There’s Likely a Poignant Reason the Women of the Royal Family Color Coordinated in Green at Yesterday’s Easter Service

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 1 April 2024

King Charles, Queen Camilla, and several members of the royal family attended Easter Mattins service yesterday at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, and many of the women—including Camilla, Princess Anne, and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York—chose to wear green for the occasion.

All three women wore different shades of the hue, the Queen in a regal emerald green coat dress by Anna Valentine, the Princess Royal in a mint green coat and a matching feathered hat, and the Duchess of York in a kelly green-hued dress.

The reason the three women color-coordinated might be even sweeter than you think: the Princess of Wales—who recently revealed she is battling cancer and who missed the traditional Easter service yesterday along with her husband Prince William and kids Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis—counts green as her favorite color.

Princess Anne at the Easter service — Princess Anne wore a mint green coat to St. George's Chapel.

Sarah Ferguson at the Easter service — Sarah Ferguson joined the family for the Easter service after joining the family for Christmas Day at Sandringham in December, the first time she'd done so since the 1990s.

In addition to it being Kate’s favorite color, the color is “traditionally associated with nature, spring, and new life,” Hello reports.

Royal women actually color coordinate all the time, like at Kate’s Christmas carol concert in December 2022, when royal women all wore burgundy in a show of support. Speaking of green, the royal women banded together in that hue to attend Prince Philip’s memorial service, as his favorite color was Edinburgh green, a nod to his role as Duke of Edinburgh.

Sarah Ferguson and Princess Anne — Women of the royal family often color coordinate at events to send a subtle message of unity.

Kate Middleton — Green is Kate's favorite color, and she wears it frequently.

The Wales family of five typically attends the Easter service, but are currently at their country home, Anmer Hall, digesting the news of Kate’s diagnosis as a family. The choice by Camilla, Anne, and Fergie (who is also battling cancer) to wear green may be a silent statement of support for Kate, who, though not present physically, was close in spirit.

“Green represents growth, symbolism that is especially apt during the Easter season, when themes of sacrifice, resurrection, and new beginnings abound,” personal stylist Francesca Cairns told The Daily Express. She said that green “represents optimism” and added “It evokes feelings of hopefulness. Green is also associated with renewal and hope. I have noticed that the royals do match colors at certain events when they come together and want to make a statement.”

King Charles and Queen Camilla at the Easter service — The King took part in an impromptu walkabout at the Easter service yesterday.

The King, who is also battling cancer, was on hand for the service, and Buckingham Palace described the outing as “very encouraging” in terms of Charles’ cancer treatment progress, as the King greeted crowds gathered to wish him well.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.

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