🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
On the annual royal calendar, Christmas marks a significant series of events for members of the House of Windsor, from the monarch's Christmas speech to a family church service and lunch.
Each year, members of the royal family gather at St. Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England, to attend a religious service marking Christmas Day. Afterward, they spend time briefly meeting members of the public before heading to the large house for lunch.
The service has become a highly anticipated event for fans of royal fashion, as it presents an opportunity to see members of the family at their festive fashion best.
Over the years, two members of the royal family have had their fashion choices for Christmas widely reported on: the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Sussex.
Kate attended her first royal Christmas service at Sandringham in 2011 and has regularly attended ever since. Meghan received her first invite to join the royals at Christmas before her marriage to Prince Harry, in 2017. Though the duchess took part in the festivities only twice before she and Harry split from the monarchy and moved to the U.S., her fashion impact made a lasting impression.
Here, Newsweek looks at some of Kate's and Meghan's festive fashion highlights.
Trusty Tartan
For one of her earliest appearances at the royal Christmas Day church service, Kate made a fittingly festive fashion choice, opting for a green and blue tartan (known as Black Watch tartan) coat from the design house responsible for her 2011 wedding dress, Alexander McQueen.
The princess paired her coat with black suede accessories and a sculpted green-felt hat.
Future Royal Bride in Beige
For Meghan Markle's first royal Christmas, she wore a chic outfit in varying shades of beige.
The future duchess opted for a thick wrap coat with waist tie detail, open neckline and ribbed cuffs from the Canadian brand Sentaler. She paired it with brown suede boots, a brown leather-handled bag and a sculpted brown-felt hat.
Block Color Christmas
For her second (and, to date, last) royal Christmas appearance, Meghan wore a more streamlined deep navy outfit designed by former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham's eponymous fashion label.
The duchess paired the longline coat with contrasting gold buttons and a matching dress with a pair of black leather high-heeled boots, a black leather handbag and an asymmetric beret-style hat with crossed feather embellishments.
Festive Faux Fur
For Christmas Day in 2019, Kate made a striking impression in a vintage-inspired gray fit-and-flare tailored coat designed by one of Princess Diana's former favorite fashion houses, Catherine Walker & Co.
The coat featured double-breasted mother-of-pearl button details, a covered belt and faux fur collar and cuffs. The princess paired the look with emerald green accessories, including a leather clutch bag and a green-felt hat.
Country Chic
For her most recent appearance at the Christmas Day church service at Sandringham, Kate opted once again for an Alexander McQueen coat in green, featuring statement pocked and seam details, paired with a wide-brimmed Philip Treacy hat.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more