For those at the top of the tree, muted elegant colours were the name of the game while, for many, shades of pink were the popular choice. Photo / Getty Images
"I need to be seen to be believed," the Queen has famously noted about her wardrobe full of neon coats. The same could be said for the Duchess of Sussex, who hasn't attended an official event in the United Kingdom since her dramatic interview with Oprah more than a year ago. Although if anyone was waiting for Meghan's return to British soil to be a bejewelled, over-the-top affair, they would have been disappointed by her sleek, off-white coat, discreet hat and gloves and her white pumps.
Not that Meghan went exactly under the radar with her choices for the thanksgiving service at St Paul's, as her entire outfit from her hat down to her heels was Dior haute couture in a colour the brand describes as "greige". Collared, belted and falling just below the knee, her coat alone must have cost thousands – and yet it was undeniably understated, made even more so by her unadorned hat by Stephen Jones and her neat bun. This was French status dressing at its best – major label, muted colours – and the contrast between Meghan and some of the more minor royals in their bubblegum pinks and tangerine oranges was stark.
It was a very clever move. Had she worn scarlet like Carrie Johnson or hot pink like Zara Tindall and Priti Patel, the Duchess of Sussex might have been accused of drawing attention to herself on a day that was all about the Queen. Not that this was ever necessary – as the commentary around the service proved, Meghan doesn't need to resort to peacock dressing as all eyes were already on her and Prince Harry.
Her jewellery was also all her own: no longer able to borrow the Queen's pieces with as much ease as she did before, she opted for a pair of snowflake snowstorm diamond earrings from Canadian brand Birks, which cost £11,000 ($21,000) to buy and are believed to have been a wedding gift, and a Cartier Love bracelet that retails at £5,950.
Playing a similar stealth status game was the Duchess of Cornwall who – when the flurry of politicians and royals in their rainbow brights had already sat down – arrived in an ivory-coloured Fiona Clare coat and a Philip Treacy hat. Clare is her longtime couturier and has worked happily with the Duchess for well over two decades, dressing her for state dinners but also more casual daytime engagements.
"Camilla and I have found our rhythm," Clare said earlier this year. "She has really found her style and I think she's looking amazing. She suddenly looks so confident – it just happened from one day to the next, a bit like it did for the Duchess of Cambridge – I think if you find a shape that works for you, it's like finding a recipe you love: you just keep making it."
This sentiment could certainly be applied to the Duchess of Cambridge at St Paul's in her slim-fit buttery yellow dress topped off with a beautiful rose-adorned hat by Philip Treacy. The dress was by Emilia Wickstead, who is fast becoming the royal designer of choice – very unusually for the royals, Princess Eugenie also wore a piece from her brand, in her case an orange calf-length dress.
Kate's outfit was a thoughtful one in that it nodded to those who weren't there. Her dress in particular was notably similar to the design the Queen wore to attend the Cambridges' wedding in 2011. Kate also borrowed the Bahrain pearl drop earrings, which she was last seen wearing at Prince Philip's funeral in April 2021. Looking as dazzling with buttery yellow as they did with black, they feature two large pearls surrounded by diamonds in an Art Deco-style setting.
Many had guessed the Queen would wear lemon-yellow for Thursday's balcony appearance but instead she opted for a dove blue Angela Kelly Charmelaine coat, embellished with a scallop-shaped pearl and diamante trim around the neckline and worn with a matching hat with a turned-up brim. So perfectly judged was her ensemble that it will linger in the memory of all who revere her. She looked as happy and glorious as the clear English summer sky above her.
Matching their grandmother were the three Cambridge children who were all decked out in blue on Thursday, like three peas in a pod (or a gilt-edged carriage). Prince George, 8, looked the most formal in a navy blue jacket and kingfisher blue tie, while Prince Louis, 4, wore nautical colours. Princess Charlotte, 7, looked lovely in a £77 blue chiffon dress embellished with a bow on one shoulder, by Portuguese label Patachou.
From blue to pink, which was Friday's colour of choice, with Zara Tindall in Laura Green London with a Juliette Millinery hat, Emmy London heels and an Aspinal bag. Lady Frederick Windsor – aka Peep Show's Sophie Winkleman – was in a deeper pink, while Lady Gabriella Kingston and the Countess of Wessex opted for a blush shade.
The popularity of the colour was possibly in homage to the Queen, who wore pale pink to the church service for her silver jubilee in 1977.
Carrie Johnson clearly didn't get the memo and was one of the few guests in scarlet at St Paul's – her very flattering dress was from Sandro, her shoes were from Dune London and her hat was by milliner AJ Gretton. Interestingly, nearly all the pieces the guests of honour wore on Friday were new, in contrast to Thursday's event, which featured a number of re-wears, including Johnson in a hot pink & Other Stories dress she was first photographed in at a Conservative party conference in 2019.
Similarly, the Duchess of Cambridge re-wore a white coat dress by Alexander McQueen on Thursday, one she had previously been photographed in at a G7 reception. Featuring sharp lapels and the "fit and flare" silhouette of which she is a firm fan, the coat was striking in its simplicity, as was her navy and white Philip Treacy hat. The understated nature of the coat served to highlight her jewellery all the more. In a touching tribute, she wore sapphire drop earrings that once belonged to Princess Diana, and a sapphire necklace.
Even 4-year-old Prince Louis – a child who clearly has access to more favourable storage facilities than his subjects, judging by the pristine condition of the garment – wore a sailor suit that was first seen some 37 years earlier on his father, Prince William, for the Trooping of the Colour in 1985. Childrenswear brands will be bracing themselves for an upsurge in demand for nautical tops.
Perhaps the only dud note across two days of top-notch fashion came from David Cameron, who opted for a somewhat crumpled blue shirt. "A checked shirt is an informal choice for such a high-profile occasion," says Telegraph men's style editor Stephen Doig. "It's not that it's overtly casual, just that blue checked shirts are the attire of the city, not ceremonies as full of pomp and ceremony as this one – it's like he's trying to show a 'man of the people' ease that doesn't work for these sorts of occasions."
As it turns out, Cameron could perhaps have taken a few lessons on striking the right tone from the Duchess of Sussex ...
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