The royals choose pared back outfits for the jubilee pageantry

“Happy and glorious” were two words used throughout the Queen’s four-day platinum jubilee celebrations, and the fashion was best described by the former. The clothing choices of the monarch and her descendants for this historic milestone were much like the Queen herself — consistent and optimistic, not looking to cause a fuss.

The Queen set the tone for the weekend’s festivities, wearing the same outfit on the Buckingham Palace balcony on Thursday as she did in her portrait released the night before. Even the family members who typically steal the style spotlight opted to lie a bit lower. Three of the outfits we saw from Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, between Thursday and Sunday were repeated from previous public engagements. Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, arrived at Friday’s service of thanksgiving, her only public jubilee appearance, in a pale grey, almost white, belted trench by Dior Haute Couture — nearly blending in with the stone backdrop of St Paul’s Cathedral.

The first taste of official jubilee fashion had arrived on Wednesday evening, with the release of the new portrait of the Queen by photographer Ranald Mackechnie. It was one more to add to the staggering collection of her images and yet it was remarkable to see how the 96-year-old chose to portray herself for her own history-making moment.

It shows the Queen seated on a moss-green cushion in the Victoria Vestibule at Windsor Castle, wearing a bespoke design by her trusted personal adviser Angela Kelly, cut from a dusky-blue Charmelaine wool with pearl and diamanté trim around the collar and down the front. The Queen’s usual accessories are pared back: there is no glittering brooch, and even her usual three strands of pearls are reduced to just two. The lack of adornment puts the focus squarely on her soft smile and steady gaze, trained directly at the viewer.

Taken late last month, the photograph is a far cry from the portrait released to mark the Queen’s silver jubilee in 1977, standing in the Throne Room of Buckingham Palace, the stately crown on her head and the elaborate cape draped off her shoulders and pooling at her feet.

The morning following the release of the platinum jubilee portrait, the Queen stepped on to the balcony of Buckingham Palace for trooping the colour, wearing the very same ensemble, though this time her signature trimmings returned, including white gloves and a hat to match the coat. The latter was fashioned in the same upturned-brim style she donned for her diamond jubilee river pageant in 2012, complementing her set curls and ensuring that no part of her face would be obscured from the cameras.

There was a brooch too, but an expected one: the diamond Brigade of Guards brooch which she has worn for almost every trooping the colour since 1987, when she stopped wearing a uniform at birthday parades. Perhaps the most telling accessory for the monarch, who is reported to have mobility issues, was a walking stick, which she held lightly with one hand.

The Queen shared star status that day with the pint-sized person to her left, her great-grandson Prince Louis. The four-year-old’s hilarious facial expressions when the fly-past roared overheard were splashed across front pages and his clothes were not to be missed: he wore a sweet sailor outfit just like the one his father Prince William had worn for the trooping in 1985.

The Cambridge children played a prominent role in the festivities, with all three joining their mother in the carriage parade at trooping before the family gathered together on the balcony. Prince George and Princess Charlotte then travelled with their parents on Saturday to greet crowds at Cardiff Castle, later sitting in the front row of the royal box at the Platinum Party at the Palace concert that evening. An animated Louis returned on Sunday, joining the family in the same spot for the pageant.

A soft sartorial strategy was deployed throughout — but not the attention-grabbing approach of Diana, Princess of Wales, who was unafraid of twinning with her boys. Catherine prefers instead to co-ordinate, riffing off the same shades in a single palette to project a sense of familial harmony. At trooping, they wore white and blue — a nod to the Queen’s ensemble; on Saturday they channelled the Union Jack, with navy, white and red. Princess Charlotte was also given a moment of sparkle, swapping the morning’s double-breasted navy coat for a red dress that evening, a hint of sequins peeking out from under her matching cardigan.

For the first three days of the jubilee, Catherine played it quite safe, choosing to re-wear pieces. The Duchess is the source of outsize attention, from both the press and the public; her fashion seemed to do what it could to downplay her role over the weekend. Trooping saw the return of the white Alexander McQueen coat dress worn last year when she attended the G7 reception. (Next to her in the carriage was Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, similarly repeating her light-blue ensemble from Royal Ascot last year.)

Catherine’s full skirt was largely concealed in both the carriage and on the balcony, putting the focus on the blazer-like top that projected a woman-at-work image. The angled, defined lines of her navy-and-white Philip Treacy hat added to that vibe. Her diamond and sapphire earrings, which belonged to Diana, were a reminder that the Firm is a family too.

Her Saturday ensembles were a pair of repeats too, but together sent their own signal. Catherine chose two pieces she wore at big moments in her Hold Still pandemic photography project, perhaps as an acknowledgment of the ongoing challenges of Covid-19. The white blazer dress by London-based label Self Portrait was similar to the trooping ensemble, a calming and consistent visual. She had first worn the piece to a 2021 reception honouring those who helped with Hold Still. Earlier in the day, for the visit to Wales, Kate opted for a vibrant red coat by Eponine London, worn for the launch of her Hold Still book last year.

A softer side of Catherine was in evidence for Friday’s thanksgiving service at St Paul’s, where she debuted a new sunny yellow dress by London-based designer Emilia Wickstead. The Queen’s absence had been announced the night before, after she experienced what her press team described as “discomfort”, but she was there in spirit — or rather in her jewellery: Catherine wore the diamond and pearl-drop earrings which the then Princess Elizabeth received as a wedding gift in 1947. For the pageant on Sunday, the Duchess flexed a bit of fashion muscle in a new raspberry dress by Stella McCartney.

And for all the unwarranted predictions that Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, would steal the limelight from the Queen, fashion-wise it could not have been further from the truth. In addition to Meghan’s Dior ensemble, on Thursday, a handful of grainy photographs of the couple emerged, taken through a window as they watched the trooping of the colour. Meghan’s fantastic hat, a large-brim style by British milliner Stephen Jones, adorned with an oversize navy bow, made the obscure photos especially thrilling.

The bright colours that day came via the Queen’s granddaughters. Zara Tindall shone in bright pink, while Princess Eugenie radiated in bright orange. Princess Beatrice rounded out the trio in cornflower blue, paired with a clutch that read, curiously, “Wifey for Lifey”. 

The Queen returned to her eye-catching colours with a surprise appearance at the grand finale of Sunday’s pageant. On the balcony of Buckingham Palace, her signature style was in full form, with a vibrant green coat by Stewart Parvin and matching hat from Rachel Trevor Morgan.

Her heirs — Princes Charles, William and George — stood closest to her in their dark tailored suits, a departure from the military uniforms we are used to seeing them wear on these occasions. Camilla and Catherine did not wear hats. It’s a small shift, certainly, but perhaps a sign of a more modern, relatable monarchy to come.

Elizabeth Holmes is the author of ‘HRH: So Many Thoughts on Royal Style’

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