Christmas Day is usually the last time we see a glimpse of the Royal Family until January and many people look forward to seeing them walk from Sandringham House to St Mary Magdalene Church and back. Christmas jumpers and jeans aren’t on the cards for the royals, who instead go all-out in their festive finery.
The Princess of Wales’s elegant outfits get a lot of attention all year round and her Christmas Day looks are usually on-point too, but in 2019 she ended up regretting one key choice. She stepped out in a dove-grey coat by Catherine Walker, with cosy faux fur trims on the cuffs and neckline.
Catherine accessorised with a forest-green hat, clutch bag and court heels for a touch of contrast and looked fabulous as ever. However, though you wouldn’t have known it, the Princess was actually uncomfortably warm in this ensemble.
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Beautiful as it was, her grey coat was made of wool and gave her a lot of coverage, as it was high-necked and full-length. Christmas Day that year was unseasonably mild and walking in the blazing sunshine probably didn’t help matters either.
It’s been widely reported that Princess Catherine confessed her clothing mistake whilst talking to mum and daughter Karen and Rachel Anvil on her way to church.
"Kate was talking to my daughter about clothes and how she was feeling too hot," Karen claimed, adding that the Princess of Wales told Rachel, "I really shouldn’t have worn this."
The future Queen learnt this lesson the hard way and has never worn that particular coat in public again. Perhaps she saves it for really cold weather now instead, but either way, Catherine has gone for slightly lighter coats on Christmas Day since then.
She also now prefers outerwear with a V-neckline or a lower round-neck design. This means the Princess can add warmth with a roll-neck jumper or scarf if she needs to, without being covered-up as much as she was in 2019.
Last year, the Princess of Wales wore a long green coat, with a green and blue scarf with a checked pattern similar to Carole Middleton’s tartan coat at the 2025 Together at Christmas carol service. She tends not to appear in the same colour two years in a row, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see her go for burgundy or navy this Christmas Day.
The royal women spend time getting ready on Christmas morning, with former royal chef Darren McGrady stating in the past that they "generally opted" for a "light breakfast of sliced fruit, half a grapefruit, toast and coffee delivered to their rooms".
In contrast, the men come downstairs to enjoy a "hearty breakfast" of eggs, bacon and mushrooms, as well as kippers and grilled kidneys. The St Mary Magdalene service begins at 11am and their walk to the church and bag gives us all an opportunity to admire their looks and spot some adorable moments between the royal children.
The year of Princess Catherine’s Christmas Day regret was the first time that Prince George and Charlotte went to church with the adults and Louis made his debut in 2022. Nowadays they always make this appearance and Zara and Mike Tindall’s daughters Mia and Lena also often join them when they spend Christmas with the Royal Family.
