Ranking Kate Middleton’s best Remembrance Day looks: The art of glamour in somber moments

Kate Middleton updated her Remembrance Day look this year with a simple, yet noticeable, detail — wearing her hair down for the occasion where she has showed up with an elegantly styled up-do since 2016, the Princess of Wales delivered yet another understated masterclass while marking the occasion observed in memory of fallen soldiers.

Dressed in the occasion’s usual black clothing, Kate’s latest Remembrance ensemble featured dainty pearly earrings and a lace detail on her neck, keeping the look subtle and sophisticated at once.

On Remembrance Day, the future queen is always found rooted in the spot on the balcony of Foreign Office, which overlooks the Cenotaph war memorial. While she used to join Queen Elizabeth on the platform after first marrying into the royal family, she now accompanies the current Queen Consort, Camilla.

Often sporting an incomprehensibly knowing glint in her eyes, Kate Middleton has provided equally intriguing sartorial inspiration for the occasion over the years.

Here is a ranking of the best among them:

2017

It appeared as though Princess Kate had a huge statement to make with her look eight years ago. Dressed in a Dolce & Gabbana collar-less coat with huge gold buttons, the 43-year-old royal’s equally voluminous hairstyle made for a tough bargain.

2024

Kate Middleton gets some grace for joining the Remembrance Day events mere months after her cancer diagnosis last year, but it must be said, her Catherine Walker look may be the dullest out of all the ones she has sported on the occasion. Still as put together as ever, Kate’s pearl and diamond earrings, previously belonging to Queen Elizabeth, added a nice touch.

2018 & 2021

Kate repeated the black Alexander McQueen creation with red and white accents for two of her balcony appearances and neither left a lasting impression. However, the contrast between the two differently styled appearances is worth noting.

2011, 2012, 2016

Kate stepped out in this Diane von Furstenberg coat three times — and while the first two occasions marked her Remembrance Day debut, the third time, she just should have known better.

2023

The Catherine Walker coat which Kate had previously worn in 2019 was perfected by the Princess of Wales in 2023. Accessorised with the late Queen’s impressively sized diamond and pearl leaf earrings, her side bun flawlessly complemented the equally big Philip Treacy hat.

2013

Kate was truly a vision of royal excellence in 2013, when she stepped out for Remembrance Day in an elegant coat from Temperley London and where the minimalism of her clothes matched the occasion’s mood, she let her gorgeous curls take the spotlight.

2022

Another flawless execution, Princess Kate’s first Remembrance Day appearance after Queen Elizabeth’s demise saw her step out in yet another Catherine Walker design — this time, accessorised with Princess Diana’s earrings and a tasteful brooch from Bentley & Skinner holding the poppies to her plain coat’s lapel.

2014

Finally, Kate Middleton’s best outing on Remembrance Day has to be the perfectly balanced Alexander McQueen look in 2014 — simultaneously bold and classic.