The Prince and Princess of Wales (known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay when in Scotland) and their children joined other senior royals at church in Scotland yesterday.
The King and Queen as they arrived at Crathie Kirk, Balmoral’s local parish church in Scotland.
Also attending the service yesterday were Princess Anne, her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, and the Duchess of Edinburgh.
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More from the Evening Standard’s story.
The Princess Royal and her husband Sir Tim Laurence were in another of the cars, and The Duke of Edinburgh and his daughter Lady Louise were in another vehicle.
A crowd of onlookers had gathered outside the front of the church to witness their arrival. The royal family arrived for their traditional summer holiday on the Balmoral estate earlier in the week. A guard of honor was provided by Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland. Embed from Getty Images
This year’s trip to Balmoral is a milestone one for Prince George, as the future king is set to begin boarding at Eton College. He and his siblings have inherited Prince William’s love for summers on the estate, where the family are known to enjoy fishing in the River Dee, country hikes, and bike rides.
And now for a look at what Kate wore to church. 
We begin with a new piece by Holland Cooper, the Audley Lace Blouse (originally $259, now $127), a fab ID by Lauren. 
Made of 100% Lyocell (an eco-friendly fiber derived from regenerated wood pulp) in a slim fit with a “bohemian and vintage feel,” the blouse features a pleated stand collar with lace trim, balloon sleeves trimmed with lace, and fabric-covered buttons. 
The Princess’s coat or blazer is a UFO at this point. She wore a pair of earrings we haven’t seen before.
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Middleton Maven suggests they are the Lauren Ralph Lauren Stone Chandelier Earrings (past season, no longer available). Almost three inches in length, the earrings feature an array of faceted manufactured stones in a gold-tone setting with leverback closure.
Many readers may have recognized her “Betty Boop” hat, designed by Sylvia Fletcher for Lock & Co. Hatters, a style she first wore on St. Patrick’s Day in 2012 (upper-left photo in the montage below) and shown on some of the many occasions she has worn it. 
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We now move to that poll many of you requested: a look at the Princess’s green evening gowns, a request raised after the Nigeria state dinner. I believe several expressed the sentiment that the Princess had other green gowns that would have worked for the dinner.
We start with the Temperley London lace gown worn in March 2017 for a gala at the National Portrait Gallery. The dress was first worn in April 2016 for a private celebration marking the late Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday. It included a fitted bodice and full skirt, sheer sleeves and front upper bodice, and a deeply scooped-out back. The sleeves and collar are both trimmed in eyelash lace. 
When attending the BAFTAs with Prince William in 2018, the Princess debuted a Jenny Packham design. The off-the-shoulder dress featured an empire waistline and a deep V-neckline on the front, with a full, flowing skirt. The draped neckline on the back had a shallow scoop and a hidden zipper with a hook-and-eye closure. The Princess also wore a black velvet band that tied into a bow at the center back. 
In November of 2021, the Princess brought back a Jenny Packham gown first worn during the 2019 Pakistan tour (below). On that occasion, the Duchess also wore a dupatta, the traditional scarf or shawl.
The 2021 engagement was the Royal Variety Performance. The ‘Tenille’ gown was released as part of the designer’s AW 2020 collection and featured sequin and crystal-embellishment, a round neck, padded shoulders, a train, and a hidden back zipper. 
We saw another green gown when the royals were in the Caribbean in March 2022. The off-the-shoulder style by Jenny Packham included an oversized tulle ruffle at the neckline and shoulders, a fitted bodice, a full, sweeping skirt, and an invisible back zipper.
The Princess opted for a vivid green dress by Solace London when at the Earthshot Prize Awards in December 2022. The ‘Sabina’ gown showcased a fitted design with an off-the-shoulder neckline, long sleeves, deep back slit, and a belt. It is described as having a body-conscious fit that is “self-lined to sculpt the body.”
During a private celebration for the King’s 75th birthday in November 2023, the Princess wore a gown that many believed was a Needle and Thread design. I was not able to license any photos, but several sites published images and stories. The ‘Alicia’ Sequin Scallop Gown in emerald green highlighted sequin embellishment in a scalloped pattern, with ruffled tulle at the neckline and long sleeves. 
The Princess chose a green velvet design by Talbot Runhof for the November 2025 Royal Variety Performance. The deep hunter green Bobonne Off-the-Shoulder Gown is made of stretch velvet, with ruched and gathered details designed to hug the figure. The mermaid silhouette flares out at the knee into a short train.
Our final style is the Andrew Gn dress worn to the state dinner honoring Nigeria in March of this year. The Chiffon Pleated Gown was from the designer’s F/W 2021 collection, created in a bespoke color for the Princess. It featured a high neck, puffed blouson sleeves, pleating at the front neck and all around the waist, and a concealed back zipper.
And now it’s time to vote!
Christine 🍓🍓🍓
Thursday 10th of September 2026
I agree with the poll on number one and two
Olie
Saturday 5th of September 2026
I really liked the emerald Vampire’s Wife gown she wore for the portrait.
ElizaMo
Monday 31st of August 2026
Sadly I’m a little late to this party but only really wanted to underline how impressed I am that Catherine still feels up to dressing up for a family outing and manages to look so well. I hope her recovery continues apace. It is also fun to see such a strong turnout of royals putting on a good front, as I appreciate there are some family issues arising around now
If I had a royal fashion hat on myself I might not be over-keen on this ensemble, but this is a family outing more than an official one and any number of reasons could be behind a mixture of choices, and so I take full responsibility for my own failure to appreciate them. The new Holland Cooper blouse is no doubt immaculately made, but too fussy for my taste, and the whole look becomes overcrowded with the chandelier earrings, which again don’t appear in my own taste palate, but could well have sentimental family value. The blazer looks mercifully subdued and smartly tailored and it’s fun to see the novel Betty Boop hat once again, if only to be reminded of how lovely her many outfits with it have been. Overall I'd say the Princess achieves a classic look for a mum taking the family to church on Sunday.
It is great fun to have another poll and I’m afraid I was stumped at first, I had about four first choices. I had thought my favourite might be the Caribbean Packham as I had once enjoyed the originality of the bodice ruffle in its spiky manifestation in tulle. This time I felt it just looked scratchy and potentially uncomfortable. I loved the Earthshot Sabina dress for its economy of style in a clean column shape, especially with the stunning emerald choker.
I especially love the midi length Needle and Thread dress, again with classic styling, but ablaze with sequins. My eventual No 1 appears to follow the general trend with the gorgeous green velvet Talbot Runhof off-shoulder gown, more classic styling, but with contemporary touches in the ruched and gathered details and the fun mermaid flip in its skirt. The very fine royal chandelier earrings here had plenty of space to show themselves off with the wide V-neck and absence of unnecessary necklace.
Kristina
Saturday 29th of August 2026
Princess Kate's many green gowns, along with Keira Knightley's iconic green gown from the movie Atonement, inspired me to get an emerald green gown for ballroom/smooth dancing. When I finally decided to buy a specially made dress for waltz/tango/foxtrot dances, I knew I wanted a true emerald green. My husband and I did a wonderful waltz routine to the song Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney and Wings, and I did feel like a Scottish princess in my sparkling green gown.
Zell
Sunday 30th of August 2026
@Kristina,
Sounds so Beautiful, both your gown and the dance! Also, Mull of Kintyre is one of my Favorite Wings song! Thanks for sharing!
admin
Saturday 29th of August 2026
What a wonderful story, Kristina! Thank you for sharing it with us ☺️
Caroline A.
Friday 28th of August 2026
I voted for the Talbot Runhof gown. It is elegant and timeless. My second choice would have been the two Jenny Packhams tied for second place, and third place would have gone to the Andrew Gn gown on the basis of appropriateness for the particular event. I’m not a fan of the Solace gown, mainly because of the shade of green. Catherine can wear the shade quite well (is there any colour she can’t wear?) but it’s not my favourite shade on anyone. Plus I do not love the emerald choker — I can’t believe I wrote that, but I don’t — I didn’t like it when Diana wore it as a headband, and I don’t love it on Catherine, but I don’t know why.