Radiant Kate Middleton cuts a refined figure in £1,495 navy blue polkadot Alessandra Rich gown, £775 Lock & Co hat and Princess Diana’s pearl earrings as she attends Prince Philip’s memorial service

• Kate Middleton, 40, was elegant in a navy Alessandra Rich gown as she arrived at Prince Philip’s service today
• The Duchess of Cambridge supported her husband William at the service for the Duke of Edinburgh 
• The mother-of-three wore a £775 Lock & Co! hat and paid subtle tribute to Diana by wearing her pearl earrings
• The royal couple were joined by their children Prince George and Charlotte at event to celebrate his life 

Kate Middleton was elegant as she joined by her husband Prince William and their eldest children Prince George and Princess Charlotte at Westminster Abbey for Prince Philip’s memorial service today. 

The mother-of-three looked poised as she wore a £1,495 navy Alessandra Rich gown which she paired with a smart £775 hat from Lock&Co!, as she was joined by her husband for the event this morning.   

Meanwhile the Duchess also donned Diana’s Collingwood earrings for the service at Westminster Abbey today.   

Kate and Prince Philip enjoyed a good relationship, with Prince William saying he was thankful that Kate, who married into the royal family in 2011 after meeting William nearly a decade earlier, had ‘so many years’ to get to know his grandfather. 

Royal aides previously revealed the Queen has been ‘actively involved’ in plans for the service ‘with many elements reflecting Her Majesty’s wishes’ as the order of service was unveiled overnight at midnight.

Kate Middleton was elegant as she joined by her husband Prince William and their eldest children Prince George and Princess Charlotte at Westminster Abbey for Prince Philip’s memorial service today

The mother-of-three looked poised as she wore a £1,495 navy Alessandra Rich gown which she paired with a smart £775 hat from Lock&Co!, as she was joined by her husband for the event this morning

Alessandra Rich is also one of the Duchess’ favoured labels, with the royal frequently turning to the London-based designer for her royal engagements. 

The Duchess of Cambridge swept her brunette locks into a low bun to reveal the pearl drop earrings for the occasion.

Kate regularly wears jewellery that honours her mother-in-law, including her sapphire engagement ring, which once belonged to Diana.

With a keen eye for detail, Kate often references Princess Diana with her style choices.

Following Prince Philip’s death, the Cambridge’s released previously unseen photographs of the Duke of Edinburgh with his great-grandchildren on their Instagram page, Kensington Royal.

In one photograph, the Queen and the Duke sat alongside seven of their great-grandchildren, with the ‘relaxed’ monarch holding a then-baby Prince Louis in her arms.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte could be seen offering a cheeky smile in the picture, while Peter’s elder daughter Savannah Phillips poses alongside Zara Tindall’s daughters Mia and Lena. 

Prince William and Kate Middleton arrived hand-in-hand with Prince George and Princess Charlotte for Prince Philip’s memorial service today

The Duchess of Cambridge looked poised as she wore an understated polkadot Alessandra Rich gown which she paired with elegant silver droplet earrings, as she was joined by her husband for the event this morning

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who days ago returned from their controversial Caribbean tour, arrived hand-in-hand with George and Charlotte, their two eldest children 

The Duchess of Cambridge swept her brunette locks into a low bun to reveal the pearl drop earrings for the occasion. The earrings were a favourite pair of the late Princess of Wales (pictured wearing the jewels in 1989) 

The photograph does not include the couple’s three youngest grandchildren, who were born in the last few years.

 A second picture of Her Majesty and her husband was shared on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Instagram page, and showed the couple posing with Prince George and Princess Charlotte during a visit to Balmoral in 2015.

And attending the funeral last April, the Duchess appeared emotional and was photographed with tears in her eyes. She paid a touching tribute to both the Monarch and to her own late mother-in-law as she wore the Queen’s pearl choker, from Her Majesty’s personal collection, to the poignant service in Windsor. 

The Duchess teamed a chic black £1,605 Roland Mouret dress with an asymmetrical neckline – the same she wore for the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance in 2018 – with a black face covering and a Philip Treacy velvet pillbox hat.

She paired her outfit with the Bahrain Pearl Diamond Drop Earrings which also came from Her Majesty’s private collection, and were also worn by Diana in 1982. The earrings were crafted from pearls gifted to the Queen and Philip from the ruler of Bahrain at the time of their wedding in 1947.

The note from the Cambridge’s to their royal fans said they all miss their ‘much loved’ great-grandfather and have been ‘incredibly moved’ by the many thoughtful messages

A second picture of Her Majesty and her husband was shared on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Instagram page, and showed the couple posing with Prince George and Princess Charlotte during a visit to Balmoral in 2015

The funeral includes several elements the Duke had planned for his funeral at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle in April last year but which were forbidden by Covid restrictions at the time. 

Prince Harry faces ‘lifetime of regret’ for missing memorial to his beloved grandfather

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle could ‘regret’ not attending the memorial service for his grandfather Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey tomorrow – and the Queen is likely to be ‘very upset’ but cannot change his mind, royal experts say.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to remain at home in Montecito, California, while the rest of the Royal Family gather in London for the poignant event. 

Harry last returned to the UK eight months ago to unveil the statue of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales in London on July 1 with his brother Prince William.

The Duke – one of the Queen and Philip’s eight grandchildren – is the only top-level royal not attending tomorrow’s service which was organised by the monarch.

Royal author Phil Dampier told MailOnline: ‘It’s very sad that Harry and Meghan won’t be at Prince Philip’s memorial service and I think one day Harry might regret it. He has said that he doesn’t feel safe without Scotland Yard security but to me that sounds like an excuse not to come back to the UK and indicates the rift with his blood family is still bad.

‘Harry was always very fond of his grandfather and was deeply honoured when he took over from him as Captain General of the Royal Marines, but sadly that didn’t last long. The pair attended some Remembrance Day events together and there was always a rapport between them, both being serving military men who had seen active service.’

Mr Dampier said that Harry ‘loved’ Philip’s sense of humour and praised him in interviews, adding that this makes his non-attendance ‘all the more mystifying and strange’. 

Among them is the involvement of Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) gold award winners and Sea Cadets, his expressed wish for the congregation to sing the rousing hymn Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer, and for clergy from the royal estates of Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral to play a special part.

His funeral at St George’s Chapel in Windsor was limited to just 30 mourners in the midst of the pandemic and mass singing was banned, with the Queen sitting alone in a mask.

Around 1,800 guests are due at today’s service, including British and European royalty, representatives of the many charities of which the duke was patron or president, Boris and Carrie Johnson, and Sir David Attenborough.

But the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not returning from the US for the service

The Queen has recently been forced to pull out of a string of engagements because of ill health and old age. 

She was unable to attend the Commonwealth Day service this month because of concerns about her mobility and comfort.

Palace and Abbey aides are thought to have taken steps to ensure that the service, to be televised live on BBC One, is less taxing for the Queen.  

The service will gave thanks for the duke’s dedication to family, nation and Commonwealth and recognise the importance of his legacy in creating opportunities for young people, promoting conservation, and supporting the Armed Forces.

One of the elements planned for the funeral which has now been included in the service will see nine Gold Award holders from The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, plus representatives from UK Cadet Force Associations, line entry routes into Westminster Abbey.

Philip, who died in April last year aged 99, launched the DofE Award in 1956 and was Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force, a role he first took up in 1953.

A tenth DofE gold award holder, Doyin Sonibare, 28, from London, will give a tribute to His Royal Highness’s legacy, recognising the impact of the Award on young people across the globe.

The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, will conduct the service and describe the duke in the Bidding as ‘a man of rare ability and distinction’ who ‘ever directed our attention away from himself.’

He will say: ‘He put privilege to work and understood his rank as a spur to service. Working at pace, with so many claims on his attention, he encouraged us to focus, as he was focussed, on the things that matter.

‘His was a discipline and character that seized opportunity and overcame obstruction and difficulty. We recall, with affection and respect, the sustained offering of a long life lived fully.’ 

It was the duke’s expressed wish that clergy from Windsor, Sandringham and Balmoral – known as The Queen’s domestic chaplains – played a part in his funeral service, but this was not possible due to the Covid restrictions.

Today the Reverend Kenneth MacKenzie Minister of Crathie Church, the regular place of worship of the British royal family when they are in residence at nearby Balmoral Castle, the Reverend Canon Jonathan Riviere, the Rector of Sandringham, and the Reverend Canon Martin Poll, Chaplain to the Royal Chapel of All Saints, Windsor Great Park, will offer prayers recognising Philip’s energy, spirit of adventure and ‘good stewardship of the environment’.

The service will also be attended by around 30 foreign royals, including Prince Albert of Monaco, Denmark’s Queen Margrethe, King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, and Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.

 

A graphic shows the plan for the service to remember Prince Philip at Westminster Abbey taking place this morning

Source: Read Full Article