‘I LOVE the theatre of clothes,’ writes ALICE HARE. ‘And Christmas Day is when we see an annual command performance from stylish Kate!’

I have a confession that I’ve been told is embarrassing. 

One of my favourite parts of Christmas morning is seeing what the Princess of Wales is wearing to church. 

Classic Alice, I can hear my four sisters cry. The only time of the entire year when we are all together, and one of her favourite moments is looking at what Kate is wearing! 

But I can’t help it. I just love the theatre of clothes, and there’s no time of year Kate indulges in this theatricality more than on Christmas Day.

So here, to whet our appetite for December 25th, we take a look at Kate’s Christmas Day style down the years.

2011

Kate’s first royal Christmas after her April wedding would no doubt have been nerve-wracking, and she consequently turned to a failsafe, classically-Kate look for the occasion – a fitted dress coat. 

In a season-appropriate plum shade, Kate’s coat remains one of the only pieces of her clothing whose designer remains a mystery. 

Clarence House confirmed it was a bespoke creation by a ‘British independent designer’, but the designer’s exact identity is still unknown. 

A matching hat by Jane Corbett and bag by Mulberry completed the look.

2013

Perhaps now more comfortable in her new royal life, Kate chose a more daring, high fashion look for Christmas 2013. 

A double-breasted coat dress by Alexander McQueen in a perfectly festive blackwatch tartan did all the talking. 

As to be expected from McQueen, it was tailored to perfection: a flattering fitted bodice fell into a flared skirt that swished as she walked.

 A Gina Foster hat pulled out the forest green tone in her coat, while black Cornelia James gloves and Aquatalia boots were the minimalist accessories such a standout look needed.

2014

Kate’s 2014 look was a homage to British fashion – and female founders. A tweed coat by Gloucestershire brand Moloh, hat (which she as worn on seven occasions, no less) by royal warrant holders Lock & Co, silk scarf by Really Wild and shoes by Emmy London combined to make an elegant tonal look. 

Moloh, founded in 2003 by Caroline Smiley and Butts Dancer, is known for making wearable yet modern reinterpretations of British classics. 

Kate’s coat is a prime example – made from tweed (the brand’s fabrics are sourced from the archives of British mills), the traditional fabric combines with a modern military-inspired shape in the ultimate classic-meets-cool fusion. 

No wonder Kate wore it to another church service in 2018.

2015

Kate’s 2015 look demonstrated the principles of ‘sandwich dressing’ – that is, matching the colour at the top of your look to your shoes, and sandwiching another colour inbetween. 

Many swear this formula is the simplest shortcut to elegance, and Kate nearly always abides by it (I challenge you to name a single look of hers composed of more than two colours).

 A black hat, again by Lock & Co, and black boots by Italian brand Aquatalia were the bread to the ‘sandwich filling’ that was a forest green coat by MaxMara’s edgier sister brand Sportmax. 

A simple styling trick elevated the coat even further – the addition of a thin belt at the waist provided a more tailored look.

2016

This saw Kate take a break from Sandringham – not that you’d know it from her elegant ensemble. 

To attend church in Kate’s hometown of Bucklebury, Kate wore a plum Hobbs coat with matching block heels by Tods (a favourite footwear brand of Princess Diana) and a Mulberry clutch. 

In keeping with the more casual setting, Kate eschewed a hat. But, despite this, there was a detail about her look that made it unmistakably royal: a pair of pearl earrings loaned to her by the Queen, no less. 

Proving she’s the master of high-low dressing, alongside the Queen’s earrings was a faux fur stole from high street giant ASOS. 

Much like her belt in 2015, it added some drama to an otherwise simple coat.

2017

Kate loves ‘literal’ dressing – that is, white at Wimbledon, green for St Patrick’s Day, and a gloriously-kitsch, gloriously-Christmas tartan for Christmas Day in 2017. 

‘Literal’ dressing is a simple way to communicate an entire mood, an entire season or feeling, through just one outfit choice – a useful sartorial tool for the royals to have at their fingertips.

Despite looking traditionally British, Kate’s tartan coat was in fact a homage to Britishness by Italian fashion house Prada’s sister brand Miu Miu. 

Known for their hyperbolic, stylised take on femininity, the coat was finished with ultra-girly faux fur collar and cuffs. Gloves by Cornelia James with a bow trims completed the unapologetically feminine look.

 2018

Close your eyes and picture a princess at Christmas, and you’ll most likely think of something along the lines of Kate’s 2018 Christmas look. 

The joy of a coat dress is that it is an outfit in itself: a one-piece wonder, if you will. Its immediate elegance combined with the practicality of warmth means it has become a go-to of princesses the globe over. 

Kate’s berry coat dress was by none other than the unrivalled Queen of coat dresses Catherine Waker, who designed some of Princess Diana’s most iconic versions in the ’80s and ’90s. 

Rarely for Kate, this was a single-tone look – a Jane Taylor hat and Gianvito Rossi heels in a matching berry shade were the finishing touches. 

Crucially, the velvet collar and buttons provided a contrast of fabric that broke up the head-to-toe berry, ensuring it didn’t become overwhelming. Oh, and gloves by… M&Co. 

Yep, you read that right. Cheap and cheerful meets couture.

2019

2019 saw Kate go back to ‘sandwich dressing’ – the same green Lock & Co. hat she wore in 2015 and Emmy London shoes sandwiched a grey coat dress, which, like 2018’s, was by Catherine Walker. 

The coat dress was a bespoke design – a longer version of a shorter coat dress available as part of the brand’s ready-to-wear collection.

Kate quite often collaborates with designers to make their already-existing designs more suitable to the needs of a princess – the addition of sleeves to sleeveless designs is another trick she often employs (she did this for example, to the Roksanda dress she wore to arrive in Jamica in 2022. 

Princess Charlotte and Prince George were in attendance, the former holding Kate’s hand and perfectly matching her mother’s green accessories in a coat by Amaia.

 2022

Four words: back. With. A. Bang. 

After a hiatus in Sandringham Christmas Day services due to the Covid pandemic, 2022 saw Kate return in triumphant style, in her most stylish Christmas ensemble… ever.

It has all the hallmarks of a class Kate look: ‘sandwich dressing’ in khaki and brown, a McQueen coat dress, but mixed with high street items. 

The focal point, the coat dress, was generous with the detail –  as should be expected of a designerpiece.

A high collar, seam detailing, flap pockets on both the bodice and skirt, an inset waistband, crafted-to-perfection pleats… talk about packing a punch.

Kate had worn the coat three times in 2020. But a Mango dress underneath (only ever so slightly glimpsed as Kate walked) and Sezane earrings proved Kate still knows the power of a smart high street buy. 

Gianvito Rossi boots, a Stuart Weitzman clutch and gloves by royal warrant holder Dents – all in chocolate brown – made this a masterclass in tonal dressing for the country. 

But the piece de resistance? That Philip Treacey hat.

Kate has moved away from the pillbox and cloche style hats she used to favour, more often choosing unabashedly glamorous wide-brimmed styles now.

Kate’s 2022 look was by no means wildly different to her Christmas looks of ten years previously, but she wears slightly more daring details (a statement earring, a wide-brim hat) with a newfound confidence. 

And that confidence perfectly befits the princess she now is.