catherine Walker coatdress for tonight’s Royal Carols: Together At Christmas concert at Westminster Abbey. 

The Abbey posted a video of the Duke and Duchess arriving. 

The Duchess spearheaded the event, designed to recognize and honor the work of individuals and organizations across the UK who have supported their communities through the COVID-19 pandemic.

A host of royals attended the service. Below, Sophie, Countess of Wessex.

Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi.

Princess Eugenie and Mike and Zara Tindall. 

Another view of the Tindalls. 

Also attending tonight’s concert, the Middleton family, including Carole and Michael Middleton, James Middleton and his wife Alizée Thevenet, and Pippa Matthews.  Below, Michael Middleton and Pippa Matthews.

Here you see Kate Garraway as she arrived, a presenter on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, who did a reading at the event. Ms. Garraway is more than familiar with COVID-19; her husband spent 13 months in the hospital after contracting the virus.

Tonight’s concert is being recorded and will be broadcast on ITV at 7:30 pm on Christmas Eve.

The Duke and Duchess chatting with (L to R) Tom Walker, Ellie Goulding, and Leona Lewis. Mr. Walker is performing his Christmas single, For Those Who Can’t Be Here.  Leona Lewis sang O Holy Night and Ellie Goulding sang Have Yourselves a Merry Little Christmas.

More from this Daily Mirror story. 

Kate said to Ellie, dressed all in white: “It is nice to get doing things like this as not been able for so long.”

Leona, in a green dress, said: “This is very special. It my first time here.”

The Duke and Duchess also send up to 15 minutes mingling with many of the everyday heroes invited to the bash.

Among the invited guests, 6-year-old Mila Sneddon. 

The Duchess visiting with Mila as Prince William spoke with her mother, Lynda.

Mila was featured in an image included in the Hold Still photo project. More about tonight’s encounter from The Mirror’s coverage.  

Mila, six, gave the duchess a twirl her green sequinned dress before taking her seat behind the royals.

Mila said afterwards: “She asked me what I was getting from Father Christmas and I told her I wanted a Barbie Dreamhouse.

“I showed her my dress and she said I looked lovely.”

A Kensington Palace news release noted that “Unsung heroes from across the length and breadth of the nation have been invited to attend the service in recognition of their tireless efforts and selfless acts of kindness despite incredibly difficult circumstances.”

The news release also shared that “Individuals who The Duke and Duchess have met and spent time with during their recent engagements and project work will also be present, alongside those working in some of the key areas that Their Royal Highnesses and The Royal Foundation.”

There were guests from NHS Charities, Shout text messaging service, Baby Basics, Project Wingman, King’s College Hospital Charity, Co-op UK, Little Village, and many other organizations. 

In this picture you see the Duke and Duchess talking with six-year-old Tony Hudgell, who raised more than £1 million for Evelina Children’s Hospital, one of the Duchess’s patronages.

Prince William speaking with guests. 

Here are some darling photos of Daisy Briggs at the concert. Daisy has raised thousands of pounds for the NHS. 

Below, the Duchess with a smile for her family.

The 1200 invited guests heard the Abbey’s renowned choir and listened to several readings, along with a number of musical performances.  Below, the cover of tonight’s program. (Click here to read the full text of the foreword.)

The Duchess wrote a foreword for the Order of Service.

The Covid-19 pandemic has presented us all with countless and previously unimaginable challenges. We have lost loved ones, seen our frontline workers placed under immeasurable pressure, and we have experienced heart-wrenching isolation from those we hold most dear. 

Alongside this, we have seen how communities have come together to support those most in need. And through our separation from others, we have been reminded just how powerful human connection is to us all.  Just how much we need one another. And how loving and feeling a sense of belonging to one another can provide comfort in tough times. The importance of simply being together.

Guests were treated to Christmas carols as they left tonight’s service. 

A view of the Duke and Duchess as they left the Abbey. Now for our look at what Kate wore, beginning with her Catherine Walker Beau Tie coatdress.   

The piece is described as “A scarlet red wool coatdress with pleats falling gently from the shoulder to tie into a bow at the neckline.”

The design may look familiar to some readers; the Duchess wore the same style in black for Prince Philip’s funeral in April.

Although it is described as a coatdress, the Duchess wore it as a coat on both occasions. At the funeral atop a Roland Mouret dress and tonight with a red dress beneath it.   

The Duchess wore the Queen Mother’s Sapphire and Diamond Earrings.

She carried her Miu Miu clutch, first noted during the 2016 Canada tour.

And wore her Gianvito Rossi 105 suede pumps.

As far as styles worn by others at tonight’s concert, Middleton Maven reports Pippa Middleton was in the Finchley Coat in forest green by Fold London. 

She also pointed out that Princess Beatrice was in the Finchley in camel, while Polka Popp Tweeted that Beatrice carried an Aspinal Hat Box bag.   

Alizée Thevenet wore separates by Sézane, the Christie Jacket, and Fabio Trousers, both in Burgundy Houndstooth.

Thank you to Caroline for sharing this info in a comment!  

Polka Popp also shared that Zara Tindall wore Really Wild’s Pembridge Coat and Pintuck Frill Collar Shirt and carried an Aspinal of London Mayfair Clutch ($340).

Polka Popp also noted that Princess Eugenie wore a Chloé cape and carried her sister’s Kotur clutch. 

We’ll leave you with one more photo of the Duchess as she left tonight’s service.

VIDEO:

The Royal Family Channel offers more than 3:30 in coverage of tonight’s event.  

 

LINKAGE: 

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USJess

Saturday 25th of December 2021

Since it was a Christmas event, wouldn’t some plaid heels or a plaid / patterned clutch have been fun? Also, it might have tied the earrings in a bit more? I’m sure for a televised event solids were easier, but I just had the thought. Lovely to highlight the contributions of so many doing good for others, especially at the holidays after a difficult year & with so much uncertainty. I appreciate the effort to lift everyone’s spirits. :-)

k van voorhees

Friday 24th of December 2021

Photos of Catherine preparing decorations at Westminster Abbey the day before the filming of her carol service were released. She's wearing a new (I think) embroidered Miu Miu cardigan and recorded comments praising "pandemic heroes". Not sure if you saw it. Happy Christmas! https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-10337013/Kate-Middleton-praises-inspirational-pandemic-heroes.html

Jade

Wednesday 22nd of December 2021

I'm quite fond of the whole red Xmas present look - bow, shoulder pads and all; however that hair! Definitely needs a jolly good chop, those waves look messy and not like her at all. Do wonder whether a sparkly gold bag and shoes might have been nicer, and earrings. Not keen on the sapphires they just look odd. Would be very interested to see what dress was underneath too! And she definitely stood out against all the others in that color. Merry Xmas!

Caroline

Tuesday 18th of January 2022

Patriotic?

ElizaMo

Friday 10th of December 2021

I haven’t been able to comment on this Catherine Walker outfit before now as I was afraid of letting a sense of disappointment colour my judgement and I don’t want to be unfair on Kate. I can perfectly understand that she must be running to an awesome timetable and the chance to use a design twice simply makes practical sense. My problem this time is I can’t look at this choice without being referred back to the sadness of the funeral.

The style points I might make is that, for me, I think the black version worked better as Kate wore dark stockings which gave some necessary weight below the full skirt. I’m not sure such a low hem works in a more cheerful context, and the Rossi courts look almost fragile alongside. I also found the Queen Mother’s sapphire earrings out of place with only the engagement ring to tie them in, there would needed to have been some other blue coordinate to pull things together. I think it might have been better to have stuck to plain gold to complement the red theme, a colour Kate wears well.

Thanks so much for the other style updates, I really like both the Fold Finchley coats, and it was great to see so many young royals come together for such a worthwhile event. Overall, I think Kate looks radiant and remains thoroughly appropriate in her style choice for such a grand venue.

Ann

Friday 17th of December 2021

I saw many people saying that they were shocked at first but then they totally fell in love with the look. I agree she looked fabulous as usual but I didn't feel that happiness when I saw that dress. I didn't feel like appreciating either yes I'm a fan. I'm not criticising her maybe she could've gone with a different look. I totally agree with you.

Caroline A.

Friday 10th of December 2021

I love The Duchess’s coat dress. It has a completely different feel in the red, compared to the black version. At first I was puzzled by the sapphire earrings, but somehow the style seemed in tune with the coat dress. Then I realised it was because the bow has an Art Deco feel, to my mind, and the earrings are Art Deco style too. The earrings have a modern vibe, although they are not new. I think the outfit might have been a bit too formal had The Duchess worn stud earrings, or even long, diamond earrings. I think she was aiming for a more relaxed look than she wears to church, but one which still demonstrated respect for the location. I agree with others about the earrings and the red being a nod to patriotism; I immediately thought of the Union Flag when I was puzzling about them originally. I don’t mind the length of The Duchess’s hair, but I think it might have been an idea to have unobtrusively pinned it back so that it didn’t obscure the beautiful bow. I noticed that HRH kept pushing it back over her shoulder, so perhaps she was a little uncomfortable with the style too.

It was delightful to see the Middletons and the Tindalls, as well as the members of the Royal Family; their presence gave the service a relatable, family vibe, which appears to be what the PR teams are aiming for these days, in my opinion.

The fact that Princess Beatrice and Pippa Matthews wore the same style of coat confirms for me that consultation about what to wear does not take place between those two. I may be wrong, but I think that most ladies would avoid wearing the same style, even in a different colour, to the same event. I hasten to add that I didn’t think it was a problem, or even that it was obvious; the simplicity of the style and the big difference in colour and accessories took care of that - unlike the time I wore a very distinctive, multi-coloured, striped A-line dress to an event and was a bit miffed to find another lady wearing exactly the same dress :-)

Caroline A.

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