From Princess Diana to Kate Middleton, the British Royal Family’s Christmas Looks

Violet Goldstone
·5-min read

LONDON — Christmas is a frenetically busy time for the British royal family, and it’s always a fashionable affair.

While most families might spend the day in their cozy clothing, the royals are often wrapped up in pearls, posh coats and statement hats. Below, WWD takes a look at the British royal family’s most memorable Christmas looks.

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Queen Elizabeth II, 1957

The Queen, in a gold lame dress, is seen in the Long Library at Sandringham shortly after making the traditional Christmas Day broadcast to her peoples. On the desk are portraits of Prince Charles and Princess Anne. The broadcast was televised this yer for the first time and was carried by both the BBC and ITV. It was the 25th anniversary of the first radio message to the Commonwealth by her grandfather, King George V.
The Queen, in a gold lamé dress, is seen in the Long Library at Sandringham shortly after making the traditional Christmas Day broadcast in 1957. On the desk are portraits of Prince Charles and Princess Anne.

Queen Elizabeth II made a style statement in 1957 when she delivered the British royal family’s first televised Christmas message. Sitting in the Long Library of her Sandringham estate, the queen wore a metallic gown, black heels and pearls to deliver her live address to the nation. The televised address by the monarch is a Christmas Day staple in Britain. It usually starts at 3 p.m. and lasts for around 10 minutes, with the British newspapers parsing every single word the monarch has to say.

Princess Diana, 1991

British royals Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Diana, Princess of Wales, wearing a blue and turquoise suit by Catherine Walker, with a matching hat, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York attend the Christmas Day church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, England, 25th December 1991.
Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Diana, Princess of Wales, wearing a blue and turquoise suit by Catherine Walker, with a matching hat, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York attend the Christmas Day church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, in 1991.

The flamboyant turquoise and green skirt suit that Princess Diana wore in 1991 was a radical departure from the family’s typically understated holiday wear. Diana wore the arresting outfit a few months before the May 1992 release of Andrew Morton’s bombshell book “Diana: Her True Story.”

The tell-all book — which was secretly written with Princess Diana’s help (although no one knew that at the time) — revealed her tumultuous marriage and mental health struggles. Diana told Morton that the Christmas was “highly fraught” and marked by “lots of tension.” The couple officially separated a year later, in December 1992.

King Charles, Prince William, and Prince Harry, 1997

Princes William and Harry, clutch gifts from well wishers as they leave Sandringham Church with their father, Prince Charles, after attending morning service today (Thursday). Both teenage princes - spending their first Christmas without their mother - managed a smile and thanked people for their good wishes.
Princes Harry and William clutch gifts from well wishers as they leave Sandringham Church with their father, Prince Charles, after attending morning service. It was the teenage princes’ first Christmas without their mother, who died in a car crash earlier that year.

The princes’ first Christmas since Princess Diana’s death in August was at Sandringham Church in 1997. Accompanied by their father, King Charles, the boys were dressed similarly in dark coats and patterned ties. In her annual Christmas address, Queen Elizabeth honored Princess Diana, and also talked about her and Prince Philip’s golden wedding anniversary.

Queen Consort Camilla Parker Bowles, 2005

KING'S LYNN, UNITED KINGDOM - DECEMBER 25: TRH Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall leave the Christmas Day service at Sandringham Church on December 25, 2005 in King's Lynn, England. (Photo by Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images)
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall leave the Christmas Day service at Sandringham Church in 2005 for their first time as a married couple.

In 2005, Camilla Parker Bowles made her first appearance at the family’s Christmas outing after marrying Prince Charles earlier that year. She opted for a cheery blue ensemble, a jaunty hat festooned with a flower and a Chanel bag slung over one shoulder.

Queen Elizabeth II, 2010

SANDRINGHAM, UNITED KINGDOM - DECEMBER 25: Queen Elizabeth II attends the Christmas Day Church Service with other members of the Royal family, at St Mary's Church on December 25, 2010 in Sandringham, England. (Photo by Louis Wood - WPA Pool/ Getty Images)
Queen Elizabeth attends the Christmas Day Church Service with other members of the Royal family, at St Mary’s Church in Sandringham.

Queen Elizabeth II wore a cream look to attend Christmas Day services with the British royal family at Sandringham in 2010. She accessorized her plaid coat with fur cuffs and a matching hat. Prince Phillip offset his wife’s light, bright outfit wearing a deep green coat.

Prince William and Kate Middleton, 2013

KING'S LYNN, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 25: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge arrive for the Christmas Day service at Sandringham on December 25, 2013 in King's Lynn, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Prince William and his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge arrive for the Christmas Day service at Sandringham.

Prince William and Kate Middleton joined the royal family at Sandringham in 2013. It was Middleton’s third Christmas as a royal, and by then she had defined her staple silhouette of structured shoulders, body-hugging bodices and cinched waists. Here, she’s wearing an Alexander McQueen tartan coat dress. McQueen would become her go-to designer label after Sarah Burton, then creative director of the brand, designed her wedding gown.

Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, 2018

(L-R) Britain's Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex arrive for the Royal Family's traditional Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, eastern England, on December 25, 2018. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) (Photo credit should read PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Prince Charles, Prince William, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex arrive for the Royal Family’s traditional Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk.

Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle walked alongside each other to the Christmas Day service at Sandringham in 2018. Middleton wore a festive red look while Markle opted for a navy ensemble. It was Markle’s second and final Christmas with the royal family. The Sussexes celebrated Christmas privately in 2019, and then stepped down as senior royals in January 2020.

Queen Elizabeth II, 2019

A picture released on December 24, 2019 shows Britain's Queen Elizabeth II posing for a photograph after she recorded her annual Christmas Day message, in Windsor Castle, west of London. During her traditional Christmas address, Queen Elizabeth II intends to call on the British to overcome their divisions after a year "full of pitfalls", between Brexit tearing apart her country and scandals shaking the British royal family, according to extracts from the address broadcast in advance.
A picture released on Dec. 24, 2019, shows Britain’s Queen Elizabeth posing for a photograph after she recorded her annual Christmas Day message, in Windsor Castle. She described 2019 as a year “full of pitfalls,” referring to Brexit and the scandals shaking the royal family.

Queen Elizabeth II delivered her annual Christmas message in 2019 wearing a Yves Klein blue dress and the three-strand pearl necklace given to her by her father, King George VI. Spectators were quick to notice that among the family photos on her desk — which she has every year — no photos of Prince Harry, Meghan Markle or their newborn son Archie were on display.

Launch Gallery: The British Royal Family Celebrating Christmas Through The Years

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