On Sunday, Kate Middleton joined Queen Elizabeth and other members of the royal family to mark Remembrance Day, wearing head-to-toe black except for three red poppies that were pinned to her military-inspired coat.
The symbolic poppies are believed to be in honor of her great-grandmother Olive Middleton’s three brothers who all fought and died in World War 1.
Paper poppies have been worn since 1921 to commemorate military members who lost their lives to war. While most members of the royal family only wear one (aside from the Queen who wears five), Kate often wears three.
This year, they were pinned onto a new fitted coat by Catherine Walker & Co. which featured a high mandarin collar, fringed shoulder-detailing and silver buttons. The British brand has been worn by Kate for official occasions for nearly a decade and was also a favorite of the late Princess Diana.
Adding a sculptural bow hat by Philip Treacy, her hair was styled in a 1940s vintage-inspired loose updo. To add to the sentimental look, Kate wore the classic diamond and pearl earrings that she has had on longterm loan from the Queen since 2016.
Standing on a balcony above Whitehall — socially distanced from Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall — Kate watched the ceremony from the balcony adjacent to the Queen’s as Prince Charles led members of the family, including Prince William, to lay wreaths onto the Cenotaph.
[primary_media_image caption="Prince William laying a wreath at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday 2020" primary_image="12371457" orientation="default" /]
In line with current government advice, Kate wore a mask to re-enter the building and get into her waiting car upon her departure, choosing a black style from Amaia (now sold out!) The London brand, which specializes in traditional children’s clothing, has raised thousands of pounds for NHS hospitals from sales of their adult and kids masks.
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The scaled-back ceremony, which is a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, saw just 30 veterans attend, rather than the 10,000 who usually gather to take part in the two-minute silence and watch the military parade.
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