"I really shouldn’t have worn this."
“There’s no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.” So said Alfred Wainwright in 1973’s A Coast to Coast Walk. Although the guidebook author may have been talking about wearing appropriate walking gear, the sentiment has become something of a maxim in the fashion world. No matter how perfect your outfit may be, first and foremost, it should always be appropriate for the occasion. This is a lesson Kate Middleton learned back in 2019 when she picked a stunning but, as it later turned out, not-so-weather-appropriate outfit for the royal Christmas celebrations.
For the Christmas Day church service, the royal opted for a beautiful gray wool coat by Catherine Walker, complete with fur collar and sleeves, which she paired with dark green velvet accessories, including a slanted hat, a clutch, and a pair of pumps. While the outfit may have looked perfectly festive, Middleton later revealed that it wasn’t exactly comfortable. While speaking to a young royal fan, Rachel Anvil, Middleton admitted that the fur and wool wasn’t a great choice for the unseasonably warm weather, which, according to weather reports, was around 46°F.
“Kate was talking to my daughter about clothes and how she was feeling too hot, she said, ‘I really shouldn’t have worn this,'” the Anvil’s mother recalled to Metro at the time. She went on to commend the royal’s honesty. “I’m there talking to Charlotte about dolls and my daughter’s talking about fashion with Kate. It wasn’t fake it was a genuine discussion, it was about a minute but it was tailored to my daughter, it was like speaking to a friend,” she said.
Since Middleton misjudged the warm weather in London in 2019, she seems to have taken a more practical approach to putting together her winter outfits. Earlier this month, for instance, she attended an event with two separate pairs of shoes (boots for outside and stilettos for inside) to ensure her maroon outfit was weather-ready. She has also begun using the clever styling trick of adding a bow to a boring old coat to dress it up for the festive season—after all, a cute little bow is certainly a more versatile festive hack than a thick fur coat.
As another Christmas approaches, Middleton will undoubtedly appear in a few new festive looks. She has already worn a festive candy cane-colored coat for her annual carol service. However, Middleton’s Christmas may be a little more low-key than previous years as she is still recovering from undergoing cancer treatment earlier this year. According to various reports, she is a “different person” and is still “not back to normal”.
Middleton and her family are expected to spend time with the royal family and with Middleton’s side of the family this Christmas. “Spending time with her side of the family is very important to Kate,” royal expert Sharon Carpenter told Us Weekly. “It’s a more private, relaxed environment away from the public eye.”
Meanwhile, former royal butler Grant Harrold told The Sun that Middleton and Prince Harry will almost certainly be working to ensure their children experience a normal Christmas morning. “They’ll be putting the stockings by the fireplace, the mince pies, the milk for the reindeer,” he said. “You could absolutely guarantee they’ll do the exact same thing that we all do.”