Kate Middleton Opens up About Her Biggest Regret With Christmas Day Outfit

Nearly every year since 2011, Kate Middleton has participated in the Queen’s annual walk to the Christmas Day church service at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, which means almost one full decade of excellent winter fashion statements from the mom of three.

This year, the Duchess of Cambridge chose a heavy gray Catherine Walker coat, which she paired with a forest green hat, clutch and matching heels. According to royal fan Rachel Anvil, who was in the crowd on Christmas Day, Middleton had started to have some regret when it came to her outfit choice for one simple reason.

“Kate was talking to my daughter about clothes and how she was feeling too hot. She said, ‘I really shouldn’t have worn this,’” Anvil told Metro.

For this year’s walk, Middleton and husband Prince William were joined for the first time by their two older children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, the latter of whom had a conversation with Anvil.

“I’m there talking to Charlotte about dolls, and my daughter’s talking about fashion with Kate. It wasn’t fake; it was a genuine discussion,” Anvil recalled. “It was about a minute, but it was tailored to my daughter, it was like speaking to a friend. They are totally different with the public [than the press].”

One of Anvil’s friends made a doll for her to give the princess, prompting a very “cute” response from Charlotte.

‘I said ‘Would you like her?’ she stood up on her tip toes and looked down and she nodded her head really quickly,” Anvil recalled. “She was holding on to her mum and everyone burst out laughing, she was just so cute and so polite.”

“She was a beautiful, lovely princess,” she added of the 4-year-old. “She’s just so much fun. She’s definitely got a little cheeky side.”

Charlotte coordinated with her mom in a forest green coat, dark tights and black Mary Jane shoes, while her brother wore dark pants and a matching jacket over a white collared shirt and navy sweater. According to Anvil, George was more reserved than his sister, though she noted that the event would be “intimidating for anyone,” not to mention a 6-year-old.

“You can tell they were raised well,” she said of the royal kids. “They’re not stuffy, they’re not uptight. They’ve got fantastic parents, their parents have been all about talking to the public and they are very empathetic.”

George and Charlotte’s 1-year-old brother, Prince Louis, is still a bit too young for the annual tradition, and their uncle and aunt, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, spent the holidays in Canada with their 7-month-old son, Archie Harrison.

Photo Credit: Getty / Pool/Samir Hussein