29th of March 2022—The royals gathered at Westminster Abbey for a Service of Thanksgiving to celebrate the life and legacy of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
It had been almost a year since his passing.
There was a large turnout of royals. All of the Queen and Prince Philip’s children and grandchildren attended, with the exception of Prince Harry and his family.
The older great-grandchildren attended too, including George and Charlotte. I expect Wiliam and Kate felt Louis was a touch too young for the televised service.
Over 30 members of European Royal Families attended the service, as did a number of representatives from charities and organisations the Duke represented. You can read a full article on the guest list in the Telegraph here.
The service gave thanks for Prince Philip’s dedication to family, the Nation and Commonwealth, and it recognised the importance of his legacy.
Kate’s outfit at the memorial service:
The Duchess wore a new dress from a familiar brand for the service. It was by Alessandra Rich. It’s the designer’s Polka Dot Pleated Midi Dress in Black.
The dress features a high neckline, puffed mutton sleeves, a drop-waisted pleated skirt and retro buttons on the neckline. Net-A-Porter previously stocked the piece, they described it as “nodding to classic styles from the 70s.”
This was Kate’s second Alessandra Rich dress in a week. She wore a yellow floral dress by the designer on her last public appearance of the 2022 Caribbean tour as she departed from The Bahamas.
Note: the yellow dress remains in stock at MyTheresa, FarFetch, Moda Operandi and Net-A-Porter.
Alessandra Rich is quickly rising as one of Kate’s go-to designers. The Duchess has worn several of the Italian-born London-based designer’s creations in recent years, here’s just a selection:
The Duchess paired her spotty dress with a hat by Lock & Co. It appears to be a custom version of the Mayer Boater (Thank you Katie for the ID).
The £775 hat features a woven straw brim with a satin cord and feather trim. Kate had the trim changed.
Kate’s pearl earrings will be familiar to our regular readers (or to anybody who followed Princess Diana’s style). They’re often referred to as the ‘Collingwood Earrings’. The Collingwood Jewellers sent the earrings to Princess Diana as a gift when she married Prince Charles.
Kate’s clutch bag is by Russell & Bromley. It’s the Curvy Clutch style in a nude/biscuit shade.
We first spotted the Duchess carrying the bag at the Taj Palace Hotel, Mumbai during the 2016 Royal Tour. I believe that’s the only time we’ve seen her carry it, until now.
At the time, I wrote the clutch is made from “taupe colour suede and features a gunmetal frame and matching clasp closure.” RRP at the time was £165. Sadly, Russell and Bromley no longer carry the piece.
Kate wore her Gianvito Rossi 105 heels in black. The pumps feature a sleek pointed toe and skinny stiletto heel. They remain in stock at Net-A-Porter for $675 USD / £510 GBP. (Other currencies are available too, the company deliver worldwide.)
The 105 pumps are a favourite style of Kate’s. She owns them in 5 other colours!
The Duchess also carried her Cornelia James ‘Alice’ bow gloves. The black gloves are made from jersey Merino wool and feature a velvet bow. The gloves remain available at CorneliaJames.com for £140.
It was a sad day for the BRF, but I admit I like seeing photographs of the children. Prince George and Princess Charlotte were very well dressed for the service and impressively behaved in public for a solemn event.
I wish I had positive comments about Kate’s attire for the day, but I don’t feel the hat works with her lovely bone structure and seems too structured.
Not one of my favourite looks, I must admit. The children looked lovely though.
I think I liked Princess Eugenie’s outfit the most. I thought Princess Anne’s coat was perfect. I also like the Countess of Wessex’s coat and hat/hairband bow.