On November 9, 2025, King Charles III, Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, and the Duke of Kent attended the 2025 National Service of Remembrance in London. The National Service of Remembrance is held every year on Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph on Whitehall.
The service commemorates “the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts.” It takes place on the second Sunday in November, the Sunday nearest to 11 November, Armistice Day — the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the First World War in 1918.
I am so surprised at how many times this year, I have written, as I do once again, "Queen Camilla leads the way fashion-wise today." Elegant and streamlined. The same can usually be said of the Duchess of Gloucester, but there's a bit too much embellishment today. I am afraid that The Princess of Wales would have been fine without the additional lace hanging from her collar, but that addition, ruins the look, I'm afraid. Victorian era? Regency? Pop star, Prince in Purple Rain? The print design on Sophie's dress overwhelms the entire look with everything else going on.
ReplyDeleteCompletely agree! The Queen and DOC continue to lead the fashion for the BRF
DeleteTotally agree the lace ruined the look on poW, its not even a good quality, looks borrowed from Queen Victoria's wadrope
DeleteAgree !! Camilla literally oks great, beautiful hat too !!
DeleteI see the complete opposite to your thoughts 13:57. Catherine, Sophie, the DofG all look elegant, classy, without going over the top. Cam looks the same, nothing special.
DeleteEdwina
Sophie is wearing the embroidered dress with lily of the valley she wore at queen Elizabeth’s funeral, I think it is very beautiful !!
DeleteSophie is wearing the embroidered dress with lily of the valley she wore at queen Elizabeth’s funeral, I think it is very beautiful !!
Delete16:09 Cam?! Are you so familiar with the Queen?! I think she looks absolutely gorgeous. Nothing ordinary about that outfit of hers.
DeleteCatherine looks absolutely beautiful!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful?????
DeleteThe outfit is beautiful or are you gushing about her personally.
DeleteDoesn’t she Coralie?! She’s such an elegant woman, here once again so beautiful. And I fail to understand the comment of 17:26.
Delete@Anon 17:26: One can learn how to express one's opinion in a civilized way by means of polite words when talking about other human beings. Your use of multiple exclamation marks is rude, stuck on the level of an ill-behaved child.
DeleteYes, she does!
DeleteShe looks lovely!
DeleteI really like PoW, but this outfit and yesterdays, although the lace looks impressive, seems too Dutch from the 1700,
ReplyDeleteBut as i said the piece of lace is so beautiful, im wondering if it has a meaning or provenance that will make sense in this setting. Maybe with another neckline would be better?
Looking forward to reading your comments.
Further this event is so touching, we commemorate those fallen in war conflict and alas we continue to take the same path instead of solving conflicts by talking and listening.
Luna
Luna! I love your questioning on the meaning of the lace. This for me is a very fair and clever way to regard fashion which doesn’t instantly sit well with us. As for me, I also think it’s very beautiful lace - I’ll guess Belgian ? - and I’m glad that she is displaying it rather than tucking it inside. Her hat is very elegant and suits her well. I love Camilla’s hat and covet it.
Delete@ Anonymous 16:00
DeleteIf it is Belgian lace and I can only speak about Brussels lace, it must be very old. Since the last 25 years the people who were still capable to make these beautiful pieces in lace have disappeared one by one due to age. There are no young candidates to learn this art and those who were still capable to learn it to others are too old or passed away. The majority of the lace which is sold in the Lace boutiques around the "Grande Place" in Brussels is made mechanically in China and not made by hand like ages ago. They probably still have a number of real pieces but I don't know if one can still buy these. There are also less Lace boutiques than before. The real pieces of old lace can be admired at the "Lace museum".
There is of course also the lace which is made in Bruges. I don't know much about it. It is possible there is still a Lace school where one can learn how to make it. And there must be one or two other places in Belgium where lace pieces were made. Very interesting and with "google" it is possible to look up all this, but it takes a lot of time which I haven't. I must say I never saw black lace in the Lace boutiques in Brussels. Maybe one could order it and it was made on demand of a client, but I really don't know. I should really take some time to look things up.
Wat moeten ze hun best doen.
ReplyDeleteI would like to remove Catherine's neck scarf. Her coat is beautiful and doesn't need the embellishment. Then she could have added a larger brooch. Camilla's hat is on point!
ReplyDeleteMrs Cleaver
Mrs Cleaver, to understand one of your turns of phrase, what does your “on point” mean? (From French “en pointe” means for us “cutting edge” whereas I would say this hat is classic)
DeleteCatherine wore quite a number of really wonderful hats to past Remembrance days. This one is not one of those ... I cannot befriend myself with typically (in whichever direction) lopsided "whimsy" British hats ... they are straight foolish in my eyes. Camilla's, Sophie's and the Duchess of G.'s hats, each in their size class, are really very nice. The best on Catherine this year are her glorious earrings. That black lacey bit hanging out at her neckline is not something I'd miss if not present, if I may say so very politely. She has been breathtakingly dressed on so many "black" occasions, but not really this time.
ReplyDeleteLoving Catherine’s superbly elegant and respectful clothes. The hat is beautiful on her, as is the lace scarf at her neck. Sophie and Camilla also similarly superbly elegant. I love seeing the British royals dressed for their formal event!
ReplyDeleteIndeed, Catherine looked superb!MR
DeleteI really like PoW, but this outfit. The scarf detail is great.
ReplyDeleteThe ladies all look well-dressed and appropriate for the occasion. Catherine’s lace ruffle does not look quite right with her outfit, however. The delicate texture doesn’t coordinate well with the tailored lines of the rest of her outfit. As another commenter (Luna) said, though, perhaps there is some meaning or historic significance to the lace that will be revealed later.
ReplyDelete-Royal Watcher
Good explanation the delicate texture and tailored line
DeleteI can only see one redeeming piece of Catherine's outfit today, and that is her earrings. The lace jabot is very Victorian and isn't translating well for me. I really dislike her hat, but I am the first to admit I don't understand British hat trends. I will always prefer a simple style over asymmetric brims, feathers and faux florals. She has had a few recent duds now.
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly, Camilla looks really good, though I can't fully see what she is wearing--better than Catherine. From what is visible, I like it. Sophie appears to be wearing the same coat dress she had made for Queen Elizabeth's funeral. The embroidery is full of symbolism, and while a bit fussy, I think it is appropriate. The Duchess of Gloucester is perfectly turned out as usual.
Ce manteau de Catherine est habituellement superbe, notamment avec son encolure en biais et ses trois plis en diagonale, malheureusement tout est peu en valeur ici avec cet ajout inutile de dentelle gothique. Quel dommage.
ReplyDeleteLe chapeau n'est pas non plus une réussite, on le croirait cabossé (même si je sais que ce n'est pas le cas, mais c'est l'impression qu'il donne).
Le chapeau de Camilla est très beau, parfait pour la saison.
Celui de Sophie est un peu petit. Son manteau est raffiné et fait penser à une tenue asiatique avec les broderies satinées, le col Mao et les jolis boutons en tissu. Paloma.
ReplyDeleteKate porte un joli manteau avec le chapeau qui correspond ; je n'en suis pas certaine mais il me semble avoir déjà vu ses boucles d'oreilles pendantes à perles ?!
Sophie is wearing the dress she first wore to HLMQ funeral. I much prefer her hats off her face. This is one of her better looks.
ReplyDeleteDoG- What we can see looks fine.
QC - She’s sticking to her usual style. She wears big hats well.
Catherine - I’m not sure what the tucked in segment of lace is for. Her blouce looks to have a lace trim collar. The coat and the hat she’s worn before.
Lowri.
Contrary to the way she is usually dressed, I think Sophie is the best dressed here. Queen Camilla is wearing the best hat, but I would take the fur away.
ReplyDeleteThe duke and duchess of Gloucester have the best (normal) facial expression.
Catherine looks harsh. Black will do that to some but also, her make up needs a serious refresh. She's naturally pretty, her make up is overpowering her.
ReplyDeleteCinci
I agree. Even before her illness she was overly made up.
DeleteShe's naturally pretty and a lighter touch with the cosmetics would do her appearance a world of good.
Kim
@Anon 21:42: *You* not liking her makeup is OK, but it does not mean that *she* needs anything, so better talk about one's opinion and not about what she needs. And then, she does not use the same makeup, neither the colours nor the strength, for every occasion, so what is there to refresh? When wearing an all-black ensemble, it is, IMHO, quite well done to use stronger makeup than on other occasions - and she does exactly this for this day.
Delete@ Anonymous 10:50
DeleteMy thoughts exactly.
Moreover, all ladies in attendance-except for the Duchess of Gloucester- wore stronger makeup shades (as far as I can see, all the products tones look to have been intentionally selected to make a stronger impact against their black ensembles), clever move.
Now, I do not want in any way to question the final outcomes on any of these ladies but if I were to give my honest opinion, Q.Camilla looks to be the only one who needs a serious refresh.
I am talking about a more accurate skin care and professional facial massages as first steps, at least that's what I can infer from these pics.
Makeup is no magic and it can't work fully on an agee lady seemingly skipping a targeted face skin care.
I think that good quality products and facial creams and dedicated tools could make a great difference in this case but this Is just my perspective, of course.
Kate’s lace jabot overcomplicates the outfit, one doesn’t know what to look at first with so much stuff around her face and neck. Remember Coco Chanel? I guess Kate couldn’t recall her advice to take something off, so conversely she added something?? Too much goo on, no cohesiveness and (to me) all in rather poor taste.
ReplyDeleteCan’t have an opinion on Camilla’s sartorial choices-looked fine. Sophia’s dress coat is exquisitely tailored and the craftsmanship is quite striking. A smaller poppy brooch would have been better in my opinion. Brigitte could have chosen a different way to display her brooches. I am confused by her hat, appears to be a casual beret?
All in, rather disappointing sartorially speaking from the British ladies. Below their previous years’ outfits.
CH
I am not sure who the new stylist is for Catherine? Her last two appointments her style has lost the mark for me. Shame she is losing the style she had found over the last few years. The same for the outfit she wore with M Trump with the children. The colour and the skirt, was dull and not very attractive.
ReplyDeleteEveryone looks as expected at this important event. So, few are left from the greatest Generation, who gave so much for us and future generations. Hope we can always remember their sacrifices, because we owe them so much, we cannot repay them for their greatest gift. Thank you for their Service to Mankind.
ReplyDeletecss
Sophie's dress is beautiful. The embroidery is beautifully done just enough from what I can see, her top sleeves and bodice. Catherine's coat, I love, but not the lace insert. Her pearl earrings are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteFashionwise, I don't t think there is anyone for the win amongst the royal ladies in attendance.
ReplyDeleteEach of them is appropriately attired for this somber occasion, each one gives her own individual interpretation to her mourning outfit.
Stunning jewellery display all around.
I wouldn't change a single thing and this applies to the gentlemen in their uniforms, too.
I feel so sorry for the Duke of Kent , he looks so sad and devastated.
I guess that the reason is something which goes well beyond this Remembrance Service.
Gaat het alleen maar over mode?
ReplyDeleteDat je alleen maar daarover beoordeeld wordt ?
Dat die oorlog er niet meer toe doet ?
In my opinion, the little hats favored especially by the English ladys are most suitable for cocktail parties and summer celebrations. In such a formal and rather serious context, I find them a a bit strange choice. The Queen, the DoE, and the DoG have made stylish hat choices though. -Siri
ReplyDeleteThe Princess of Wales opted for what is technically called" percher hat" (so no fascinator, as I read somewhere).
DeleteThis can account for the way her hair is styled at the top and back in order to create a sort of support base for the hat to "perch" on her head.
I think that her hair style is no random choice and no artificial pieces were added.
Kudos to her skilful hairdresser.
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