The Royal Family is especially busy during national holidays—Easter, Christmas Day, St. Patrick's Day, and so on—and they dress for the occasion. Green for St. Patrick's Day, of course; Christmas Day is more varied, but often red and green pieces or accessories make an appearance. Ahead, the ultimate guide to the Royal Family's holiday style.
Princess Diana, Easter, 1983
Princess Diana's outfits were often thematic, particularly during the holidays. This look was in the middle of a visit to Australia, with floral jacket by Miss Antoinette and a turquoise silk Jan Van Velden dress and matching hat. Diana was only in her 20s here, and relatively early into her royal life.
Princess Beatrice, Easter, 2025
Princess Beatrice (and her sister, Princess Eugenie) have had a fun personal style. Even though this was a more modern, muted iteration, Beatrice's halo-style headband by Justine Bradley-Hill Millinery and Ahana dark green long-sleeve dress were extremely Easter-ready.
Queen Camilla, St. Patrick's Day, 2006
Camilla's whole look here was extremely appropriate for St. Patrick's Day, here attending the Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup with then-Prince Charles. The hat is Patrick Treacy, and the adornment looked to be shamrock-inspired. The matching collar was a nice touch.
Queen Elizabeth, Christmas, 2014
Queen Elizabeth often wore bright hues in order to be more visible to onlookers. She was also a big fan of bright pink: it was an interesting choice to be attending Christmas Day service at Sandringham, but there was a little thematic red in the hat and dress.
Queen Camilla and King Charles, Easter, 2023
King Charles and Queen Camilla were matching in cobalt blue at the Easter Sunday Mattins Service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. This was Charles' first Easter as king, and the sign of unity—as well as being thematic to the holiday—was a strong message.
Kate Middleton, Easter, 2023
Attending the Easter Sunday Mattins Service at Windsor Castle, Princess Kate and Prince Louis looked adorable in bright blue (the color often connotes purity and is sometimes associated with the Virgin Mary; blue is also a historic royal color). The dress was Catherine Walker—a common choice for Kate.
Princess Diana, Christmas, 1990
As Princess Diana continued in her royal life (and beyond it, after her divorce from Charles), she leaned into her sense of style. This suit by Bellville Sassoon looked like a throwback to the previous decade, and the wide-brim hat by Philip Somerville had major panache.
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, Christmas, 2022
I really love these complementary winter coats on Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice. It was very wintry and appropriate for Christmas (both were attending a community holiday carol service at Westminster Abbey, hosted by Kate). You can't see it in this photo, but Eugenie's coat had a fun fringe hem on the bottom.
Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, Christmas, 1992
When Princess Margaret and the future Queen Elizabeth were young, they were often dressed identically to indicate the strength of their family bond. But, when they became older, their individual styles emerged: Elizabeth bright and colorful, Margaret chic and upscale. Equally beautiful for Christmas day.
Kate Middleton, Easter, 2014
A light blue color is perfect in the context of Easter, given the holiday's focus on purity (and the season's focus on pastels). Here, Kate Middleton was in an Alexander McQueen coat, matching dress underneath, and Jane Taylor hat; this was still pretty early in her life as an official royal, and I actually appreciate how on-theme it is.
King Charles and Queen Camilla, Christmas, 2023
Complementary tan outfits: check! This was only King Charles' second Christmas as king; he and Queen Camilla often favored neutrals when making the annual walk to Sandringham for the holiday service, and they liked to complement (but not match) each other's outfit.
Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, Christmas, 2018
This was a pretty famous (and avidly watched) Christmas day procession for the royals; Kate and Meghan were photographed chatting and looking congenial. Both wore thematic colors; Kate in a favored color of red and Meghan in a more neutral navy, as befitting their personal styles.
Princess Diana, Christmas, 1994
In a brown faux-fur trimmed Mansfield coat and a matching hat, Princess Diana walked next to Prince William en route to Sandringham. Even after her and Charles' separation in 1992, she continued to attend the family festivities; American Vogue called her chic outfits "her form of armor."
Kate Middleton, St. Patrick's Day, 2014
Called by People "shamrock chic," St. Patrick's Day became one of Kate's most festive and thematic holidays. Here, she wore a Hobbs London belted trench, Gina Foster hat, Cartier shamrock brooch, and green suede pumps as well as that magnificent sprig of shamrocks.
Princess Diana and Princess Anne, Trooping the Colour, 1986
While Trooping the Colour has spawned a wide variety of outfits, one major trend is bright colors—the better for crowds to spot royal attendees. On this particular occasion, Princess Anne and Princess Diana both opted for polka dots in vivid primary colors.
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, New Year's Levee, 2023
The New Year's Levee has historically been for members of government and special guests. Here, Crown Princess Mary wore a gorgeous light blue gown apparently by Lasse Spangenberg (light blue being a favorite color of hers), shining as bright as Crown Prince Frederik's uniform.
Meghan Markle, Trooping the Colour, 2018
Meghan Markle's Trooping the Colour debut was one for the ages. The pink off-the shoulder dress was by Carolina Herrera and she wore a matching Philip Treacy hat, tilted jauntily to the side. While Meghan did sometimes opt for colors during her time as a senior royal, she had exceptional taste in neutrals.
Princess Diana, Christmas, 1987
Pictured with Sarah Ferguson at Windsor Castle, Diana looked gorgeous in a yellow checked coat by Escada and matching Philip Somerville hat. While yellow isn't always associated with Christmas, it often stands in for a more opulent gold hue. So this was thematic while not being so on the nose.
Kate Middleton, Christmas, 2023
Winter white: an underrated theme for the Christmas holiday. Here, Kate was attending the "Together At Christmas" Carol Service at Westminster Abbey, which Kate spearheaded. The trousers were Holland Cooper, the clutch was Strathberry, and the white coat was Chris Kerr.
Queen Elizabeth, Trooping the Colour, 2022
What a darling photo! Also, what better way to show one's support of one's great-grandmother than dressing in an essentially identical color? That's exactly what Prince Louis did here (and obviously the matching outfit might not have been intentional—but it was wonderful).
Princess Grace, Christmas, 1973
The erstwhile Grace Kelly lived a more private life after getting married to Prince Rainier III of Monaco. But in this still photo from a video, in which she read the Nativity story for The Glories of Christmas television program, she clearly continued to have chic and festive style.
Princess Eugenie, Easter, 2025
This was a royal rewear: Eugenie had worn her white belted trench coat from Reiss at the Cheltenham Festival the year prior, and the Emily London “Zellova” pillbox hat to the Duke of Westminster's wedding. But the duchess was perfectly on theme in Easter whites.
Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana, and Princess Anne, Christmas, 1985
This was one of the more "Christmas-y" outfit that Princess Diana wore to commemorate the holiday. Per American Vogue, the red military-style coat was by Piero de Monzi and black hat was by Marina Killery. Princess Anne in white and Queen Elizabeth in dark fur offered nice contrast.
Princess Charlene, Ceremony Of The Sainte-Devote, 2025
Princess Charlene's black outerwear with contrasting white collar and silver buttons was a perfect choice for an extremely formal event. If you're curious, according to the original caption, Sainte Devote is the patron saint of The Principality Of Monaco.
Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte, Trooping the Colour, 2024
Princess Kate and Princess Charlotte looked incredibly nautical during Trooping the Colour in 2024. Kate's appearance was a significant one, her first following her recent cancer treatment. The fact that she was wearing inverse colors as her daughter (white with navy accents to match the navy with white accents) was beautiful.
Princess Diana, Trooping the Colour, 1987
In a gorgeous pinstriped suit by Jan Van Velden and a Philip Somerville hat, Princess Diana was more muted than in other years of Trooping the Colour. In pictures of her on the balcony, she matched both of her sons' white shirts, making them stand out against other colorful outfits.
Queen Elizabeth II, Christmas, 1957
It was a long, time-honored tradition for Queen Elizabeth (like her father before her) to deliver a Christmas Day speech. This was her first one and captured her smiling at Prince Philip before going live. As a young monarch, her holiday outfits were youthful and colorful—and here quite connotative of the holiday, thanks to the bow.
Queen Elizabeth, Christmas, 2008
It was always so heartwarming to see Queen Elizabeth bedecked in holiday colors during her official appearances of the time. This photo was captured in 2008 at Sandringham, and the touches of red were thematic but muted with the gray in the tweed and on the hat.
Queen Letizia, New Year's Pascua Militar, 2025
For a military ceremony at the Royal Palace in Madrid, Queen Letizia's gorgeous burgundy dress and matching shoes were stunning all on their own. But the furred black outerwear was the perfect sartorial statement, and complementary enough to the military regalia sported by King Felipe.
Kate Middleton, Christmas, 2020
I have always been impressed by Kate Middleton's capacity to dress on theme. But this Christmas outfit, complete with matching her plaid skirt to her scarf, was exceptional. She was visiting Cardiff Castle ahead of the holidays in December, and looked the definition of Christmas cheer.
Zara Tindall, Christmas Carol Service, 2024
As the saying goes, Zara Tindall understood the assignment when she attended the "Together At Christmas" Carol Service at Westminster Abbey in 2024. The wine-colored velvet suit referenced holiday spirit without being overblown, and must have been tremendously comfortable to boot.
Princess Diana, Valentine's Day, 1997
At first glance, there was nothing particularly thematic about Princess Diana's pistachio green suit (she was opening a new renal unit At Great Ormond Street Hospital in London). But looking closely, her sweet little gold heart pin for Valentine's Day was spot on.
