The Garter Day is an annual tradition that sees the Knights of the Order of the Garter gather at Windsor Castle to attend a series of events, including a lunch and a church service at St George’s Chapel.
For the occasion, Kate wore one of her fashion fail-safes, the coat dress, in a similar color to the blue silk ribbons worn by holders of the garter.
The structured coat dress featured strong lines and princess seaming with a statement covered belt in the same material and a wide open collar with pressed lapels.
To accessorize her look, Kate paired her coat dress with a blue fascinator hat with blue roses and veiling from Juliette Botterill and shoes from Meghan Markle’s favorite luxury footwear designer, Aquazzura with crystal embellished heel straps.
For her jewelry, the duchess wore a suite of diamond and tanzanite gems, which were first worn to the national service of commemoration, honoring soldiers who fought in Afghanistan.
The jewels are reported to have come from the royal jewelers G. Collins & Sons and complement the royal’s sapphire and diamond engagement ring that was inherited from Princess Diana.
Tanzanite is mined in the Manyara region of Tanzania in Africa. Prince William and Kate have special memories of Africa having gotten engaged while on holiday in Kenya.
The Order of the Garter is Britain’s oldest and most prestigious order of chivalry, with inclusion in its ranks only in the personal gift of the monarch.
Knights of the Garter include members of the royal family plus 24 knights chosen from those who have made significant contributions to national life. Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Edward and Prince Andrew are among the male members of the royal family to hold the garter.
Female members of the royal family are also among those given the garter, with Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, being invested as a Lady Companion of the Order of the Garter by Queen Elizabeth II on Monday.
Kate attended Monday’s service at St George’s Chapel in support of William, who was made a Royal Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter in 2008.
Monday’s Garter Day began with controversy over whether Prince Andrew would take part in the public facing events of the day, including the traditional procession from Windsor Castle to St George’s Chapel.
Prior to the event, Newsweek was told by a source close to Andrew that the prince had taken a “personal decision” to bow out of the public proceedings. This followed his no-show appearance at the queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, citing testing positive for COVID as the official reason.
The prince joined the queen, who it is believed to have attended the investiture of new knights at the castle and a traditional lunch party in the Waterloo Chamber before the procession left for the chapel.
The queen has reduced the number of public engagements she undertakes significantly since the last Garter Day celebrations in 2019. The 2020 and 2021 events were canceled amid the pandemic.
The queen’s health has been a major factor in a reevaluation of her public-facing role, having suffered a series of health scares last fall and what Buckingham Palace officially called “episodic mobility problems.”
Kate made her glamorous appearance alongside Sophie, Countess of Wessex, wife of the queen’s youngest son, Prince Edward, who wore a simple pink dress with flounce sleeves and neutral tone accessories.
The knights and companions of the Order of the Garter wore the traditional Tudor bonnets and long blue velvet cloaks fastened with heraldic chains.
