After a challenging year, the royals conveyed a message of unity and consistency at Sandringham

Spare a thought for the Royal family this Christmas morning. While the rest of us are testing the limits of our elasticated waistbands and diving into the Quality Street tin at breakfast, they’re donning their best for the Christmas church service at St Mary Magdalene in Sandringham, Norfolk – a much higher stakes activity when the world’s press and around 1000 well-wishers are eagerly waiting to get a glimpse of them.

The style which gets injected into this otherwise unremarkable family outing means that it’s become so much more than going to church. It’s become an annual fashion show, of sorts, that marries glamour, tradition, and a bit of light gossip. Were the Princess of Wales’ Sezane earrings last year her gift from Prince William? Do they have a family conference to ensure everyone dresses according to the same moodboard?

So what can we elicit from 2023? The Waleses are always the highlight from a style perspective, and Catherine didn’t disappoint in a new bespoke Alexander McQueen cobalt coat with a rounded pillbox-style hat by Juliette Millinery and navy suede knee-high Gianvito Rossi boots. She arrived hand-in-hand with Princess Charlotte, eight, who wore a new olive green coat from Spanish childrenswear label Friki and the same Manuela de Juan patent Mary-Janes that she wore for her mother’s carol concert at Westminster Abbey earlier this month.

Also in attendance were Prince William and 10-year-old Prince George (in a navy suit and tie like his father) and Prince Louis, five, in a navy coat and tartan trousers – a smart-yet-fun and age-appropriate take on festive style that many parents might be noting for next year.

The King and Queen coordinated in camel coats; Camilla’s was the same beige blanket-stitch coat that she wore to Cheltenham in March, teaming it with a rather chic rounded pillbox hat adorned with a feather.

The Duchess of Edinburgh wore a khaki coat-dress by Claire Mischevani with a bow detail on one shoulder, with a toffee-hued wide-brim hat. Her look was echoed by that of her daughter, Lady Louise, who wore a navy wide-brim hat. In turn, the Duke of Edinburgh wore a brown tweed coat that was similar in style to one that the King has had in his wardrobe since 1986.

Princess Eugenie went for an all-black look with a wide, cream, embellished headband. Princess Beatrice also got the headband memo, wearing a navy velvet padded style with her navy belted coat, as did Zara Tindall, who teamed her cream, more elevated version with a belted dark green coat, featuring a statement collar.

Headbands were also spotted on Lady Margarita Armstrong-Jones, Sarah Ferguson and Zara’s daughters Mia and Lena Tindall.

Princess Anne, another believer in getting decades of use out of her clothes, wore an ivory coat with oversized buttons, which she last wore to attend the Easter Sunday service back in the spring.

Although there were some style themes running through the outfits – headbands, coat-dresses, stretch-suede boots – it didn’t come off as overly matchy-matchy or coordinated, and there’s a charming realness in that.

This is a family which, over the past few challenging years, has become adept at conveying unity. The message here is one of consistency and closeness. If in doubt, keep calm and carry on. And there’s nothing more British than that.

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