The Royals’ Top Jubilee Fashion Moments

Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations saw a return to British pageantry not seen since the days before COVID-19 lockdowns, including a number of spectacular royal fashion moments.

Here, Newsweek looks at some of the top fashion looks worn by members of the royal family throughout the jubilee weekend, from the haute couture glamor of Meghan Markle to the quintessential British elegance of Kate Middleton.

The Queen, Platinum Jubilee Portrait and Balcony Appearance

For her official Platinum Jubilee portrait, Queen Elizabeth II wore a dove gray coat with white piped embellishments around the edges made by her closest aide Angela Kelly.

Kelly is a key member of the queen’s household and is in charge of the 96-year-old monarch’s many wardrobe demands. This extends to designing many of the queen’s outfits herself, including those worn during the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012.

In her book The Other Side of The Coin, Kelly wrote that she was “currently in the process of designing new outfits and hats so that the queen can mark such an important milestone [the jubilee] in style.”

The queen chose to wear this ensemble for her first balcony appearance marking the Platinum Jubilee, while receiving a royal salute following the Trooping the Colour parade at Buckingham Palace

Kate Middleton, Trooping the Colour

For Trooping the Colour, Kate Middleton followed a recently established form of dressing in which she re-wears pieces from her established wardrobe for official engagements. So far this year Kate has re-worn pieces—usually coat dresses—for the royal Easter celebrations, the Anzac Day service at Westminster Abbey and a visit to open a memorial garden to the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing.

For Trooping the Colour, Kate re-wore a white coat dress reportedly made by the designers of her wedding dress, Alexander McQueen. The royal had previously worn this coat dress to the 2021 G7 reception in Cornwall.

The duchess paired her coat dress with a hat by Irish milliner Philip Treacy and diamond and sapphire earrings reportedly from the collection of Princess Diana.

Meghan Markle, National Service of Thanksgiving

For her first official public appearance in Britain since stepping down as a full-time working royal in 2020 and since the broadcast of her landmark interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Meghan Markle wore an attention-grabbing ensemble from French fashion house Christian Dior.

The trench coat-inspired coat dress featured an elegant covered belt and vented back detail. The duchess also wore white gloves in a style often worn by the queen when out on official engagements and a 1980s-style sculpted wide brimmed hat.

Kate Middleton, National Service of Thanksgiving

For the national service of thanksgiving, Kate Middleton chose to wear a bespoke sunshine yellow dress by one of her favorite designers—who has also dressed her sister-in-law—Meghan Markle, Emilia Wickstead.

Kate’s dress featured an intricate cross over waist detail and paired it with an asymmetric floral hat in a matching shade of yellow by Philip Treacy.

Like Meghan, Kate also accessorized her outfit with a pair of gloves, though was not seen to put them on. She also carried a woven clutch bag to complete the look.

Princess Beatrice, National Service of Thanksgiving

Princess Beatrice—the eldest daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson—wore a blue, long-sleeved dress by one of Kate Middleton’s trusted designers, Beulah London, for the national service of thanksgiving for her grandmother’s reign.

With her dress, which featured pleated detailing and a matching covered belt, the princess paired a blue felt hat with statement bow by an unidentified milliner and carried a clutch bag by designer Sophie Webster, emblazoned with the quote “Wifey for Lifey.”

Sophie, Countess of Wessex, National Service of Thanksgiving

Sophie, Countess of Wessex, the wife of Queen Elizabeth II’s youngest son, Prince Edward, wore an elegant mid-length metallic dress with flutter sleeves by London-based fashion house, Suzannah.

The countess has worn Suzannah pieces on a number of high profile occasions, including the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018.

The royal paired her metallic dress with a small statement hat by milliner Jane Taylor and matching accessories.

Zara Tindall, Epsom Derby

Zara Tindall is the eldest granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, the only daughter of Princess Anne.

For the special jubilee Epsom Derby race event that took place on the third day of the long weekend of celebrations, Tindall wore a blue, printed mid-length dress from the designer Diane von Furstenberg and paired it with a matching floral hat and silver accessories.

During the event, which the queen did not attend after experiencing “some discomfort” following her balcony appearance after the Trooping the Colour, Zara said that she was sure her grandmother would be watching on the television at home in her “comfy clothes.”

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Platinum Party at the Palace

To accompany Prince Charles on stage for his speech dedicated to the queen at the end of the Platinum Party at the Palace pop concert on the third day of jubilee celebrations, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall wore a longline, elegant, black evening coat with silver metallic embroidery.

Though the designer of the evening coat is unknown, the duchess’ elegant style choices over the course of her marriage to Charles have earned her much praise from the fashion press.

Former editor of British Vogue, Alexandra Shulman, told the Daily Mail how Camilla has a clear and confident attitude towards her clothes. When being photographed for the magazine to mark her first wedding anniversary in 2006, Shulman writes of the royal that:

“Camilla was adamant then that she did not want clothes provided for her, and brought in her own. There was no fuss, she just knew what she liked and what suited her—and did not want to undergo a Vogue transformation.”

Kate Middleton, Platinum Jubilee Pageant

For the Platinum Jubilee pageant outside Buckingham Palace on the final day of the royal celebrations, Kate wore a raspberry-colored, mid-length dress by the British designer Stella McCartney.

Kate’s dress featured bishop sleeves and an elegant asymmetrical draped panel across one shoulder.

The Queen, Platinum Jubilee Pageant Balcony Appearance

To mark a fitting end to the jubilee celebrations, the queen made a surprise appearance at the end of the Platinum Jubilee pageant to undertake a second balcony appearance, this time alongside Charles and Camilla, William, Kate and their three children.

The monarch wore a bright green ensemble made by one of her long-standing designers, Stewart Parvin, accessorized with a matching hat by milliner Rachel Trevor Morgan and a diamond brooch previously owned by Queen Victoria.