One of the biggest staples of the Royal Family's calendar, Trooping the Colour, took place this weekend, marking the official birthday of King Charles. Although his real birthday actually falls in November, the event traditionally takes place in June to celebrate whoever is monarch at the time.
This year, we saw all the senior royals gather together for a carriage procession as well as balcony appearance, waving to the public as they witnessed the iconic flypast. The Prince and Princess of Wales joined along with their three children - Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte - but it was Kate's pale blue ensemble that particularly caught our eye, for a number of reasons.
In previous years at Trooping the Colour (and other public appearances), Kate has traditionally co-ordinated her looks with her only daughter, Princess Charlotte. This has meant channelling similar styles and colours to create a symbiotic comparison, without being completely matching. This year, however, The Princess of Wales changed tack and decided to co-ordinate with her sons, Princes George and Louis, instead, who wore matching suits.
Kate chose a pale blue, double-breasted coat dress by Catherine Walker, paired with a statement hat in the same colour and white trim. Her sons co-ordinated with their mother in double-breasted blazers and ties in the exact shade of her ensemble. While Princess Charlotte's dress did feature a double row of buttons for some coherence with the other members of the family, her dress was white with puff sleeves with a statement bow on her frilled collar. Kate and Princess Charlotte have also been known to match their hairstyles, but on this occasion Charlotte chose a half-up style with a large bow, while Kate had an elaborate up-do to sit beneath her hat.
The Princess of Wales' outfit was also a standout on the day due to its similarity to an almost identical look worn by Princess Diana in 1987, also by Catherine Walker. While attending an Easter service, the late Princess stepped out wearing a pale blue, double-breasted coat dress and hat while hand-in-hand with Prince William. Just as Kate co-ordinated with her sons, Princess Diana had a matching look made for the young Prince William, who walked with her to the service alongside his cousin, Peter Phillips.
Those attending this year's Trooping the Colour event included King Charles and Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duchess of Gloucester.
