Kate Middleton repeated a familiar favourite for today’s Christmas Day service at Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham.
The Princess of Wales looked radiant in the brown checked Blazé Milano coat that she debuted during the same festive outing back in 2021.
This marks the fifth time we’ve seen the Princess wear the coat, and the third time this year alone—firmly cementing it as a wardrobe favourite.
Kate joined William, George, Charlotte and Louis for the traditional morning walk to and from the church.
Charlotte wrapped up warm in a light brown coat with contrasting dark brown velvet trim—it’s likely a Catherine Walker design (the coat is very similar to designs owned by her mother—see below). Thank you to Gabi for bringing this to my attention!
The boys all looked dapper in their suits and coats. William added a fair isle scarf to his attire.
A memo must have circulated throughout the Royal Family, as everybody coordinated earthy brown, festive red and plum-purple tones for the walk.
King Charles and Queen Camilla led the party, with the Queen opting for a vibrant shade of red—an appropriate choice for Christmas Day—while Princess Anne chose a similar tone.
Beatrice and Eugenie joined the walk with their husbands, while the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh followed behind with their children, James and Louise.
The Tindalls were among the royal delegation, too, with Charlotte appearing to strike up a sweet rapport with the eldest daughter, Mia.
The royals walked the short distance from Sandringham House to St Mary Magdalene Church, where they attended a private service lasting around 45 minutes.
After exiting the church, the Princess joined the other royals in greeting the well-wishers who had lined the path, some of whom had been waiting since the early hours of the morning.
The Wales family spent time petting dogs, chatting to the pubic and gathering the flowers, cards and gifts from those gathered.
Louis seemed in top form, excitedly collecting all the chocolate gifts on offer and joking around with William.
Charlotte taking some time to smell a bunch of flowers:
Sandringham has long been associated with royal Christmases. The Norfolk estate first became a festive base for the Royal Family in the late 19th century, when Edward VII, then Prince of Wales, made Sandringham his country retreat. From that point on, the house became closely linked with Christmas gatherings, family traditions, and time spent away from public life.
However, during the reign of Queen Victoria, Christmas was firmly centred at Windsor Castle, and Sandringham fell out of favour as a seasonal base.
For much of her reign, Queen Elizabeth II also spent Christmas at Windsor. The switch back to Sandringham House came in 1988, when major refurbishment work meant Windsor was unavailable following a fire.
From that point on, Sandringham became the royal family’s regular Christmas setting once again. The quieter Norfolk estate offered privacy, space for extended family, and the now-familiar Christmas Day walk to church that has become such a fixture of the festive calendar.
It’s a tradition that King Charles III has continued, keeping Sandringham at the heart of the royal family’s Christmas celebrations today.
Let’s take a look at Kate’s outfit in full now.
The Princess of Wales’s Christmas Day Outfit:
The Princess opted for rich brown tones for today’s Christmas church service. Today’s look reads as heritage and countryside-coded—wintry and earthy rather than overtly festive, but no less elegant for it.
The coat, the anchor of the look, is from Blazé Milano. It features a subtle check in a chestnut brown tone and has a cinched waist, peak lapel and double-breasted buttons. It’s finished with the brand’s distinctive curved pockets at the hip. Here’s the same style coat in another fabric:
Here’s a blazer in the plaid fabric that Kate’s wearing:
I believe this is the fifth time we’ve seen Kate wear the coat to date. She debuted the item on Christmas Day in 2021 and wore it again to Crathie Kirk church in 2024.
For those two engagements, we believed the Princess to be wearing the blazer pictured above, as she was photographed from the waist up, in her car on both occasions (2021 was the pandemic era, so no public walk—the royals drove to the church service). The brand has only stocked the print in blazer form, not as a full-length coat, as far as I can see. Hence, why we thought she must be wearing the blazer.
It wasn’t until January 2025 that we realised the garment was actually a coat, when Kate wore it to visit the Royal Marsden Hospital.
She repeated the coat one month later, at a prison:
Today marks the coat’s third wear of the year—and assuming we don’t see her again until 2026, it’s a lovely full circle moment. The Princess will have chosen the coat for her first and last appearances of 2025.
I suspect the coat is bespoke and commissioned by the Princess.
The brand isn’t one Kate has lots of in her closet. But she does have one other Blazé Milano piece, a gorgeous beige pinstripe jacket.
The Italian label is known for its elevated tailoring, blending menswear-inspired structure with feminine detailing.
Like the coat, Kate’s plaid skirt was a repeat too. You can see it peeping out of her coat, below:
It’s by Gucci, from the label’s Resort 2019 collection. Kate wore the skirt in a photograph released by Kensington Palace to mark Holocaust Day in 2020, and for a visit to Wales earlier this year (shown below).
The garment was crafted in Italy from luxurious wool twill in a distinctive muted, earthy burgundy and beige tones.
The skirt features sharply pressed pleats, which create an elegant A-line silhouette with beautiful movement.
It originally retailed for £1,115. Unfortunately, it’s no longer available to purchase.
Gucci isn’t a dominant name in Kate’s wardrobe, but she has worn a handful of pieces from the Italian fashion house for key public appearances over the last few years, including a pink ombré gown and the iconic Gucci horsebit clutch.
Back in March, Kate paired the plaid skirt with the same boots she’s wearing today, a pair rendered in brown suede, featuring a sharply pointed toe and a black heel. They’re by Gianvito Rossi.
Gianvito Rossi confirmed they made the boots for the Princess. I understand they’re bespoke, commissioned by Kate. I show a similar pair by the designer, below:
Here’s another similar pair by Gianvito Rossi, shown in black:
Kate consistently turns to Gianvito Rossi for her footwear needs. At last count, she owns 23 pairs of boots and shoes by the luxury brand.
Gianvito Rossi is a renowned Italian footwear designer known for his elegant, timeless, and impeccably crafted shoes. The son of legendary shoe designer Sergio Rossi, Gianvito launched his eponymous brand in 2006.
Back to Kate’s accessories now. She wore items that sat in the same tonal family as the coat, skirt and boots—a patterned scarf, handbag and hat.
The scarf is by Really Wild. It’s crafted from 100% silk. Game birds inspired the item’s gold and brown print.
Middleton Maven reminded me that we’ve seen Kate’s scarf before, on Christmas Day in 2014. The Princess wore the piece over a brown tweed coat. Kate was photographed wearing the item for a second time in 2016, at Balmoral.
The 90cm by 90cm scarf originally retailed for £125, about $190 in 2014. That’s around $169 today.
You’re out of luck if you wish to buy the scarf, I’m afraid. The brand no longer sells the piece.
The Princess is a longtime fan of Really Wild London (formerly Really Wild Clothing) and modelled their items at game fairs in the 2000s. We’ve spotted her wearing more than half a dozen pieces from the company to date (including a pair of boots that she’s owned for 20 years).
Really Wild is a British luxury fashion brand. It has come to define British heritage style, and is known for timeless, countryside-inspired clothing.
Founded by Natalie Lake in 2002, the brand has a core belief in slow fashion and uses premium, sustainably sourced fabrics like Scottish tweeds and wool in addition to upcycled yarns. The store has a London presence (in Sloane Square), and offers tailored coats, jackets, knitwear, accessories and dresses alongside classic pieces like tweed skirts, leather waistcoats and Spanish riding boots.
Let’s move on to Kate’s handbag now. It’s by DeMellier.
She carries the ‘Small Hudson’ in mocha brown suede.
It’s a relatively new piece in the Princess’s rotation. She debuted it for an engagement at the Anna Freud Centre last month. This is the second time we’ve seen her carry it to date.
The bag features clean lines and a distinctive gold clasp on the front. It’s crafted from rich brown suede and features smooth leather accents.
The Small Hudson costs £415 and is currently available to pre-order, with deliveries expected in early May.
As with all DeMellier pieces, the Hudson bag is ethically made and is covered by the brand’s lifetime repairs service.
Kate’s steadily building a small collection of bags from DeMellier. In addition to the Small Hudson, she owns their Nano Montreal style in Toffee. She’s carried the same bag in Navy leather, too.
While the brand’s clean lines and structured shapes slot neatly into Kate’s polished wardrobe, their strong ethical credentials will also appeal to the Princess—they align with her increasing preference for conscious, sustainable British labels.
DeMellier, previously known as Milli Millu, are a London-based, award-winning brand known for its modern and timeless handbags. Founder Mireia Llusia-Lindh set up the brand in 2017, with a focus on ethical and sustainable production. For every bag purchased, DeMellier funds life-saving vaccines for children through its “A Bag, A Life” initiative. Each handbag is handcrafted in Spain by skilled artisans, using only responsibly sourced materials.
Let’s look at Kate’s hat now. It is new (to us). It’s by Juliette Botterill. (Thanks to Gabi for identifying and sharing this one!)
The Princess wears the milliner’s Felt Lace Percher Hat in chocolate brown from her 2025 Autumn/Winter collection.
Priced at £650, the percher-style hat is decorated with an intricate felt cutout embellishment.
Hoping to secure a hat for an upcoming event? Juliette Botterill takes commissions and will custom-dye this design for an extra £30.
Kate’s worn Botterill’s designs fairly frequently for years now. I think 2018 is the earliest I remember her wearing one of her hats. But don’t quote me on that!
Juliette Botterill is a British milliner who worked with the infamous Philip Treacy before launching her own label in 2014.
Jewellery next. Kate wore her Cartier Trinity earrings with the look. The design combines 18ct white, yellow and rose gold interlocking loops. The bands are said to represent unity and eternity.
The earrings retail for £3,050 in the UK and $3,200 in the US at Cartier.com.
The Princess must be a fan of the Trinity collection, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year. She’s worn multiple pieces. In fact, these earrings are the fifth ‘Trinity’ item we’ve spotted her wearing to date.
She debuted Cartier’s Trinity Long Station necklace at an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in 2012. She wore a large pair of Trinity hoops bedazzled with diamonds to the SportsAid gala in 2016. Then in 2017, she chose a pair of Trinity hoops suspended from brilliant-cut diamonds and a Trinity tri-ring necklace for an official visit to Paris.
Cartier is a legendary French luxury brand known for its exquisite jewellery and watches, celebrated for its timeless designs, exceptional craftsmanship, and iconic creations.
Last but not least, let’s finish with Kate’s gloves. Here’s a look:
They’re the Cornelia James ‘Imogen’ gloves in chocolate brown.
The gloves are handcrafted from Australian merino wool and feature a bow at the cuff. Each pair is made in the UK.
Kate first wore the gloves in public in 2015, for the annual St Patrick’s Day parade. She also wore them during an official visit to Sweden in 2018 and to a Sunday church service in January 2020.
The company say “if you are after warmth but not bulk, Imogen is the glove for you”.
Those hoping to purchase the gloves will be happy to learn they’re available at CorneliaJames.com. Prices start at £135 (optional extras include monogramming and touch screen technology)
Kate’s quite a fan of Cornelia James gloves. We’ve spotted the Princess in 7 pairs of Cornelia James gloves to date.
The company has been making gloves since 1946. Each pair of Cornelia James gloves is designed and made in East Sussex, England.
The company, who’ve held a Royal Warrant since 1979, also make gloves for Her Majesty The Queen. She wears her gloves to every public engagement – it’s been part of her signature style for decades.
In addition to Kate, a number of royal princesses have worn gloves by Cornelia James, including Princess Diana and Princess Anne, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice.
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