There are always little moments and details that go under the radar at royal events and Together at Christmas is no exception. The Princess of Wales' annual carol service took place on 5th December and, like always, it had a big turn-out of royals.
This included Catherine and William's children and Prince Louis' outfit featured a subtle but sweet nod to his granny Carole Middleton. She and Michael attended the service too and Louis' tie perfectly matched her House of Bruar coat. Both were green and blue tartan which tied in with Catherine's coat and the rest of the Wales family's navy outfits.
Prince William and George were in suits and ties too, but it was only Louis who wore a tartan one. Although the coordination with Carole could have been a coincidence, so much thought goes into every royal outfit and this makes me wonder if it was a specific, sentimental choice.
After all, the Princess of Wales might have discussed outfits with her mum pre-Together at Christmas and there is always such cohesion between the children as it is. In my mind, there's no way that Louis' look was a last minute decision and I suspect Carole would have planned her own ensemble in advance too.
Louis could easily have worn the same green tie as George, though the tartan one created this low-key link with his grandmother and tied the Middletons in with the Wales family. George, Charlotte and Louis have a close bond with their maternal grandparents and last year Louis paid another tribute to them at the carol service.
If you look closely at pictures from the event last year, you can just make out the message he wrote on his note for the Kindness Tree: "Thank you for Granny and Grandpa because they have played games with me".
He could've been talking about King Charles and Queen Camilla, though she's understood to be called 'GaGa' by her grandkids. We also saw Louis playing games with Carole and Michael in Will Warr’s video which Catherine released last September when she confirmed she’d completed cancer treatment.
Royal expert and author Ingrid Seward previously expressed her belief that Carole was an invaluable source of support and stepped in to help with her Wales grandchildren whilst Catherine was undergoing treatment.
"Carole is a really helpful, practical and unflappable mum and grandmother. Rather than ask what she can do, she just gets on with it; she’s very proactive," she’s quoted as saying. "When William went back to royal duties, she was doing the school run and probably doing things like filling the freezer with the kids' favourite foods."
Ingrid added, "Looking after the three kids would have been absolutely no problem for her whatsoever and Kate would have been able to relax in the knowledge that her mother's hand was on the wheel."
The Middletons live close to the Prince and Princess of Wales and this time of year is particularly family-focused for them. Carole has revealed in the past that she makes it extra special for her grandchildren and has a Christmas tree just for them to decorate.
She’s a fan of traditional games like sardines and musical statues, and wants the children to eat with the adults "as soon as they can sit up properly".
"As a family, we try to have as many meals together as possible because that’s when you talk and have fun," Carole explained.
